Literature Review
Man 'accidentally' fires gun in Iowa hospital
01/03/24 at 04:00 AMMan 'accidentally' fires gun in Iowa hospital: policeBecker's Clinical Leadership, by Mackenzie Bean (Twitter); 1/2/24 Police are investigating an incident in which a gun was discharged at MercyOne Waterloo (Iowa) Medical Center Dec. 29, according to NBC affiliate WHO 13 News. Authorities found damage from a single gunshot in a restroom after responding to a report of a gun being fired at the hospital around 9:40 a.m. CST. No injuries were reported.
Today's Encouragement: "What the New Year brings to you ..."
01/03/24 at 04:00 AM“What the New Year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the New Year.” Vern McLellan
Palliative medicine helps stage IV melanoma survivor reclaim her life after treatment
01/03/24 at 04:00 AMPalliative medicine helps stage IV melanoma survivor reclaim her life after treatmentAtrium Health; 1/1/24After a stage IV malignant melanoma diagnosis, brain surgery, radiation therapy and immunotherapy, Kate Crawford, 45, has reclaimed her quality of life thanks to palliative medicine at Atrium Health Levine Cancer. ... While she has a vibrant, positive energy, the cancer treatments and disease itself led to numerous side effects and symptoms that drastically affected her quality of life. But thanks to palliative medicine at Levine Cancer, Kate says she feels more clear than she has in years. And her family says: “Kate is back.”
Stepping forward to enhance end-of-life care
01/03/24 at 04:00 AMStepping forward to enhance end-of-life careLaker Lutz News, by Mary Rathman; 1/2/23Gulfside Hospice, a leading provider of compassionate health care services, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its newest venture — a state-of-the-art Gulfside Hospice Care Center — on Dec. 8, on the future grounds of the center.
Seniors are embracing marijuana, which offers relief — and risk
01/03/24 at 04:00 AMSeniors are embracing marijuana, which offers relief — and riskThe Washington Post, by Fenit Nirappil; 1/2/24
Today's 10-Second Question
01/03/24 at 04:00 AMWhat is your greatest hope for the new year? (per a Wall Street Journal email)Answers shared tomorrow!
West Monroe’s 3 healthcare outlooks for 2024: AI, cost pressures, dealmaking
01/03/24 at 04:00 AMWest Monroe’s 3 healthcare outlooks for 2024: AI, cost pressures, dealmakingMedCityNews, by Marissa Plescia; 12/29/23 In a recent report, consulting firm West Monroe laid out three trends for the healthcare industry to watch out for:
A medication mistake cost a Lockport woman her life. A new grant aims to help others avoid same fate
01/03/24 at 04:00 AMA medication mistake cost a Lockport woman her life. A new grant aims to help others avoid same fateThe Buffalo News, by Scott Scanlon; 1/2/24 In a perfect health care system, patients who ended up in the hospital would start to feel better soon and go home with a recovery plan, along with any medications designed to help in that process. ... “All medications have side effects, and some are especially harmful in older adults,” UB officials said in announcing a four-year, $1.95 million grant focused on improving medication prescribing.
We’re college students with ideas of how to promote senior living careers to a younger generation
01/03/24 at 04:00 AMWe’re college students with ideas of how to promote senior living careers to a younger generation
The future of claims management: How payers can maximize payment integrity
01/03/24 at 03:55 AMThe future of claims management: How payers can maximize payment integrityBecker's Payer Issues; 12/29/237 to 10 cents of every dollar spent on healthcare goes toward paying for fraudulent claims. Learn the latest strategies for boosting payment integrity here.
A Birmingham mother draws on personal tragedy to assist grieving families
01/03/24 at 03:30 AMA Birmingham mother draws on personal tragedy to assist grieving familiesAlabama Reflection, by Ralph Chapoco; 1/2/24Ella Shakeel has been volunteering with Faith in Action Alabama for five years. In that time, she worked exclusively with victims of violent crime as they came to terms with not only the tragedy of losing a loved one, but also with dealing with the logistics of laying them to rest. The source of her empathy stems from the tragedy that she herself has endured.
