Literature Review

Forget Doctors’ Day. Here’s how to really value doctors Forbes, by Sachin H. Jain; 4/21/24 ... Here are five steps that the hospitals, health systems and other entities that employ physicians and other healthcare professionals can revalue their work and give it the prominent place of honor it deserves. 

JAMA Revisited, from May 1924: The Promise of a Longer Lifetime JAMA; 4/18/2024.Originally published May 10, 1924 | JAMA. 1924;82(19):1518-1519.Editor's Note: Yes. This article's original date is May 10, 1924; one hundred years ago, shortly after coming through the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919.Modern hygiene has been described as the reaction against the old fatalistic creed that deaths inevitably occur at a constant rate. The study of vital statistics shows that there is no “iron law of mortality.” ... The New York report states that the increase in the expectation of life has been almost entirely confined to the ages before 35 years. In the future, the health officer must, of necessity, consider steps to be taken to minimize the mortality among those of middle and advanced life. There is much to encourage man today to seek to secure a normal lifetime.

Season Hospice is expanding beyond Rochester KIMT 3 News, Rochester, MN; by Saral Khare; 4/18/24Earlier this April Seasons Hospice has already begun to provide at home hospice care to one patient in Owatonna. Seasons Hospice Executive Director, Kristina Wright-Peterson says it’s important to go out to rural communities and give hospice to those who need it. Wright-Peterson says residents who get hospice can focus on what truly matters. 

Clinician burnout and effectiveness of guideline-recommended psychotherapies JAMA Network - Psychiatry; by Nina A. Sayer, PhD; Adam Kaplan, PhD; David B. Nelson, PhD; et al; 4/17/24 Importance: Clinician burnout has been associated with clinician outcomes, but the association with patient outcomes remains unclear. Conclusions: This prospective cohort study suggests that clinician burnout was negatively associated with patient outcomes from evidence-based psychotherapies. Findings support research to test the hypothesis that interventions to reduce burnout may improve outcomes from guideline-recommended psychotherapies for PTSD. Future work should determine when and how burnout is associated with intervention delivery and patient outcomes.Editor's Note: Most research on hospice and palliative clinician burnout focuses on physicians and nurses. Examine this in light of your psychosocial/spiritual professionals, i.e. social workers, chaplains/spiritual care, and bereavement counselors. 

Private equity healthcare bankruptcies spiked in 2023, with more expected this year McKnights Senior Living, by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 4/18/24 Private equity healthcare bankruptcies hit a record high last year, with more expected this year, according to nonprofit Private Equity Stakeholder Project. “The healthcare default and bankruptcy wave is projected to continue in 2024 as companies are increasingly facing credit rating downgrades and potential defaults – and most of the companies at the highest risk are owned by private equity firms,” the organization reported. 

5 ways the AMA is fighting for physicians in 2024 AMA - American Medical Association; by Kevin B. O'Reilly; 4/18/2024 ... Physicians face far too many challenges that interfere with patient care. That’s why the AMA is advocating to keep doctors at the head of the health care team, reform the Medicare physician payment system, relieve the burden of overused prior authorizations and so much more. These advocacy initiatives are part of the AMA Recovery Plan for America’s Physicians, which includes:

Connecticut home care safety bill would create administrative burdens, hospices sayMcKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 4/19/24 Some hospices are fighting to be carved out of a Connecticut state bill that would impose stricter safety policies for home-based healthcare providers. The legislation’s burdensome administrative requirements could affect patient care, they argue. ...  The bill’s introduction comes only months after a visiting nurse was killed on the job while providing care through a Connecticut home care agency. ... By the time a hospice could produce background checks and safety reports for a client, it may be too late to provide effective treatment, according to Barbara Pearce, chief executive officer of Connecticut Hospice.Editor's Note: For more information, see the articles we posted on 

