Literature Review
2024 Hospice & Palliative Care Organization Education Calendar
12/04/23 at 04:00 AM2024 Hospice & Palliative Care Organization Education Calendar
Dying Broke: The High Cost Of Help Desperate Families Search for Affordable Home Care
12/04/23 at 04:00 AMDying Broke: The High Cost Of Help Desperate Families Search for Affordable Home CareNew York TimesDecember 2, 2023... Frank Lee’s search for trustworthy home health aides—an experience that millions of American families face—has often been exhausting and infuriating, but he has persisted. ... There is precious little assistance from the government for families who need a home health aide unless they are poor. The people working in these jobs are often woefully underpaid and unprepared to help a frail, elderly person with dementia to bathe and use the bathroom, or to defuse an angry outburst.[Editor’s Note: This article is part of The New York Times’ “Dying Broke” series examining how the immense financial costs of long-term care drain older Americans and their families. For additional coverage, see the accompanying article in this package, “What to Know About Home Care Services: Finding an aide to help an older person stay at home safely takes work. Here’s a guide.“]
Ready Pet Go! Meet the 125 lb. dog comforting people in hospice care
12/04/23 at 04:00 AMReady Pet Go! Meet the 125 lb. dog comforting people in hospice careWKYC-TV (Cleveland, OH)November 29, 2023Strongsville, OH—When your loved one is ready to move on to the other side, you hope they’ll find comfort in a place of peace, serenity, and care. At the Thomas P. Perciak Hospice of Southwest General, there’s someone there to help. His name is Winston. He’s an 8-year-old Bernese mountain dog, about 125 lbs., and is the biggest lover you’ll ever meet.
Kids fighting health battles take off from Dulles to the North Pole
12/04/23 at 04:00 AMKids fighting health battles take off from Dulles to the North PoleWTOP-FM (Washington, DC)December 2, 2023Dozens of kids facing tough health battles and in hospice care took a special United ‘fantasy flight’ from Dulles International Airport on Saturday. Their final destination? The North Pole, to meet Santa.
Let’s expand access to PACE to improve eldercare
12/04/23 at 04:00 AMLet’s expand access to PACE to improve eldercareBy Shawn BloomModern HealthcareDecember 4, 2023... Today, PACE participants are, for the most part, those who receive both Medicare and Medicaid benefits. However, it could act as the desired model of care for millions of Medicare beneficiaries who aren’t eligible for Medicaid. In fact, many impartial experts and think tanks, such as the Milken Institute, the Bipartisan Policy Center, Duke University Margolis Center for Health Policy and AARP’s Public Policy Institute, have cited PACE as a potential solution for the nation’s eldercare crisis, which will only worsen as the baby boomers continue to flood the aging and nursing services infrastructure.[Editor’s Note: The author is President and CEO of the National PACE Association.]
20 companies awarded licenses to start Alabama’s medical marijuana industry
12/04/23 at 04:00 AM20 companies awarded licenses to start Alabama’s medical marijuana industryBirmingham (AL) NewsDecember 2, 2023Birmingham, AL—The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission awarded licenses on Friday to 20 companies to cultivate, process, transport, test, and sell medical marijuana products, a key step toward starting the new industry in Alabama. Patients who receive a recommendation from a doctor will be able to buy the products to treat chronic pain and a wide range of conditions and symptoms.
‘It will put us out of business’—Remington pharmacist fights corporate fees, under-payments
12/04/23 at 04:00 AM‘It will put us out of business’—Remington pharmacist fights corporate fees, under-paymentsCulpeper (VA) Star-ExponentDecember 1, 2023Remington, VA—A local pharmacist is joining voices calling for reform and oversight of corporate-run “Pharmacy Benefit Managers” (PBMs) he said are straining the historic small-town pharmacy he runs, located on Main Street since 1913, still with its original soda fountain. Travis Hale, PharmD, president of Apothecary Solutions Inc., doing business as Remington Drug Co., said the payment practices of the prescription drug middlemen are responsible for community pharmacies closing at an alarming rate.
This grief therapist draws on her own experience with loss to help others
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMThis grief therapist draws on her own experience with loss to help othersOrange County RegisterNovember 30, 2023Claire Bidwell Smith is no stranger to grief. She lost both of her parents to cancer at a young age—her mother when she was 18, and her father when she was 25. “I entered into my adult life with a lot of grief and was just trying to figure out everything that had happened to me. After my mom died, everybody was like ‘You’ll be fine. You’re an adult, just go forward into your life.’ And I wasn’t fine. It was really, really hard.” ... Based in Santa Monica, Smith initially worked in hospice before starting a private practice as a grief therapist, now facilitating online grief support groups and in-person retreats. And she never stopped writing. Smith has published three nonfiction books about grief; her new book, “Conscious Grieving,” comes out in March 2024.
