Literature Review

ASCO palliative care expert panel provides recommendations to integrate health equity into guideline development OncLive, Cranbury, NJ; by Kyle Doherty; 9/4/24 The ASCO Palliative Care Expert Panel [American Society of Clinical Oncology], in collaboration with ASCO’s Health Equity and Outcomes Committee, has published recommendations for integrating health equity measures into future guideline updates. Recommendations advocated for partnerships with increased representation from historically marginalized groups and patient and community-based advocates; a reinforcement of implicit bias training for Expert Panel members as a component of guideline preparation; stratified recommendations and/or guidelines for additional groups; and the review and appraisal of future recommendations by the Expert Panel, patient as well as community advocates, and ASCO reviewers for the inclusion of proper health equity measures before publication.

Allowing patients to die: Louise Aronson and Bill AndereckGeriPal podcast; by Alex Smith, Eric Widera, Louise Aronson, Bill Andereck; 9/5/24In today’s podcast we set the stage with the story of Dax Cowart, who in 1973 was a 25 year old man horribly burned in a freak accident. Two thirds of his body was burned, most of his fingers were amputated, and he lost vision in both eyes. During his 14 month recovery Dax repeatedly demanded that he be allowed to die. The requests were ignored. After, he said he was both glad to be alive, and that the doctors should have respected his wish to be allowed to die. But that was 1973, you might say. We don’t have such issues today, do we? Louise Aronson’s recent perspective about her mother in the NEJM, titled, “Beyond Code Status” suggests no, we still struggle with this issue. And Bill Andereck is still haunted by the decision he made to have the police break down the door to rescue his patient who attempted suicide in the 1980s, as detailed in this essay in the Cambridge Quarterly of HealthCare Ethics.

Healthcare private equity transactions under scrutiny: Midyear review Healthcare Business Today; by Editorial Team; 9/4/24 Highlights

Top news stories of the month, August 2024Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast by Chris Comeaux and Mark Cohen; 9/4/24 In this week’s podcast, Mark Cohen joins me once more for the Top News Stories for the prior month from Hospice & Palliative Care Today. ... The conversation between Chris Comeaux and Mark Cohen this month covers various topics, including the side effects of medication, the idea of a Hospice Legacy Project, and funding opportunities.  They also discuss the impact of John Oliver's HBO episode on Hospice fraud, abuse, and neglect.  The conversation highlights the need for reputable providers from both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors to join forces to protect the integrity of Hospice Care. 

NAHC and NHPCO unveil name, logo, and website for newly formed organizationPress Release; 9/5/24The National Alliance for Care at Home will Combine the Strengths of the Two Largest National Organizations Representing Healthcare Providers Delivering Care Primarily in Homes. The Alliance Will Provide Unparalleled Resources and Representation to Support the Care-at-Home Community.

Beers Criteria update for medication use in older adultsMedscape Nurses; by Linda Girgis; 8/30/24Primary care physicians know the complexities of treating older patients, from increased complications from medications and procedures to comorbidities stemming from having multiple medical conditions. The Beers Criteria were established by the American Geriatrics Society as a guide for physicians about medications that may possess more risks than benefits in older patients, specifically those aged 65 years and older. There are approximately 100 medications on the list. Criteria used to establish the list include medications to avoid over the age of 65 in an outpatient setting, medications to avoid in certain medical conditions, medications to avoid that may interact with other medications, medications to avoid with renal impairment, and medications to avoid where harmful side effects outweigh the possible benefits. The American Geriatrics Society updates the list as new published evidence becomes available.

Employer educational assistance programs can help long-term care workers pay off student loansMcKnight's Senior Living; by John Roszkowski; 9/3/24Employer-based educational programs still can be used to help pay off worker students’ loans through the end of next year, potentially enabling long-term care employers to provide relief to their workers who are struggling to pay off such debt. The IRS issued a reminder last week that employers who offer educational assistance programs also can use them to help pay for their employees’ student loan obligations through Dec. 31, 2025. Although educational assistance programs have been available to employees for many years to help them pay for tuition, books, supplies and other educational expenses, the option to use them to help workers pay off student loans has only been available for payments made after March 27, 2000, according to the IRS. The student loan provision will expire at the end of 2025. The student loan payment initiative may be one way for senior living, nursing home, home care and hospice employers to attract and retain employees, many of whom may be trying to pay off student loans.Publisher's note: Some hospices offer employer-based educational programs - does yours?

