Literature Review

Labor challenges slowing nonprofit hospital recovery—FitchModern HealthcareDecember 5, 2023Nonprofit hospitals and health systems are recovering financially but more slowly than expected, according to a report Fitch Ratings published Tuesday. Much of the sector has broken even in operations on a month-to-month basis in 2023, but it happened later in the year and to a lesser extent than analysts anticipated, the credit ratings agency reported. Labor costs, although softening, remain the top pressure point. Fitch is keeping the nonprofit hospital sector in the “deteriorating” category. Downgrades have outpaced upgrades by about 3-to-1 so far in 2023. Negative rating outlooks grew from 8.9% in 2022 to 10.7% this year. ... In 2024, operational success will largely hinge on how well hospitals recruit and retain employees, Fitch concluded.

Medical marijuana takes off in Mississippi, but stalls out in AlabamaBirmingham (AL) NewsDecember 5, 2023Alabama passed a law legalizing medical marijuana in May 2021. Mississippi followed seven months later in January 2022. While Alabama’s medical marijuana licensing process has faced several deadlocks in the face of lawsuits, mismanagement and political opposition, Mississippi’s has marched steadily forward. Its first dispensaries opened in early 2023, and the number has already grown to about 100 by year’s end, said Henry Crisler, assistant director of the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association. ... Dispensary owners said the industry has encountered some obstacles in Mississippi but have also shown that medical marijuana has a place in the Deep South.

Government expects to recover more than $3B from healthcare fraud, misspent funds in fiscal year 2023Healthcare DiveDecember 4, 2023The HHS’ Office of the Inspector General is expected to recover more than $3.44 billion in fiscal year 2023 as a result of investigations into fraud and misspent funds in Medicare, Medicaid and other government health programs, according to the agency’s latest report.

Bitter strike over as nurses, N.J. hospital reach tentative agreementNewark (NJ) Star-LedgerDecember 2, 2023The nurses strike that lasted more than 120 days has finally ended. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital announced Friday that it has tentatively reached a new collective bargaining agreement with the United Steel Workers 4-200, which represents the 1,700 nurses who went on strike Aug. 4.

President Jimmy Carter’s experience dispels hospice mythsBy Aaron WheelerDes Moines RegisterDecember 4, 2023... What makes Carter’s hospice situation a little different from most is that he first received hospice services in February 2023—a full 10 months ago, shortly after the recurrence of a life-limiting cancer. While many individuals and families view hospice services as a “last resort,” it’s clear the Carters viewed it for what it is: a way to help people live as fully as they can as long as they are able. If I could change one thing about the way most people view hospice services, that would be that “hospice” is often a word people dread because of the “death sentence” connotation. In reality, hospice is not about giving up hope. It’s about maximizing quality of life based on the individual’s choices, and often about helping family members transition back from caregiver status to simply being a spouse or a son or a daughter again.[Editor’s Note: Aaron Wheeler is vice president of home and community-based services for WesleyLife, Johnston, IA].

8-year-old in hospice wants 2,000 cards for his birthday and ChristmasWEWS-TV (Cleveland, OH)December 4, 2023Cleveland, OH—If you are looking to give some love this holiday season, there is a young boy who would appreciate getting a Christmas or birthday card from you. Andrew Miller is an 8-year-old who enjoys cards and loves reading them every day. Linda Miller, Andrew’s mom, said last year, her son was diagnosed with two types of Stage Four cancers. ... “He’s got so many little tumors starting in our inoperable places and there’s nothing we could do about it,” said Linda. So, his parents came up with a plan to get his spirits up again. “Every time something comes in the mail, he’s all excited. So, for his birthday we’re trying to get him 1000 birthday cards,” said Linda. ... If you would like to send a card, the mailing information is: Buddy, Truman House Community Hospice, 716 Commercial Ave. SW, New Philadelphia, OH 44663.

Banner Health to close hospice operations; staff moves to Phoenix nonprofitPhoenix Business JournalDecember 4, 2023Banner Health, the state’s largest health system, is closing down its own hospice operations and is transitioning its patients and hospice staff to another provider. An estimated 70 hospice staff from Phoenix-based Banner Health have begun the move over to Hospice of the Valley, effective Dec. 1.

Lifepoint Health and Ascension Saint Thomas announce joint ventureHealthcare DiveDecember 4, 2023Rural hospital chain Lifepoint Health and Ascension Saint Thomas announced a joint venture last week to co-own Highpoint Health, a four-hospital system in Tennessee currently operated by Brentwood, Tennessee-based Lifepoint. The hospitals and care sites will be co-branded with Ascension Saint Thomas, but will be majority-owned and operated by Lifepoint, according to the release.

History despite its wrenching pain cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again. ~Maya Angelou

How Value-Based Care, Investors Could Impact Palliative Care StaffingPalliative Care NewsDecember 4, 2023Interest in palliative care is rising among job-seeking clinicians, but the influx remains too slow to meet rising demand. ... Though far more resources are needed, more opportunities for clinical palliative care training have been emerging in recent years, according to Dr. Nathan Goldstein, currently professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

A nursing reboot—Jobs are on the rise in FloridaTampa Bay Times/Florida TrendNovember 29, 2023All the (nursing shortage) churn resulted in the highest vacancy and turnover rates for hospital RNs ever recorded by the Florida Hospital Association, which tracks such data. Three years later, there are signs of a rebound. Vacancy rates for hospital RNs have dropped from 21% in 2022 to 13% in 2023, and turnover dropped from 32% to 20% over the same period.

Why are the holidays so hard?Jenn Flaum, LCSW, MBAExecutive Director, Heartlight Center, Denver, COThe holiday season can be filled with emotions that can be more profound and surprising than other times of the year, especially for individuals who are grieving. Subsequently, it is common for us to ask the question: Why are the holidays so hard? Editor Note: The author includes several suggestions that may be helpful for you, your patients, and their family members.

Nurse-led geriatric primary care model offers care benefits for seniorsMcKnight’s Long Term Care NewsDecember 4, 2023A new study found that integrating Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training-Primary Care (GITT-PC) can improve primary care for older adults. Essentially, GITT-PC trains healthcare workers to function as a team while integrating geriatric care into primary care settings. It can focus on using nurses instead of doctors. Overall, the model aims to change practices by leveraging Medicare reimbursement billable codes for Annual Wellness Visit (AWV), Chronic Care Management (CCM), Advance Care Planning (ACP) and Dementia services. The study was published Friday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.