Today's 10-Second Question 12/3/23
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMWhat's one way your volunteers make a difference in your patient's lives? Share responses here. Responses shared tomorrow.Yesterday's Question: How have you used AI this week?Responses included: To aggregate / prioritize multiple media articles.
Humana Partners With CINQCARE To Deliver Home-Based Care To Medicare Advantage Members
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMHumana Partners With CINQCARE To Deliver Home-Based Care To Medicare Advantage MembersHome Health Care NewsNovember 30, 2023Humana Inc. has formed a partnership with CINQCARE, a health care company that delivers care in the home and community. ... As part of the collaboration, the companies will serve Humana’s New York Medicare Advantage members in their homes.
The Pennant Group Buys Southwestern Palliative Care & Hospice
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMThe Pennant Group Buys Southwestern Palliative Care & HospiceHospice NewsDecember 1, 2023The Pennant Group Inc. has inked a deal to acquire Arizona-based Southwestern Palliative Care & Hospice for an undisclosed amount, adding to its existing presence in the state. Southwestern Palliative Care & Hospice provides home-based end-of-life and serious illness care to communities in Yuma, Arizona.[Editor’s Note: To read The Pennant Group news release, click here.]
InnovAge Acquires ConcertoCare PACE Programs
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMInnovAge Acquires ConcertoCare PACE Programs.Home Health Care NewsDecember 1, 2023InnovAge (Nasdaq: INNV), one of the largest providers of the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) model, is expanding its footprint even further. On Friday, InnovAge announced it is acquiring two PACE programs in California from ConcertoCare, which is also a provider of home care and home-based primary care.[Editor’s Note: To read the InnovAge news release, click here.]
It’s your funeral—Here’s how to plan so your loved ones don’t have to
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMIt’s your funeral—Here’s how to plan so your loved ones don’t have toUnion Democrat (Sonora, CA)November 28, 2023Just 10% of people have told a funeral home in writing what their funeral plans are, according to NFDA surveys, and an even smaller share have pre-paid for their arrangements. So whether you are pre-planning your own funeral—as experts highly recommend by either talking with a funeral home or including it within your estate planning—or helping with a loved one’s arrangements, here are a few basics to start the conversation...
Hospice Savannah gives patients ornaments to record final messages from loved ones
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMHospice Savannah gives patients ornaments to record final messages from loved onesWSAV-TV (Savannah, GA)November 30, 2023Savannah, GA—It’s the gift that keeps giving. Holiday Voices is the only keepsake recordable ornament on the market. Each year owner Savannah Kelly donates boxes of the ornaments for patients to record a final message on for their loved ones to have.
Community Health Systems sells three Florida hospitals for $294M
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMCommunity Health Systems sells three Florida hospitals for $294MModern HealthcareDecember 1, 2023Community Health Systems sold three Florida hospitals to Tampa General Hospital in a $294 million cash deal that closed Friday, the for-profit health system announced. The transaction involves the 120-bed Bravera Health Brooksville in Brooksville, the 128-bed Bravera Health Seven Rivers in Crystal River and the 124-bed Bravera Health Spring Hill in Spring Hill, in addition to clinics and outpatient services.
High prices plague medical marijuana market in Virginia
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMHigh prices plague medical marijuana market in VirginiaWRIC-TV (Richmond, VA)November 29, 2023Richmond, VA—A new report is shedding light on the state of the medical marijuana industry in Virginia. The report found that because of high prices, fewer Virginians obtain medical cannabis through the state’s regulated market, compared to other states. ... The high cost means 90% of patients in Virginia obtain cannabis from sources other than Virginia’s medical market.
Nursing Homes’ Letter to CMS Calls Out Lack of Teeth—and Clarity—in Final Rule’s Medicare Advantage Reform
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMNursing Homes’ Letter to CMS Calls Out Lack of Teeth—and Clarity—in Final Rule’s Medicare Advantage ReformSkilled Nursing NewsDecember 1, 2023In order to keep Medicare Advantage plans in check for denial of services, provider organizations are pressuring federal authorities to do more, and asking them to closely monitor and aggressively enforce reforms for these plans as envisioned in a final rule that takes effect on Jan. 1. Companies managing MA plans have said they don’t believe they need to do anything different, based on what was laid out in the final rule, a worrying concern that needs to be addressed, providers said, who are also seeking to gain clarity on how the Center for Medicare & Medicaid will monitor MA plans’ compliance. To that end, nursing home and hospital associations are seeking to influence the implementation of CMS’s rule regarding MA plans.
