Literature Review

Medical marijuana may be sold in pharmacies, but it is not a medicine Psychiatric Times; by Yi-Lang Tang, MD, PhD and Elizabeth McCord, MD; 4/29/24Commentary: Georgia will soon be the first state in the nation to allow independent pharmacies to sell medical marijuana products, with more than 100 pharmacies already applying to participate. This raises serious health concerns. The public should be aware that medical marijuana is not a medicine and that it differs from US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications in several key ways. ... Editor's Note: This article contains a list of what is approved (or not) in each state (with Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico); a brief history of medical marijuana; and differences between medical marijuana and FDA-approved medications.

You never know when something you do or somebody you talk to changes the course of your life. - Judi Lund PersonEditor's Note: This quote is from today's post, "Judi Lund Person: Unleashed," from a pivotal, spontaneous life moment that called her to a brand new movement called "hospice."

Hospice care scam has FBI issuing warning after 'huge increase in complaints'ABC TV 13, Houston, TX; by Samica Knight; 4/29/24The Federal Bureau of Investigations is warning about a scam in which crooks sign people up for hospice care without their knowledge. The FBI has received numerous reports from victims in the Houston area about this costly scam. "It's a little bit more egregious and distasteful than some of the other Medicare frauds we typically deal with," FBI Supervisory Special Agent Shannon Brady said. "We've had a huge increase in complaints." Fraudsters are actually signing mostly elderly victims up for end-of-life hospice care when they don't need it and without the victim even knowing about it.

Southern states fare worst in USA Today’s searchable staffing level database McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Josh Henreckson; 4/26/24 Many US skilled nursing facilities currently meet some provisions of the new federal staffing rule at least some of the time, but only 160 — slightly more than 1% — consistently meet all requirements, according to a new analysis. Facilities located in southern states had the most ground to make up on staffing, based on a review of summer 2023 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data by USA Today. The analysis, published Wednesday, includes a searchable database with information on individual facilities — including the facility’s name, address and the average hours of care per resident per day compared to the new national standard of 3.48.

Hospice of the Chesapeake selects Netsmart myUnity® to propel organizational growth and advance value-based care initiatives StreetInsider.com; Business Wire; 4/30/24 Netsmart and Hospice of the Chesapeake, a premier provider of hospice and palliative care services in Maryland, announce an advanced collaboration through the successful implementation of the myUnity® electronic health record (EHR) system. This move underscores Hospice of the Chesapeake's commitment to enhancing patient care, supporting organizational growth and embracing value-based care models. "Selecting myUnity fulfilled a strategic necessity for us," said Hospice of the Chesapeake CEO Rebecca Miller. "We needed a platform that could not only support our current infrastructure but also grow with us as we expand our services. ..."

[FL] Attorney General Moody announces arrest of two Seminole County residents for Medicaid fraud Office of Attorney General Ashley Moody [Florida]; by Kylie Mason; 4/23/24 Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, ... announced the arrest of Debora Behnke and Suman Bhattacharjee ...  [They] ran Pioneer Medical Transportation LLC and submitted fraudulent claims for nonemergency medical transportation for Medicaid recipients, stealing more than $250,000 from the Medicaid program.  "Instead of transporting vulnerable Medicaid recipients, these individuals falsely billed the taxpayer-funded program for services never completed. In some instances, they even convinced patients to move across the state—with no regard for the best interest of the patients—and still charged Medicaid for transporting them from the original, longer distance. ..."

The cost of dying is going up, leaving some Florida families scrambling Tampa Bay Times; by Lauren Peace; 5/1/24 Christina Nall sat in the hospital parking lot gasping for air. Four hours earlier, her father, Bill Burke, had been alive. He’d eaten Golden Grahams for breakfast and wrapped his grandkids in tight hugs before school. He was putting on his shoes to leave the house when Nall, 33, found him slouched over on the couch. Doctors said it was a blood clot. He was 56 years old. Now, outside the Zephyrhills hospital, a fog of grief hung over Nall as the funeral director’s words cut into her. To get her dad back to his home in Missouri would cost upward of $2,000. The service and burial he wanted would cost another $6,000.

Walmart Health is closingWalmart; 4/30/24Back in 2019, we launched Walmart Health centers. During our five-year journey, we made meaningful impacts with patients while continuing to learn, pivot and evolve. While our mission to help people save money and live better remains, today we are sharing the difficult decision to close Walmart Health and Walmart Health Virtual Care. Through our experience managing Walmart Health centers and Walmart Health Virtual Care, we determined there is not a sustainable business model for us to continue.

Elara Caring agrees to pay $4.2 million to settle False Claims Act allegations that it billed Medicare for ineligible hospice patients Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice; Press Release; 5/1/24Elara Caring, and its wholly owned subsidiaries JHH/CIMA Holdings Inc., CIMA Healthcare Management Inc., CIMA Hospice of Texarkana L.L.C., CIMA Hospice of East Texas L.L.C. and CIMA Hospice of El Paso L.P., have agreed to pay $4.2 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting false claims and knowingly retaining overpayments for the care of hospice patients in Texas who were ineligible for the Medicare hospice benefit because they were not terminally ill. 

Five lessons I have learned in my first year as a hospice CEO Sussex World, UK; by Jasmine Cotton; 4/29/24We spoke to Lois Howell, Chief Executive Officer at St Wilfrid's Hospice in Chichester, about the top five lessons she has learnt in her first year as a hospice CEO. ... "I started my role as Chief Executive Officer at St Wilfrid’s Hospice, Chichester on March 27, 2023. Prior to this, I worked as the Director of Governance and Risk at the NHS Trust on the Isle of Wight ... These are five things I have learnt in my first year as CEO of a local hospice, ..." 

Minnesota’s new labor board votes for nearly $23.50 an hour minimum wage for nursing home workers Minnesota Reformer; by Max Nesterak; 4/29/24 'Today has been a long time coming,’ said nursing home worker Nessa Higgins at a news conference after Minnesota’s first labor standards board voted on April 29, 2024, to raise the minimum wage for nursing home workers to $20.50 per hour by 2027. Minnesota’s new workforce standards board took its first significant vote on Monday, agreeing to raise the pay floor to $23.49 per hour on average in 2027 for nursing home workers, while guaranteeing 11 paid holidays. The worker and government representatives on the board approved the minimum wages without the support of the board’s nursing home industry representatives, who abstained.

6 top execs that have recently left Optum Becker's Payer Issues; by Jakob Emerson; 4/23/24In 2024, at least six top executives previously with UnitedHealth Group's Optum have announced their departures for new positions with companies across the country. [Click on the title's link for names positions.] Optum executive departures in 2023 are here.

AMA responds to UnitedHealth confirmation of stolen data from Change HealthcareAmerican Medical Association; 4/24/24The American Medical Association (AMA) is deeply concerned about the April 22 announcement from UnitedHealth Group (UHG) indicating vast amounts of sensitive medical data might have been stolen from Change Healthcare’s system and in the hands of malicious ransomware groups. “The AMA appreciates UHG’s statement outlining efforts to contain damage and provide support for people who are concerned about their personal data,” said AMA President Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, M.D., M.P.H. “The AMA urges UHG to quickly operationalize and fulfill its promises to help patients and physicians affected by the breach.”