Bargaining, contract fights heat up across health systemsModern Healthcare; by Mari Devereaux; 9/3/24Thousands of healthcare workers nationwide are negotiating for new contracts, and staff at some facilities are preparing for the possibility of strikes in the coming months. Nurses at HCA Healthcare’s MountainView Hospital in Las Vegas voted last week to authorize a strike if no progress is made in negotiating for a contract that ensures higher pay, meal breaks for nurses and better retention strategies. National Nurses United members at the health system’s Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, are conducting a strike authorization vote. These moves, combined with dozens of pickets, protests and contract fights across the country, exemplify the ongoing tension between healthcare employers and staff.Discussion includes: HCA Healthcare, Albany Medical Center, Sharp HealthCare, Kaiser Permanente, Keck Medicine of USC, and University of Michigan Health-Sparrow.

Respiratory patients less likely to get palliative care Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/3/24 Patients with some respiratory conditions often do not receive outpatient palliative care and have relatively higher rates of intensive care admissions than those with other illnesses. This includes patients with lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a condition called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), according to a recent study published in the pulmonology journal CHEST. These patients tend to have high symptom burden, diminished quality of life and aggressive health care utilization at the end of life, the study found.

After successful IT career, Denise DeLeo finds new meaning in teen hobby LNP / LancasterOnline, Lancaster, PA; by Karyl Carmingnani; 9/4/24 For 50 years, the Lancaster New Era ... highlighted the accomplishments and aspirations of local high school students in a weekly feature known as Teen of the Week. This is one of a series of stories in which we catch up with some of those students highlighted 50 years ago, in 1974, to see how their lives met their teenage goals and what they would tell today’s high school students. When Denise Weitzel was featured as a Teen of the Week in 1974, the bright-eyed 18-year-old had spent three months as an exchange student in a speck of a town in Denmark, was an avid seamstress, ... [Denise] DeLeo got her first sewing machine when she was 12, and made a lot of her clothes growing up. ... DeLeo had an illustrious career in IT, becoming vice president for an information company. But tragedy struck when a disgruntled employee at one of her company’s clients returned to the workplace and gunned down nine people, including her boss. DeLeo decided to leave the industry and help raise her granddaughter instead. And get back to what she loves: sewing. DeLeo also makes memory bears for hospice families. She uses clothing from the deceased person to make personalized keepsakes for family members. 

A wave of change is coming for healthcare benefits — are hospitals ready? Becker's Hospital CFO Report; by Jakob Emerson; 9/3/24Surveys of employers are making one thing clear: Healthcare costs are rising faster than they did before the pandemic, and those costs are being driven by inflation, the increasing use of weight loss medications, and higher overall medical expenses.  ... As financial pressures mount, many employers are exploring or expanding alternative payment and coverage models, a trend that could significantly alter hospital's revenue streams. ...  The average cost of employer-sponsored coverage is expected to jump 9% from 2024 to 2025, according to estimates from Aon published in August. Healthcare costs per employee are projected to surpass $16,000 per employee in 2025, driven by rising employment levels, inflation and rising pharmaceutical costs. In 2024, employers budgeted an average of $14,823 per employee for healthcare costs. These costs have risen by more than 20% over the past five years and by 43% over the past decade.

OhioHealth and Compassus finalize partnership for home health and hospice PR Newswire, Columbus, OH and Brentwood, TN; by Compassus / OhioHealth; 9/4/24 Compassus, a leading national provider of integrated home-based care services, and OhioHealth, a nationally recognized, not-for-profit, charitable healthcare outreach of the United Methodist Church, are pleased to announce the finalization of their partnership for home health and hospice services to be called OhioHealth at Home in partnership with Compassus. Under this partnership, Compassus has acquired ownership interest in three hospice locations and four home health locations that were formerly led by OhioHealth. Compassus will manage the operations of these agencies, leveraging its extensive experience in home-based care, while OhioHealth will continue to play a key role in delivering high-quality care in Ohio. OhioHealth's Athens hospice services and the Kobacker House in Columbus, Ohio, are excluded from the partnership. Editor's note: 

Hospice executives: Value-based care, regulation will shape hospices’ futureHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 9/3/24Disruptive reimbursement and regulatory challenges are top of mind for today’s hospice c-suite executives, who recently sat down with Hospice News to discuss what they see as the largest hurdles to sustainable end-of-life care delivery. Reimbursement pressures and changes among the most significant concerns for today’s hospices, according to Kristen Yntema, president and CEO of AuthoraCare Collective. The North Carolina-based nonprofit provides hospice and palliative care, among other services.