Terminally ill pediatric patients and the grieving therapist Psychotherapy.net, by Sara Loftin, LPC-S, RPT-S; 4/18/24 A pediatric clinician shares the rewards and challenges of working with terminally ill children and their families. When asked about the favorite aspect of my (dream) job, I could talk for hours. I feel passionate about working in a pediatric hospital setting with chronically ill children and their families. Each day brings new challenges. ... Experiencing the death of a child is the most painful part of my job, and it will never make sense to me although logically, I know this happens. On the other hand, I feel honored to be a small part of the most vulnerable time in a family’s life, and to walk alongside them in their journey of grief and loss. ... It has been impossible for me to not be deeply impacted working in this arena. [This article includes:]

[Unique Grief Program] Stillwater Hospice offers grief hikesTimes Union Online, Fort Wayne, IN; by Stillwater Hospice; 4/18/24 Time spent in nature has been associated with improved mental health and overall well-being. Walking and movement can be helpful in processing emotions that are a part of the grieving process. Grief hikes are designed to combine these benefits through mindful movement and immersion in nature. The Peggy F. Murphy Community Grief Center in collaboration with ACRES Land Trust will be hosting Grief Hikes on the third Friday every month from May through September. ... Each hike will be held at a different ACRES location, accessible within the Stillwater Hospice service area.

Hospice boss warns of funding challenges BBC News, Josh Sandiford; 4/28/24[United Kingdom] A West Midlands hospice boss has warned it faces a "huge challenge" under the current funding model. Acorns Children's Hospice, which is based in Birmingham, told the BBC the situation was not sustainable despite demand for its services growing. It came after Hospice UK said there was a £77m funding deficit at centres across the UK. Editor's Note: We highlighted this recurring theme from United Kingdom in posts on 4/16/24 and 4/17/24 in our "International" section. Pairing this critical, ongoing financial crisis with our article on 4/19/24, "Will Assisted Dying in Europe Impact Living With Dignity?", how might these potential losses of effective hospice care impact patients' desires for assisted dying? What similar trends are we seeing in the United States?

States with the best health outcomes still have deep racial disparities STAT, by Usha Lee McFarling; 4/18/24 A new analysis of health inequities in the United States shows that every state has deep racial and ethnic disparities in the performance of their health care systems. The report released Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund analyzed 25 indicators that track health outcomes, health care access, and quality of care provided for five racial and ethnic groups. It found dramatic disparities for Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous Americans, even in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Hampshire, and New York — the states considered to have the best overall health care performance. In all states, White and Asian residents had the best health outcomes. 

Help Serenity Hospice workers win their unionSEIU503; 4/18/24Workers at Serenity Hospice have been organizing for pay equity, adequate raises, affordable health care, regular hours, PTO, and the ability to manage trauma and compassion fatigue. The workers unanimously decided to form a union, and asked management to voluntarily recognize them. Serenity’s parent company (Addus Healthcare) already has SEIU-represented employees at its home health agency in Eugene. Instead, Addus hired one of the most expensive union-busing law firms in the country, and has been paying them hundreds of dollars per hour to spread anti-union propaganda. Workers are sticking together and staying strong, and plan to vote YES in their union election next week. Editor's Note: Hospice & Palliative Care Today's posting of this article denotes neither support nor opposition to this action. Rather, we are reporting it for hospice and palliative care leadership awareness. Unions and strikes among healthcare professionals--for these same cited reasons--continue to be a growing trend, nationwide.

Hospice handoffs may lower odds of Medicare denials Medscape, by Lara Salahi; 4/29/24Clearer communication between primary care clinicians and hospice providers may decrease the number of denied Medicare approvals for end-of-life treatment, according to a small study presented on April 18 at the American College of Physicians Internal Medicine Meeting 2024. Tyler Haussler, MD, acting medical director at  Brookestone Home Health & Hospice in Carney, Nebraska, said he conducted the study. ... CMS requires a "face-to-face encounter" between a physician and hospice caregiver to communicate clinical findings and determine the patient's terminal status. Missing or incomplete documentation of a patient's medical condition remains one of the main reasons the agency denies hospice coverage.