Principles Underlying Optum’s Home-Based Care Deals
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMPrinciples Underlying Optum’s Home-Based Care DealsHospice NewsNovember 29, 2023Optum Health’s home-based care acquisitions are designed to support an overarching goal of expanding value-based care and diversifying clinical capabilities. The UnitedHealth Group subsidiary in June penned an agreement to acquire Amedisys in an all-cash transaction of $101 per share, or about $3.3 billion. This followed its $5.4 billion acquisition of LHC Group, which closed in February. Company-wide, value-based care is a driving force behind UnitedHealth Group’s growth strategy, according to the company’s CEO, Andrew Witty. To further expand this model, the company will need to leverage scale and an expanded suite of services within its health care and insurance businesses. ... UnitedHealth Group is positioning Optum as a cornerstone of its growing home-based care infrastructure and expansion of value-based service delivery.
Northwell’s operating income drops $104M in Q3
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMNorthwell’s operating income drops $104M in Q3Becker’s Hospital CFO ReportNovember 30, 2023New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health reported a $103.9 million drop in operating income in the third quarter, from a $92.4 million gain in the third quarter of 2022 to an $11.6 million loss in the third quarter of this year, according to financial documents published Nov. 29. Revenue increased 5.8% year over year to $4.1 billion while expenses increased 8.6% to $4.2 billion.
Hospice Clinician Wages Rising at Slower Rate; Turnover Falling
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMHospice Clinician Wages Rising at Slower Rate; Turnover FallingHospice NewsDecember 1, 2023Wages for hospice clinicians continue to go up amid widespread staff shortages, but they grew at a slower rate in 2023 compared to the prior year. The national average hourly rate for Hospice registered nurses rose 4.58% in 2023, down from a 5.95% increase in 2022, according to a new report by the Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service in cooperation with the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. Meanwhile, turnover rates declined in 2023, representing the first drop in several years, the report indicated.
‘Plain old greed’—HCA nurses rally to denounce understaffing, unsafe conditions at hospitals
12/03/23 at 04:00 AM‘Plain old greed’—HCA nurses rally to denounce understaffing, unsafe conditions at hospitalsFlorida PhoenixNovember 30, 2023Judy Preuss, an ICU nurse at HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital, joined the National Nurses Organizing Committee 13 years ago for the same reason she rallied Thursday afternoon in Tampa with colleagues from other parts of the country: Bargaining to fix understaffing. Oak Hill Hospital, where Preuss has worked for 18 years, is one of HCA Healthcare’s 46 hospitals in Florida. The nurses from the union representing 10,000 registered nurses across the U.S. held a rally at the HCA West Florida Division Office in Tampa.
Hospices Seek Special Focus CONs to Reach Underserved Populations
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMHospices Seek Special Focus CONs to Reach Underserved PopulationsHospice NewsDecember 1, 2023Some states with certificate of need regulations have special focus policies that allow hospice providers to expand services among underserved communities. But navigating these CON processes can be a challenge. ... A difficulty in seeking these types of special focus CONs is proving an unmet need among specific populations, according to André Lee, co-founder and administrator of Nashville-based Heart’n Soul Hospice.
New doctors just aren’t that interested in geriatrics
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMNew doctors just aren’t that interested in geriatricsAxiosDecember 1, 2023Doctors specializing in care for older adults are increasingly in demand as the country ages—but America’s newer physicians aren’t that interested in geriatric medicine. ... Less than half of 348 post-residency fellowships for geriatric internal medicine filled up in the initial matching process this year, according to new data from the National Resident Matching Program, the nonprofit that oversees placement of physicians in training. The fill rate was even lower for geriatric family medicine fellowships.
Report indicates fewer Vermonters opting for hospice care
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMReport indicates fewer Vermonters opting for hospice care.WCAX-TV (Burlington, VT)November 29, 2023Burlington, VT—Many Vermonters with terminal illnesses aren’t taking advantage of a benefit that some medical professionals say could improve their end-of-life care. A new report this month from the Vermont Department of Health found the percentage of people using hospice has actually gone down after it had risen steadily for many years.
Lack of Awareness Challenging Palliative Care’s Plight in the Hospice VBID Landscape
12/03/23 at 04:00 AMLack of Awareness Challenging Palliative Care’s Plight in the Hospice VBID LandscapePalliative Care NewsDecember 1, 2023A main barrier to palliative care growth in the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in is a lack of understanding of these services among beneficiaries, as well as inconsistent service delivery.