Literature Review



I didn't know anything about aging in place-here are some important lessons I learned about caregiving

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

I didn't know anything about aging in place-here are some important lessons I learned about caregivingMorningstar.com, by Lisa B. Samalonis; 12/29/23From being an advocate to finding peace, here's what I learned during my family's journey with aging parents.

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Chatty AI robot companions help seniors fight loneliness: ‘She makes them smile and brings joy’

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

Chatty AI robot companions help seniors fight loneliness: ‘She makes them smile and brings joy’News8, by Terry Spencer; 12/31/23CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — Joyce Loaiza lives alone, but when she returns to her apartment at a Florida senior community, the retired office worker often has a chat with a friendly female voice that asks about her day. ... The women are some of the first in the country to receive the robot ElliQ, whose creators, Intuition Robotics, and senior assistance officials say is the only device using artificial intelligence specifically designed to alleviate the loneliness and isolation experienced by many older Americans. ... The robots are mostly distributed by assistance agencies in New York, Florida, Michigan, Nevada and Washington state, but can also be purchased individually for $600 a year and a $250 installation fee. Skuler wouldn’t say how many ElliQs have been distributed so far, but the goal is to have more than 100,000 out within five years.

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Best Buy Health plans bigger healthcare presence in 2024

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

Best Buy Health plans bigger healthcare presence in 2024Becker's Health IT, by Laura Dyrda; 12/28/23Best Buy Health became a major player in healthcare over the last 12 months by partnering with some of the largest health systems in the U.S. to support in-home services, virtual care, supply chain management and more. The company partnered with Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium, a part of Advocate Health, in March to deliver hospital-level care at home. Best Buy provides patient education and enabling technologies, and deploys the Geek Squad to provide logistics and technical support. The company also has a partnership with Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger to deliver in-home care for chronic conditions.

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From -10.6% to 11.1%: 34 systems ranked by operating margins

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

From -10.6% to 11.1%: 34 systems ranked by operating marginsBecker's Hospital CFO Report, by Alan Condon adn Madeline Ashley; 12/29/23Hospitals began 2023 with a median operating margin of -0.9%, but that figure has increased steadily month over month to hit 2% in November — the ninth consecutive month of positive margins. Despite a modest positive turning point for some hospitals and health systems this year, Fitch Ratings projects 2024 to be another "make or break" year for a significant portion of the sector.

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Evaluation of Phase II of the Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design Model Test: First three years of implementation (2020–2022)

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

Evaluation of Phase II of the Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design Model Test: First three years of implementation (2020–2022)CMS Report; 12/29/23Year Two Evaluation Report - Key Takeaways: The Medicare Advantage (MA) Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) model test enables MA insurers to offer one or more innovative benefit design options in eligible MA plans. The model aims to encourage the use of high-value care and promote healthy behavior, with goals of enhancing care quality, improving beneficiary health, and reducing spending. Most VBID benefits can be targeted based on beneficiaries’ chronic conditions or socioeconomic status (SES). A separate Hospice Benefit component is also included in the model. 

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How can hospitals prepare for 2024’s cyberthreats?

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

How can hospitals prepare for 2024’s cyberthreats?MedCity News, by Katie Adams; 12/27/23Many hospitals remain underprepared to protect themselves against cybercriminals’ barrage of increasingly sophisticated attacks, but there are a couple concrete steps they can take to build a stronger defense structure — like virtual patching and thinking twice about moving to the cloud.

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'This is not rocket science': A doctor's mission to overcome children's fear of needles

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

'This Is Not Rocket Science': A Doctor's Mission to Overcome Children's Fear of NeedlesKQED, by April Dembosky; 12/27/23Any new parent has been through it: The distress of seeing your child scream at the doctor’s office. The torture of having to hold them down as the clinician sticks them with one vaccine after another. ... “We are taught to see pain as an unfortunate but inevitable side effect of good treatment,” said Dr. Diane Meier, a palliative care specialist at Mount Sinai in New York. “We learn to repress that feeling of distress at the pain we are causing because otherwise we can’t do our jobs.” During her medical training, Meier had to hold kids down for procedures, a task she hated. It drove her away from pediatrics. She went into geriatrics instead and later helped lead the modern movement to promote palliative care in medicine.

