Literature Review

Health system C-suites channel 'hospitality energy' for next year Becker's Hospital Review; by Laura Dyrda; 11/27/24 Health system C-suites are taking their organizations "back to the basics" next year to focus on improving quality outcomes and creating an elite patient experience. This means prioritizing a culture of service and training staff in hospitality. Cliff Megerian, MD, CEO of University Hospitals in Cleveland, said the system has focused on reducing variation in care pathways and optimizing clinical services for maximum quality, safety and efficiency this year, an effort that will continue into 2025. University Hospitals is also doubling down on its reputation for compassionate care, said Dr. Megerian. "The goal is for our patients – our guests – to feel truly cared for at each touchpoint along the patient journey, with clinical and non-clinical caregivers alike both bearing the responsibility to make this happen," he said. "The word 'hospitality' has at its root the word 'hospital' — it's our goal to work to bring that 'hospitality' energy to our work in healthcare, always informed by world-class science."Editor's note: The Latin root word described is "hospitium," which branched into contemporary words "hospitality," European "hostels" for travelers, "host," "hotels," and yes, "hospice." At its core, hospitium refers to travelers on a significant life journey, tended by compassionate hosts who provide rest and nourishment. Click here for more information, which emphasizes the relationship between the host and the guest.

Q&A: Prioritizing health equity with Emory Healthcare’s Chief Transformation Office CDW Healthcare - Patient-Centered Care; by Teta Alim; 11/19/24 Most healthcare organizations regularly prioritize goals to improve the patient experience and increase clinician satisfaction, aligning with the Quintuple Aim. Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare created the role of chief transformation officer to focus on these areas, and in July 2023, Dr. Amaka Eneanya became the first to fill the role. ... What would you say were the top three lessons you learned during the first year in your new role? ENEANYA: It's been a great year. For lesson one, as someone coming from a different part of the U.S., ingraining yourself and getting to know the people and the culture of the organization that you’re in, that’s important to determine the change readiness of an organization. ... The second lesson is that change is exciting. There's a lot of trepidation with change, and part of being effective with change management and transformation is really garnering excitement. ... The third lesson that continues to be pervasive in my career is that health equity is poorly understood. ... You have to start with the basic foundation and concepts of health equity before you can make initiatives, otherwise people won't understand what you're doing, and they might have a visceral response to what you're doing because of the misinformation around health equity. 

Keeping referral partners happy after dropping contracts with Medicare Advantage plans Home Health News; by Audire Martin; 11/25/24 Home health providers may walk away from specific health plans due to financial feasibility, administrative burdens, or misalignment with their patient care values and priorities. However, this decision can create short-term challenges with referral partners and health systems, as they may have patients enrolled in those plans. “If a health plan consistently under-reimburses for services or requires excessive administrative hurdles, it may compromise the ability to deliver quality care efficiently,” Preston Lucas, chief financial officer at Interim HealthCare Great Lakes, told Home Health Care News. “Additionally, if the plan’s policies restrict access to necessary treatments or fail to support the level of care required for patients, it becomes difficult to sustain the partnership.” ... Maintaining open lines of communication and emphasizing the shared goal of providing high-quality care helps mitigate the short-term consequences of leaving a health system, according to Lucas.

United Hospice celebrates success with “A Night in the Catskills" [$215,000] MidHudson News, Hudson Valley, NY; by News Staff; 11/24/24 In late October United Hospice held its annual gala, “A Night in the Catskills” and a silent auction at the Hilton Pearl River which drew more than 300 attendees and was the most successful gala in the organization’s history, raising more than $215,000. During the event, CEO Cara Pace recalled all of United Hospice’s achievements this past year, including the successful start of a new and innovative program, Living Well New York, in which palliative physicians make recommendations to patients’ primary care teams that will ultimately improve the quality of life for every patient and their families who participate in the program. 

Differences in drug shortages in the US and CanadaJAMA; Mina Tadrous, PharmD, PhD; Katherine Callaway Kim, MPH; Inmaculada Hernandez, PharmD, PhD; Scott D. Rothenberger, PhD; Joshua W. Devine, PharmD, PhD; Tina B. Hershey, JD, MPH; Lisa M. Maillart, PhD; Walid F. Gellad, MD, MPH; Katie J. Suda, PharmD, MS; 10/24There are persistent global drug shortages, in part because drug-related supply chains are increasingly globalized; these drug shortages are associated with delayed or missed treatment and adverse outcomes. In addition, pandemics and natural disasters disrupt global drug production, further affecting supply chains. [In this study from the years 2017-2021] drug-related reports of supply chain issues were 40% less likely to result in meaningful drug shortages in Canada compared with the US. These findings highlight the need for international cooperation between countries to curb the effects of drug shortages and improve resiliency of the supply chain for drugs. 

