Literature Review

UnitedHealth Group's Optum to close Ohio location, lay off 129Modern Healthcare; by Lauren Berryman; 5/17/24UnitedHealth Group’s Optum will lay off 129 employees and close a Toledo, Ohio, facility, according to a notice filed with the state's job and family services department. The separations are expected to take place in three waves, from July 15 to September 6, and will affect employees in Ohio and remote locations, Optum said in the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice filed Thursday. The affected employees include senior software engineers, senior technology product managers, associate business systems analysts and associate business operations coordinators, the notice said.

Montgomery Hospice & Prince George’s Hospice hires new Chief Executive OfficerPress release; 5/21/24Montgomery Hospice & Prince George’s Hospice is pleased to announce the selection of Karen Brubaker Miller, MSW, as the organization’s next Chief Executive Officer. Brubaker Miller’s tenure will start on July 1, succeeding Ann Mitchell, MPH, who was at the organization for the past 26 years. A licensed clinical social worker, Mrs. Brubaker Miller is a business and strategic minded leader with over 25 years of leadership experience working in the non-profit and for-profit hospice industry.

A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination. ~Nelson Mandela

Optum spent $31B on acquisitions in 2 yearsBecker's Health IT; by Naomi Diaz; 5/13/24In the last two years, Optum has spent $31 billion on acquisitions, The Oregonian reported May 13. In the state of Oregon, Optum has acquired 12 healthcare provider companies including Oregon Medical Group, GreenField Health System, Family Medical Group Northeast as well as an independent physician association in Portland. ... This comes as Optum is currently pursuing authorization to acquire Amedisys, a home health care firm, for $3.3 billion.

Nurse resilience, decompression off balance: Press GaneyBecker's Clinical Leadership; by Erica Carbajal; 5/14/24Nurses have a hard time disconnecting from work, and may benefit from additional workplace resources that support them in doing so, according to findings from a new Press Ganey report on nurse resiliency. ... Below are four key findings from the report:

New palliative care nonprofit encourages open, candid conversations about death, dying[NC] ABC 13 News; by Kimberly King; 5/16/24Swannanoa, NC (WLOS) - There’s a national movement among a segment of palliative and hospice care workers to help people facing a terminal illness find the strength to have more candid conversations around death. The goal is to ease the final days not only for the individual dying but for their loved ones at a most painful time. Dr. Aditi Sethi, a physician specializing in hospice and palliative care, founded the nonprofit Center for Conscious Living and Dying (CCLD) based in Swannanoa. Sethi’s work focuses on helping people come to terms with mortality and break the stigma of avoiding the hard conversations about it.

Owner of home health services agency and parent of disabled child arrested for Medicaid provider fraudFL Office of the Attorney General; 5/15/24Tallahassee, FL - Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit announced the arrest of the owner of a home health services agency and a parent of a disabled child for Medicaid provider fraud. Latrena Marie Thomas is the owner of A River’s Journey, a home health care agency with residential home care facilities located in Yulee and Jacksonville. Thomas is accused of hiring non-licensed individuals to provide hands-on personal care services to Medicaid recipients. In addition, Thomas paid Donald Ray Adams II, a parent of a disabled Medicaid recipient, to provide medically licensed care for his own child. In total, Thomas fraudulently billed Medicaid claims for 30 distinct medically needy Medicaid recipients, which caused a total loss of more than $1.6 million.

Senate kills bill allowing medical aid in dyingConcord Monitor; by Sruthi Gopalakrishnan; 5/16/24After months of intense public debate, with Granite Staters on both sides of the legislation that would allow medical aid in dying, packing the room at every public hearing, the Senate voted on Thursday to kill the bill.

Home care providers need to step up worker safety initiatives, experts sayMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 5/14/24In the aftermath of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s citing of Elara Caring for failing to protect a worker killed on the job, safety and legal experts are urging providers to be proactive about implementing worker safety practices. “We have been seeing a rather significant uptick in workplace violence issues in the home-based care industry,” Angelo Spinola, an attorney at Polsinelli, told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse, in a statement. “We highly recommend that providers take proactive steps to implement home-based care specific policies and procedures and conduct workplace trainings that address common issues such as what to do if a client is acting erratically, how to report unsafe conditions in the home [such as an unsecured firearm], de-escalation techniques, etc.”

Recognizing the physical and emotional toll that caring for a loved one with a chronic condition has on the caregiverMedical Xpress; by American Heart Association; 5/15/24Living with a chronic medical condition after surviving a heart attack or stroke may come with additional health and personal care needs. Often survivors must rely on a family member or close friend to help. However, there's a growing body of scientific research that shows people who serve as unpaid caregivers may not be getting the care they need to live longer, healthier lives, according to the American Heart Association...

Connecticut hospices obtain carveout from sweeping safety billMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 5/15/24Grassroots advocacy paid off for Connecticut’s hospice providers. Last week, they successfully obtained a carveout from Senate Bill 1, which requires home-based healthcare providers to run background checks on all potential clients. “It was basically a total victory,” Barbara Pearce, chief executive officer of The Connecticut Hospice and the main proponent calling for a carveout, told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse. “You’re never going to defeat Senate Bill One, because they said - in naming it - it’s their top priority. We just tried to take hospice off, and we did.” ... The bill would have unintentionally limited patients’ access to hospice care, Pearce said. By the time a background check could be conducted on a client, it may be too late to provide effective care for the patient. Furthermore, current staffing challenges hospices face would make compliance even harder, she noted.

Teleios recognized as one of the best places to work in healthcare in 2024Press release; by Claudia Polancich; 5/14/24Hendersonville, NC May 14, 2024: Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN) has been selected by Modern Healthcare as one of the 2024 Best Places to Work in Healthcare.  The complete list of this year’s winners, in alphabetical order, is available at ModernHealthcare.com/BestPlacesList. 

Compassus Taps Fresenius Veteran Michael Asselta As Next CEOHome Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 5/7/24There’s a new leader at the helm of Compassus. The company’s board of directors has named Michael J. Asselta as CEO. Compassus is one of the largest home-based care providers in the country. The Brentwood, Tennessee-based company provides home health, hospice, palliative and home infusion services across more than 270 locations in 30 states.