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30 moves from The Joint Commission in 2023

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

30 moves from The Joint Commission in 2023Becker's Clinical Leadership, by Erica Carbajal; 12/29/23In 2023, The Joint Commission has overhauled accreditation standards, elevated health equity to a national patient safety goal, launched a new certification program and more. Below are 30 actions and updates from the accrediting body Becker's has covered since the start of the year, starting with the most recent.

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Tech that will change your life in 2024

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

Tech that will change your life in 2024Wall Street Journal, by Joanna Stern, Nicole Nguyen, and Christopher Mims; 12/29/23Generative AI will remain huge, and we’ll also see big moves with electric vehicles, Apple’s mixed-reality headset, password security and regulation around social media.

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2023 saw several health care deals that changed the landscape

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

2023 saw several health care deals that changed the landscapeThe Boston Globe, by Bob Herman and Tara Bannow; 12/30/23Every year, the health care industry behaves more like a balloon: Squeeze one side, and the other expands. Companies that were once just insurers or just pharmacies are tacking on new business lines. The idea is that when profit inevitably gets squeezed in one, it'll expand in another. That trend of vertical integration was on full display in 2023, a year when the country's biggest pharmacy chain bought a primary care provider, and the biggest private insurer branched further into home health. Hospitals, meanwhile, continued to push the boundaries of expansion — their leaders following through on their promises to grow market power. Here are some of the biggest and most consequential health care transactions in 2023.Editor Note: Article appears behind paywall.

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Why fears about Biden’s marijuana moves are overblown

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

Why fears about Biden’s marijuana moves are overblownPolitico.com, by Mona Zhang; 1/1/24President Joe Biden’s administration is poised to make the biggest shift in federal drug policy in decades by loosening marijuana restrictions, but the move is sparking blowback from an unlikely constituency: legalization advocates.

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A timeline of what’s happened since Colorado’s first legal recreational marijuana sales began

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

A timeline of what’s happened since Colorado’s first legal recreational marijuana sales beganThe Denver Post, by John Aguilar and Tiney Ricciardi; 12/31/23Jan. 1, 2024, marks 10 years since the state pioneered cannabis sales and regulation. It’s been 10 years since Colorado launched the first legal recreational marijuana market in the world and became a pioneer in drug reform. But when it came to the nascent industry, the first sales on Jan. 1, 2014, were more a starting block than a finish line. In the decade since legalization, Colorado has refined laws, catalyzed new ones and served as a litmus test for the rest of the country as states followed its lead. Today, cannabis is recreationally available for sale in 24 states — where more than half of Americans live.

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Hospice of Michigan receives $11,750 grant

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

Hospice of Michigan receives $11,750 grantThe Oakland Press, by Kathy Blake; 12/31/23Hospice of Michigan was recently awarded a $11,750 grant for pediatric hospice services. Oakland Hills Country Club donated $4,000, and Orchard Lake Country Club donated $7,750 towards the grant through Eagles for Children, a fund of the Local Impact Alliance, in support of Jo Elyn Nyman Anchors Programs for Children, according to a press release.

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What do people dream about before they die? Doctors mention this one common detail

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

What do people dream about before they die? Doctors mention this one common detail24/7 News Agency, 12/25/23A study from 2020 confirms that patients who experienced such symptoms became stronger and mentally stronger. There was peace coming from them. The family and relatives of the dying person claimed that being aware of this information helped them go through the mourning process more smoothly. Christopher Kerr, a cardiologist and director of the Hospice and Palliative Care Center in Buffalo, as well as the author of the book “Death is Just a Dream”, is one of the first people who decided to explore the topic of dreams occurring just before death.

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CHP Angel Foundation grants wishes to terminally ill adults

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

CHP Angel Foundation grants wishes to terminally ill adultsThe West Bend News; 12/30/23Back in 1995, the staff at CHP Home Care & Hospice noticed the need to fulfill wishes for adults in its hospice program who had limited time remaining in their lives. The idea was expanded to include individuals from throughout the state of Ohio, and the Angel Foundation was established.

