Literature Review

Antidepressant prescribing practices of pediatric palliative care providers Journal of Palliative Medicine, by Teresa Venta; 3/12/24 Objective: This study seeks to describe the antidepressant prescribing practices of PPC providers and describe their level of training and comfort in assessing for anxiety and depression and prescribing psychotropic medications. Conclusions: Limited training in assessing mental health concerns, prescribing, and managing psychopharmacology suggests an opportunity for more targeted education for pediatric PC providers regarding antidepressant prescribing practices.

Few hospitals follow recommended practices for evidence-based suicide care Pew, by Farzana Akkas; 3/12/24 In 2022, suicide claimed the lives of an estimated 49,449 people in the United States. ... Research has shown that almost half of those who die by suicide interact with the health care system within four weeks of their deaths. And those who are hospitalized for suicide risk face an elevated risk of dying by suicide post-discharge, making this a critical time for these patients to have access to resources, support, and care that can keep them safe in the event of a suicidal crisis. But new research shows that only 8% of hospitals in the U.S. have instituted all the key components of evidence-based, best-practice interventions to help at-risk patients who are discharged after receiving care. In fact, more than 1 in 4 are not conducting any of these interventions.

Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.  ―  Wayne W. Dyer

Film Festival and local organizations partner to present ‘Lily’ March 21 Sedona.Biz; 3/9/24Accord Hospice & Palliative Care is continuing their educational efforts by partnering with the Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) to marry theater and Advance Care Directive education through the AD Project – a series of 10-minute plays that feature different relationships and settings to illustrate the importance of putting your medical wishes in writing. ...Playwright Bryan Harnetiaux has worked with HFA for years developing a series of shows that depict real life scenarios involving all different family dynamics. The show “Lily” will present a divorced couple who are embarking on a very real dilemma – who to choose to be your voice when you can no longer speak for yourself.

By 2022, COVID pandemic had shaved 1.6 years from global life expectancy, research reveals University of Minnesota CIDRAP, by Mary Van Beusekom, MS; 3/12/24 ... About 131 million people around the world died from any cause in 2020-2021 combined, with 15.9 million more deaths than expected due to COVID-19 infection or pandemic-related social, economic, or behavioral factors, such as delays in seeking healthcare. ... Global life expectancy climbed 22.7 years from 1950 to 2021, from 49.0 to 71.7 years, but from 2019 to 2021, it dropped 1.6 years, reversing historical trends.

[Updated] Inefficient, unfair audits continue to burden hospices, new survey report findsMcKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 3/12/24Clunky audit processes have long strained hospice providers’ time and money, and though regulators have made some improvements, many agencies still report glaring issues with investigations, according to a new report released Tuesday by four major hospice organizations. ... Many audits have failed to meet their expressed purpose: Reining in noncompliance. ...

CMS hears you, hospice providersMcKnights Home Care, by Liza Berger; 3/8/24 Rarely does the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services succeed in shocking us. The large bureaucracy, which is not exactly known for its nimbleness, managed to do so this week when it abruptly cancelled the hospice component of the Value-Based Insurance Design Model. ... For those who wonder whether advocacy works, I’d chalk this up to a win for providers — and a clear example of advocacy in action. 

Chemed's Vitas Healthcare plans $85M acquisition to expand Florida footprint

NH End of Life Act to allow medical aid in dying moves closer to passage Gannett / Aol., by Margie Cullen, Portsmouth Herald; 3/8/24 The End of Life Options Act, which would allow terminally ill people in New Hampshire to choose to receive medical aid in dying, gained its first victory in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Both Republicans and Democrats voted in favor of House Bill 1283, sending it to the full House of Representatives with a recommendation to pass, 13-7.

Costs of long-term care: ‘Financial ruin is baked into the system’ KFF Health News, by Jordan Rau and Reed Abelson; 3/9/24 Thousands of readers reacted to the articles in the “Dying Broke” series about the financial burden of long-term care in the United States. They offered their assessments for the government and market failures that have drained the lifetime savings of so many American families. And some offered possible solutions. In more than 4,200 comments, readers shared their struggles in caring for spouses, older parents, and grandparents. They expressed anxieties about getting older themselves and needing help to stay at home or in institutions like nursing homes or assisted living facilities.

ACC updates HFrEF Decision Pathway, reinforcing the Four Pillars of Therapy

NHPCO and We Honor Veterans welcome CMS clarification regarding Medicare Hospice Benefit for dually eligible veterans NHPCO Press Release; 3/11/24 The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and its We Honor Veterans (WHV) program responded to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) clarification on concurrent care eligibility for Veteran beneficiaries. Under Change Request 13523 issued by CMS on February 22, 2024, the Medicare Benefit Manual is updated to clarify that a Veteran beneficiary who elects hospice services under the Medicare benefit may still receive services that are not included on the hospice plan of care and are furnished and paid under the beneficiary’s Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, in addition to hospice services.

Is extending life by weeks worth the toll some cancer drugs take? Doctors push for 'common-sense oncology' CBC News, by Amina Zafar and Christine Birak; 3/11/24 People may celebrate a 2-week improvement in survival without acknowledging costs. When a treatment buys a few weeks or months but comes with with a lot of side-effects, then the perspectives of people with cancer may differ, says Dr. Christopher Booth. ... The goal of what they call "common-sense oncology" is to prioritize treatments that meaningfully improve survival and quality of life. They aim to address what they see as problems in the field, such as a lack of critical thinking in oncology training, falling standards for drug approvals and avoidance of end-of-life discussions.