Elevate Podcast: Marianne Muzic-Lucenti, LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, Palliative Care Program Manager, St. Mary’s Healthcare System Hospice News; by Mick Stahlberg; 11/25/24 In this episode, Hospice News Senior Editor Jim Parker speaks with Marianne Muzic-Lucenti, manager of one of the oldest pediatric palliative care programs in the nation, at St. Mary’s Healthcare System in Queens, New York City. The discussion profiles the program and looks at the outlook for palliative care for 2025. 

Suicide deaths among adolescent and young adult patients with cancerJAMA Network Open; Koji Matsuo, MD, PhD; Christina J. Duval, BA; Briana A. Nanton, BS; Jennifer A. Yao, BA; Erin Yu, BS; Christian Pino, MD; Jason D. Wright, MD; 11/24The overall cancer incidence among adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients is increasing at an alarming rate in the US largely driven by thyroid cancer. Although cancer mortality continues to decrease among AYA patients, those who survive cancer are at elevated risk for emotional distress, mental health problems, and suicide. Together with the population-level increase in the US suicide death rate, the results of this assessment call for attention focused on the increasing suicide death rate among AYA patients with cancer, particularly male individuals. The proportion of AYA patients with cancer of thyroid, testis, or cutaneous melanoma who had a suicide death was greater than 2%, and they most benefit from a psychosocial and mental health evaluation. Because this study noted that many suicide deaths among these AYA patients with cancer occur years after the cancer diagnosis, long-term care and support for cancer survivors is recommended.

Sunday newsletters focus on headlines and top read stories of the last week (in order) - enjoy!

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. ~ Nelson Mandela

Goals of surgical interventions in youths receiving palliative careJAMA Network Open; Danielle I. Ellis, MD, MTS; Li Chen, MS; Samara Gordon Wexler, BA; Madeline Avery, MPH; Tommy D. Kim, MD; Amy J. Kaplan, BS; Emanuele Mazzola, PhD; Cassandra Kelleher, MD; Joanne Wolfe, MD, MPH; 11/24In this cohort study of 197 youths receiving palliative care, interventions were performed with goals of helping youths feel better and live longer and for the purposes of diagnosis, cure and repair, and assistive technology more so than for symptom support or as a temporizing measure. Youths with more acute illnesses underwent the most curative and repair interventions (particularly in the early postdiagnosis period), whereas those with more chronic illnesses underwent most of the supportive interventions. These findings suggest that conversations using the proposed framework concerning goals and purposes of surgical intervention may facilitate goal-concordant, high-quality care for youths with serious illness.

Resuscitation attempt and outcomes in patients with asystole out-of-hospital cardiac arrestJAMA Network Open; Junki Ishii, Mitsuaki Nishikimi, Kazuya Kikutani, Shingo Ohki, Kohei Ota, Tatsuhiko Anzai, Kunihiko Takahashi, Masashi Okubo, Shinichiro Ohshimo, Taku Iwami, Nobuaki Shime; 11/24This cohort study analyzed data from a nationwide prospective OHCA [out-of-hospital cardiac arrest] registry in Japan ... presenting with asystole, ... the proportion with a favorable neurological outcome at 30 days was substantially low, and no prehospital ALS [advanced life support] procedure was associated with a favorable neurological outcome. These findings suggest that discussions regarding implementation of a termination of resuscitation rule for such patients are warranted.

Nurse burnout and patient safety, satisfaction, and quality of care-A systematic review and meta-analysisJAMA Network Open; Lambert Zixin Li, MPhil; Peilin Yang, BS; Sara J. Singer, PhD, MBA; Jeffrey Pfeffer, PhD; Maya B. Mathur, PhD; Tait Shanafelt, MD; 11/24Occupational burnout syndrome is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a diminished sense of personal accomplishment and is prevalent among nurses. In this systematic review and meta-analysis of 85 studies including 288,581 nurses, nurse burnout was associated with a lower patient safety climate and patient safety grade; more nosocomial infections, patient falls, medication errors, and adverse events; lower patient satisfaction ratings; and lower nurse-assessed quality of care. The associations were consistent across nurse age, sex, work experience, and geography. These findings suggest that systems-level interventions for nurse burnout may improve patient outcomes.

Caregiver policies in the United States: A systematic reviewJournal of Public Health Policy; By Makenna R Green, M Courtney Hughes, Sadia Afrin, Erin VernonIn the United States, there are nearly 53 million informal or unpaid caregivers, many of whom experience mental and physical stress related to their caregiving duties and increased financial responsibility. We identified federal and state informal caregiver support policies authorized by specific legislation along with their key provisions and conducted a systematic review of the academic literature related to quantitative evaluations of these policies... Increased legislation to support informal caregivers may be warranted. The limited academic research examining existing caregiver policies identifies mixed outcomes for caregivers. Prioritizing vulnerable populations in such policy research examining outcomes could help improve caregiver support efforts.