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The 10 biggest Medicare Advantage stories in 2023

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

The 10 biggest Medicare Advantage stories in 2023Becker's Payer Issues, by Rylee Wilson; 12/21/232023 was an eventful year for Medicare Advantage. As the program continued to grow, with enrollment surpassing 30 million in 2023, some hospitals are beginning to push back on private Medicare plans. CMS also introduced new rates and regulations in 2023 that are taking effect in 2024. Here are 10 of the biggest Medicare Advantage stories Becker's reported in 2024...

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Social determinants of health predict outcomes in hematologic cancers

01/02/24 at 04:00 AM

Social determinants of health predict outcomes in hematologic cancersHematologyAdvisor, by Jonathan Goodman, MPhil; 12/27/23A systematic review published in Blood Advances suggested that several social determinants of health (SDHs) may affect survival disparities among patients with hematological conditions. Notably, insurance status, household income, education attained, and marital status all appear to affect survival likelihood in this patient population.

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Happy New Year!

01/01/24 at 04:00 AM

Happy New Year!Welcome to 2024 and the inaugural issue of Hospice & Palliative Care Today! Hospice & Palliative Care Today is a daily email summarizing numerous topics essential for understanding the current landscape of serious illness and end-of-life care. Building on Mark Cohen's Hospice News Today publication, Dr. Joy Berger (Editor-in-Chief) and Dr. Cordt Kassner (Publisher) continue providing relevant and timely information emailed daily. We're also incorporating a few changes, including:

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Hospice of Care receives general support grant

01/01/24 at 04:00 AM

Hospice of Care receives general support grantHouston Herald; 12/27/23Hospice Foundation of the Ozarks has awarded $10,000 to Texas County Memorial Hospital Healthcare Foundation to support TCMH Hospice of Care.

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Peggy Pettit caps remarkable 40-year career with Vitas Healthcare

01/01/24 at 04:00 AM

Pettit Caps Remarkable 40-Year Career With VITAS HealthcareVitas press release, 12/29/23MIAMI, FL – VITAS Healthcare is bidding a heartfelt farewell to one of its most esteemed and dedicated professionals, Peggy Pettit, RN, who retired at the end of December 2023. Pettit’s four decades of unwavering commitment to VITAS and the hospice community have left an indelible mark, impacting countless lives and embodying the true spirit of compassionate care.

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Other Business Headlines of Interest

01/01/24 at 04:00 AM

Other Business Headlines of Interest, 12/29/23

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Solving for X at the end of life

01/01/24 at 04:00 AM

Solving for X at the end of lifeNext Avenue, by Thomas Kamber, PhD; 12/29/23In interviews with people who were dying, we learned they wanted to mark their final days with meaningful experiences and leave their affairs in order. It's time to reset logistics, last days and legacy.

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Today's Encouragement

01/01/24 at 04:00 AM

How do we change our current climate from one of contempt to one of kindness? Part of the answer involves big and little acts of kindness. Today, pick a little act of kindness and do it.

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Denied by AI: How Medicare Advantage plans use algorithms to cut off care for seniors in need

01/01/24 at 04:00 AM

Denied by AI: How Medicare Advantage plans use algorithms to cut off care for seniors in needSTAT, by Casey Ross and Bob Herman; 12/28/23An algorithm, not a doctor, predicted a rapid recovery for Frances Walter, an 85-year-old Wisconsin woman with a shattered left shoulder and an allergy to pain medicine. In 16.6 days, it estimated, she would be ready to leave her nursing home. On the 17th day, her Medicare Advantage insurer, Security Health Plan, followed the algorithm and cut off payment for her care, concluding she was ready to return to the apartment where she lived alone. Meanwhile, medical notes in June 2019 showed Walter’s pain was maxing out the scales and that she could not dress herself, go to the bathroom, or even push a walker without help...

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Chris Comeaux, nationally recognized Hospice leader, announces the release of first leadership book.

01/01/24 at 04:00 AM

Chris Comeaux announces the release of first leadership book.News ReleaseNovember 30, 2023 Hendersonville, NC—Chris Comeaux, President/CEO of Teleios Collaborative Network announces the release of his timely book, The Anatomy of Leadership, on November 30, 2023. The Anatomy of Leadership provides a framework for leadership while providing tools and strategies for leaders to develop their skills. The Anatomy of Leadership is published by Teleios Communications and is available on Amazon and in print.Editor Note: While this press release occurred a couple weeks ago, we wanted to include it in our inaugural newsletter.

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