Literature Review

Why I chose palliative care: A nurse's personal journey to providing comfort careAnschutz, by Lauren Carter; 3/5/24My interest in palliative care started with my grandma’s use of hospice services seventeen years ago. She suffered with multiple sclerosis for over forty years. ... What may have been a terrible experience for most people was actually made very positive for me. ... Unfortunately, I had another opportunity fifteen years later, to once again be there for my family in this way. ... It takes empathy and specialized training to assist in end-of-life care. It may be something that we are called to. I care deeply about these patients and their families. I am able to have difficult conversations when necessary. I try to create space for family members to talk about who the person in the hospital bed is, when that person can no longer talk for themselves. ...

WellSky ® and Millennium Physician Group set new standard for healthcare delivery with innovative new partnership Benzinga, by Business Wire; 3/5/24 WellSky, a leading health and community care technology company, and Millennium Physician Group, a value-based physician group with more than 800 healthcare providers across the Southeast, today announced a new multi-year partnership to drive improved outcomes for Millennium patients. ... WellSky serves more than 20,000 client sites — including the largest hospital systems, blood banks, cell therapy labs, home health and hospice franchises, post-acute providers, government agencies, and human services organizations. 

Why home care leaders are now banking on ‘Caregiver-First’ cultures Home Health Care News, by Patrick Filbin; 3/4/24 Over the last several years, a notable trend is emerging in home care: Top-tier companies are shifting their focus from prioritizing customers to prioritizing caregivers. This strategic move reflects a growing recognition of the critical role caregivers play, and aims to address persistent caregiver shortages.

Apparently healthy, but diagnosed with Alzheimer’s?The New York Times, by Paula Span; 3/4/24 New criteria could lead to a dementia diagnosis on the basis of a simple blood test, even in the absence of obvious symptoms.

Johns Hopkins study reveals medical marijuana lowers pain, hospital visits BNN, by Wojciech Zylm; 3/5/24Recent research highlights significant improvements in well-being for cannabis users, offering hope for those with chronic illnesses. The study showcases a potential shift in the perception and utilization of medical cannabis in healthcare.

Cornhole tournament raises $33K for Chatham-Kent HospiceCK News Today, by Millar Hill; 3/4/24The Chatham-Kent Hospice Foundation's inaugural cornhole tournament was a success, raising over $33,000 for end-of-life care in Chatham-Kent. The event, which took place Saturday at the Everest Convention Centre in Chatham, saw 28 teams take part who wanted to help raise some funds.Editor's Note: Who would have thought that cornhole could raise so much money? With its growing popularity in the US, consider incorporating a revenue-generating cornhole area into your standard (appropriate) fundraisers. Are you hosting a golf tournment? Consider including an intergenerational, family/team oriented cornhole contest for family, friends, and community groups.

InnovAge launches first PACE Center in Florida providing comprehensive healthcare program for seniors to promote independence MarketScreener, Globe Newswire; 3/4/24InnovAge Holding Corp. (“InnovAge”) (Nasdaq: INNV), the industry leader in providing comprehensive healthcare programs to dual-eligible seniors through the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) launched a new center in Tampa, its first in the state of Florida. This PACE center has the capacity to serve approximately 1,300 participants.

15 C-level job openings with HCA Becker's Hospital Review, by Molly Gamble; 3/5/24The largest health system in the country is seeking leaders for numerous roles at the top of its hospitals. With more than 182 hospitals and 2,300 sites of care, Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare is seeking to fill thousands of positions across its 20-state enterprise. [Included] are job listings active on the HCA job boards as of March 4 for C-level executive positions with its hospitals or subsidiaries, organized by role and presented alphabetically.

The framework on palliative care in Canada - five years later: a report on the state of palliative care in Canada.Government of Canada; 3/5/24[From the "Minister's Message," The Honorable Mark Holland, PC, MP] As Minister of Health, I am pleased to present Health Canada’s 2023 Report on the State of Palliative Care in Canada. Since the release of the Framework on Palliative Care in Canada in 2018, there have been collective efforts to advance palliative care awareness, access to training, supports for caregivers and providers, and to stimulate research and improve data collection on palliative care. And I am especially encouraged to report that, since 2018, we have moved closer to our collective vision for palliative care in Canada. This progress is the result of collective and collaborative efforts by governments, organizations and individuals over the last five years.Editor's Note: What can we learn from our Canadian neighbors from their new five-year report "On the state of palliative care in Canada"? In our daily gleaning of articles for this newsletter, numerous articles with similar topics, ethical challenges, and core purposes appear from Canada. 

Hittin' the Road for Hospice: Annual motorcycle ride raises $22,000 for Gulfside Hospice patients and their families The Laker / Lutz News; by Mary Rathman; 3/5/24[Scroll down on the page for the article] For more than a decade, motorcycle riders have been coming together to raise funds for Gulfside Hospice and support patients in need and their families. During the 12th annual Hittin’ the Road for Hospice, the crowd raised just over $22,000 for the nonprofit, according to a news release.

Primary care physician's next frontier: Palliative careMedscape, by Larry Beresford; 3/5/24Palliative care, a medical specialty that focuses on clarifying the treatment goals of seriously ill patients, helping with end-of-life planning, and emphasizing pain and symptom management, has been growing in recent years. Already well-established in most US hospitals, it is also expanding in community settings, often as an extension of hospice programs. Now, by adding primary care physicians and practices to their service mix, palliative care groups are better meeting the needs of a neglected — and costly — population of frail elders.

The current state of community-based palliative careHospice News, by Jim Parker; 3/4/24“Palliative care” is becoming a buzz word in health care, even if many people don’t understand the loosely defined term. However, wide variation exists in how different providers deliver these services in the absence of a standardized, national definition or a more concrete regulatory structure that includes quality measures, Logan Hoover, vice president of policy and public relations for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), said at the Hospice News Palliative Care Conference in Tampa, Florida.

Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services launch cross-government inquiry on impact of corporate greed in health careFederal Trade Commission; 3/5/24The Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) jointly launched a cross-government public inquiry into private-equity and other corporations’ increasing control over health care. ... The agencies seek comments on a variety of transactions, including those involving dialysis clinics, nursing homes, hospice providers, primary care providers, hospitals, home health agencies, home- and community-based services providers, behavioral health providers, as well as billing and collections services.