Literature Review

Number of Georgians dropped from Medicaid nears 500,000 The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, by Ariel Hart; 1/22/24Georgia has dropped at least 488,000 from Medicaid, the government health insurance for the poor, as part of a federally mandated project to ensure those covered by the program qualify to remain on it.

Riding off with a legacyNext Avenue, by Kate St. Vincent Vogl; 1/22/24A story about women breaking barriers was bigger than my dying friend and me. I promised to see it through. ...  And in the fall of 2019, from her hospice bed, my friend handed over her whole manuscript. ... Turned out the founder of the Women's International Motorcycle Association (WIMA) also encouraged her followers to say yes — to motorcycle riding. And the thrill of independence. [Her dying wish is published: Iron Horse Cowgirls - Louise Scherbyn and the Women Motorcyclists of the 1930s and 1940s.]

Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown sends signed jersey to fan in hospice who dyed his hair blueNFL, by Erin Walsh; 1/20/24Larry Benjamin, a Detroit Lions fan receiving hospice care who dyed his hair blue for the team's playoff run, received a very special gift from star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown this weekend. St. Brown sent Benjamin, a lifelong Lions fan, an autographed jersey after hearing about his gesture of support for the team. Editor's Note: Follow-up to the story we posted on 

January 2024 MedPAC and MACPAC Data Book: Beneficiaries Dually Eligible for Medicare and MedicaidMedPAC; 1/22/24View and download the Data Book

Hospice investors to watch in 2024Hospice News, by Jim Parker; 1/19/24Though the number of hospice M&A deals plummeted in 2023 compared to prior years, deals are still being made, and the industry may see a rebound in 2024.

To tackle financial distress, hospitals, health systems are turning to mergersKFF Health News; 1/19/24Modern Healthcare looks into the phenomenon of rising health care mergers and acquisitions being driven by financial pressures on health providers in the aftermath of the pandemic. Separately, Stateline explains how private equity-backed hospitals can see cutbacks and closures.

Acceptance of digital health technologies in palliative care patientsPalliat Med Rep; by Stefan Wicki, Ian C Clark, Manuel Amann, Sebastian M Christ, Markus Schettle, Caroline Hertler, Gudrun Theile, David Blum; 1/13/24Results: A majority of patients indicated an interest in (69.0%) and positive attitude toward (75.9%) digital health technologies. Nearly all (93.1%) patients believe that digital health technologies will become more important in medicine in the future. Most patients would consider using their smartphone (79.3%) or wearable (69.0%) more often for their health.

StateServ announces acquisition of Delta Care RxPR Newswire; 1/22/2024StateServ, a leading provider of durable medical equipment ("DME") benefit management solutions to the post-acute care market in the United States, has completed its acquisition of Delta Care Rx ("Delta Care"), a national pharmaceutical care provider. Delta Care offers integrated pharmacy benefit management, mail order prescription, sterile/non-sterile compounding, and clinical pharmacist consulting to the hospice and palliative care markets. ... The unique combination forms a leading care-at-home data, technology, and service platform and the industry's first scaled DME and pharmacy solution.

HHS: Lack of incentives bar home health, hospice providers from creating interoperable solutionsMcKnights Senior Living, by Adam Healy; 1/19/24Long-term and post-acute care organizations have not received the same support as other care settings for creating interoperable patient data tools, putting home health and hospice providers at a disadvantage, according to new research by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

New dementia-focused payment model emphasizes caregiver supportHospice News, by Holly Vossel; 1/18/23Without family caregivers, most hospice and palliative care patients would be unable to receive care in the home. Now, some emerging payment models are including caregiver support as a key component. 

Pals for Life helps animals lend a paw while treating community members with pet therapyABC News, by Nick Iadonisi; 1/19/24Kristen Abbott as Program Director of Pals for Life is bringing pet therapy across the Delaware Valley. She guides animals as they lend a paw, and lift the spirits of our community members. The pets will visit people in various locations, such as "elder care homes...mental health hospitals...hospice centers," said Abbott.

$15 billion win for physicians on prior authorizationAMA, by Kevin B. O'Reilly; 1/18/24Under the leadership of Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a final rule making important reforms to prior authorization to cut patient care delays and electronically streamline the process for physicians. Together, the changes will save physician practices an estimated $15 billion over 10 years, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

How Medicare Advantage, labor, AI will shape home-based care in 2024Home Health Care News, by Andrew Donlan; 1/18/24Home Health Care News recently spoke with 15 home-based care leaders for our annual “Executive Forecast” articles, which we published at the end of last year. Those executives’ responses covered a wide range of topics, and were surprisingly and refreshingly diverse. But, in the end, a few themes emerged.