Continuum of Care
01/03/24 at 03:00 AMContinuum Of CareTallahassee Magazine, by Steve Bornhoft; 12/31/23Leaders seek seamless approach to services. In the United States, health services are delivered based on what Mark O’Bryant sees as a “reverse model.” Some might even call it a perverse model.
Here are the new state healthcare laws taking effect in 2024
01/03/24 at 03:00 AMHere are the new state healthcare laws taking effect in 2024NOTE: IN PROCESS ... have to head out early to radiation ... Joy
Is healthcare ready to embrace more young nurses?
01/03/24 at 03:00 AMIs healthcare ready to embrace more young nurses?Becker's Clinical Leadership, by Erica Carbajal; 12/31/23In conversations about the nursing shortage, healthcare leaders often underscore the importance of building a pipeline by stirring interest among younger generations, and getting in front of high schoolers and middle schoolers. But is the industry fully ready to embrace more young nurses? ... Generally speaking, anyone under the age of 18 would not be able to secure full-time employment as a hospital nurse, but in the coming years, healthcare organizations could see a rise in the number of nurse applicants who've earned their degrees in their late teens or early 20s, particularly as they ramp up efforts to market the profession to especially young populations.
Offering ‘emotional first aid’ to people in shock over a sudden death
01/02/24 at 04:00 AMOffering ‘emotional first aid’ to people in shock over a sudden deathLas Vegas Review-Journal; 12/30/23When first responders in Clark County encounter relatives, friends, co-workers and bystanders upset about a sudden death, they contact volunteers of the Trauma Intervention Program of Southern Nevada to come to the scene.
Executives detail UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health's growth plans
01/02/24 at 04:00 AMExecutives detail UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health's growth plansModern Healthcare, by Lauren Berryman; 12/28/23At its annual investor conference, company executives provided an update on how the healthcare behemoth has sought to minimize the financial impact of Medicare Advantage rate changes, its progress hiring physicians and its use of technology to improve the patient, provider and payer experiences. The company said it projects 2024 revenue to hit $400 billion, a 9.1% increase over 2023's anticipated revenue, after accounting for Medicare funding reductions. The company's insurance arm expects revenue of $302 billion to $304 billion next year.
Today's Encouragement
01/02/24 at 04:00 AMHistory despite its wrenching pain cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again. ~Maya Angelou
Death doulas a growing trend in end-of-life care
01/02/24 at 04:00 AMDeath doulas a growing trend in end-of-life careAlbany Times-Union, by Wendy Liberatore; 12/31/23SARATOGA SPRINGS — As a young woman lay dying, one of her last acts was to write several cards to each of her small children. Each held a special message to be opened on a special day – graduation, wedding, the birth of their first child. But the young mother might not have been able to do this without the inspiration of a death or end-of-life doula – a person who helps their terminal clients reach their final goals, as a way to die peacefully.
Doctors are pushing Hollywood for more realistic depictions of death and dying on TV
01/02/24 at 04:00 AMDoctors are pushing Hollywood for more realistic depictions of death and dying on TVKQED, by April Dembosky; 12/28/23We've seen it so many times. A young, handsome man rushed into the emergency room with a gunshot wound. A flurry of white coats racing the clock: CPR, the heart zapper, the order for a scalpel. Stat! Then finally, the flatline. This is Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider's biggest pet peeve. Where are the TV scripts about the elderly grandmothers dying of heart failure at home? What about an episode on the daughter still grieving her father's fatal lung cancer, ten years later? "Acute, violent death is portrayed many, many, many times more than a natural death," says Ungerleider, an internal medicine doctor and founder of End Well, a nonprofit focused on shifting the American conversation around death.
I didn't know anything about aging in place-here are some important lessons I learned about caregiving
01/02/24 at 04:00 AMI 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.
Chatty AI robot companions help seniors fight loneliness: ‘She makes them smile and brings joy’
01/02/24 at 04:00 AMChatty 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.
Best Buy Health plans bigger healthcare presence in 2024
01/02/24 at 04:00 AMBest 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.
From -10.6% to 11.1%: 34 systems ranked by operating margins
01/02/24 at 04:00 AMFrom -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.
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 AMEvaluation 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.
How can hospitals prepare for 2024’s cyberthreats?
01/02/24 at 04:00 AMHow 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.