Literature Review

Why difficult conversations matter: How delivering bad news with clarity and empathy impacts both provider and patient Cedars Sinai, by Cassie Tomlin; 4/8/24Good physicians rely on a battery of hard-won skills to treat serious illness—they observe, predict, test, prescribe and diagnose. But many physicians haven’t been taught how to have productive, mutually beneficial conversations—such as sharing a life-changing diagnosis or informing patients about disease trajectory and symptoms, prognosis and end-of-life care. High-impact communication tools can be learned at any point in a physician’s career, says Jessica Besbris, MD, director of Neuropalliative Care and the Neurology Supportive Care Medicine Program at Cedars-Sinai. Here, Besbris shares why such careful conversations matter for everyone involved, and ways physicians can improve how they discuss serious illness.

EverHeart Hospice shares career paths Daily Advocate; 4/9/24 EverHeart Hospice was honored to have the opportunity again this year to share the wide variety of career paths within their organization at the annual Impact Stem2D Conference. The event is a one-day interactive event offered to empower young women in Darke County Schools and aims to encourage them to explore careers in STEM. ... Team members from EverHeart Hospice ... explained to the group what hospice is and the types of careers available within the organization: ... nurses and aides, ... HR, business development, finance, IT, bereavement, social work and music therapy to make the organization successful.

Healthcare on the brink: navigating the challenges of an aging society in the United States  npj Aging, by Charles H. Jones and Mikael Dolsten; 4/6/24 The US healthcare system is at a crossroads. With an aging population requiring more care and a strained system facing workforce shortages, capacity issues, and fragmentation, innovative solutions and policy reforms are needed. ... Through a comprehensive analysis of the impact of an aging society, this work highlights the urgency of addressing this issue and the importance of restructuring the healthcare system to be more efficient, equitable, and responsive. 

The day Ram Dass Died The New Yorker, by Christopher Fiorell; 4/6/24 He taught me to be more curious, present, and self-loving. His final lesson was more surprising. ... I woke up every thirty minutes the night before Ram Dass died. Stretching my perception through the big divider that separated his study—where I lay on a narrow couch—from his bedroom, I’d count the seconds between the short, ragged breaths churning through his sleep-apnea machine. Four years later, I still have no idea why I was chosen to watch over him that night. 

The Sunday Read: 'What deathbed visions teach us about living' New York Times Podcasts, 4/7/24 Chris Kerr was 12 when he first observed a deathbed vision. His memory of that summer in 1974 is blurred, but not the sense of mystery he felt at the bedside of his dying father. ... Kerr now calls what he witnessed an end-of-life vision. His father wasn’t delusional, he believes. ... Kerr followed his father into medicine, and in the last 10 years he has hired a permanent research team that expanded studies on deathbed visions to include interviews with patients receiving hospice care at home and with their families, deepening researchers’ understanding of the variety and profundity of these visions.

5 things to know about the Waud capital-backed Senior Helpers Home Health Care News, by Andrew Donlan; 4/8/24 One of the biggest home-based care deals of the year thus far was Waud Capital’s acquisition of Senior Helpers. The Maryland-based franchise – which was previously owned by the health system Advocate Health – will be the foundation of Waud Capital’s home care platform moving forward. Overseeing that platform will be Steve Jakubcanin, the home-based care veteran and former CEO of Cornerstone Healthcare Group. Here are five important things to know about Senior Helpers as it takes a different direction under new ownership.

Jefferson CEO lays out Lehigh Valley integration plan Modern Healthcare, by Alex Kacik; 4/9/24 Jefferson Health and Lehigh Valley Health Network will soon take the next steps toward the formation of a $15 billion nonprofit health system. Philadelphia-based Jefferson and Lehigh in December signed a non-binding letter of intent under which Jefferson would merge with Lehigh. The organizations plan to sign a definitive agreement this month, Jefferson CEO Dr. Joseph Cacchione said. 

Iowa River Hospice resident receives Quilt of Valor Times Republican, by Robert Maharry; 4/8/24 Kenny King may have only spent two years in the military after being drafted into the U.S. Army at the height of the Vietnam War, but he’s always recognized the importance of that period in his life since returning to central Iowa. King who spent the vast majority of his life in the Grinnell area, has been living at Iowa River Hospice since late December, and recently, he received a Quilt of Valor recognizing his service from Denise Straits of the Central Iowa Quilt Sew-ciety, who also happens to be an RN at Iowa River Hospice. 

New hospice physician requirements sow claims submission confusionMcKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 4/8/24As hospice providers prepare for new physician certification rules going into effect next month, many are still seeking clarification from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on how the new rules will affect claims processes, experts said in a recent webinar. “The new requirement is effective May 1, 2024,” Katie Wehri, director of regulatory affairs for the National Association for Home Care & Hospice, said during the webinar Thursday. “We know that is right around the corner, and we have some concerns about that date, frankly, because of some of the inconsistent instructions that we have seen from CMS.”

Reminder: April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day The Conversation Project, Institute for Healthcare Improvement; ongoing until 4/16/24[Read for] specific ideas and suggestions for ways to implement National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) activities in your community and at your facility. First and foremost, lead by example…be sure you have thoughtfully considered and made your own healthcare decisions known. Editor's Note: from The Conversation Project's "About Us": "The Conversation Project began 2010, when Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Ellen Goodman and a group of colleagues and concerned media, clergy, and medical professionals gathered to share stories of 'good deaths' and 'hard deaths' within their own circle of loved ones."

Modern ultrasound tech benefits extend from Alzheimer’s to palliative care McKnights Senior Living, by Aaron Dorman; 4/9/24New research is showing that ultrasound innovations can be ultra-beneficial to seniors across a wide range of applications. ... [A] valuable use of ultrasound tech could be in palliative care. Portable or handheld ultrasound diagnostic tools could allow for more effective treatment options, and reduce the need for costly rehospitalizations. These imaging tools are already available and researchers conducted a narrative study of existing literature that appeared to validate their effectiveness; based on previous findings, new portable ultrasound devices made a difference in 50% of treatment decisions, the researchers found. 

Ethical issues abound in adoption of Artificial Intelligence in cancer care Oncology Nurse Advisor; 4/4/24There may be ethical barriers to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) into cancer care, according to a study published online March 28 in JAMA Network Open. Andrew Hantel, M.D., from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and colleagues evaluated oncologists’ views on the ethical domains of the use of AI in clinical care. The analysis included 204 survey responses from 37 states. ... “These findings suggest that the implementation of AI in oncology must include rigorous assessments of its effect on care decisions as well as decisional responsibility when problems related to AI use arise,” the authors write.

The HAP Foundation, CLHPN partner to address unmet pediatric hospice needs Hospice News, by Holly Vossel; 4/5/24The HAP Foundation is partnering with the Child Life Hospice and Palliative Network (CLHPN) to improve awareness of and access to child life services among seriously ill youths and their families. The HAP Foundation helps support research and education in hospice and palliative care. Through the partnership, the organization will help fuel CLHPN’s efforts to expand understanding and utilization of child life specialist services and their benefits for families facing terminal and chronic illness. Child life specialists can help address a range of unmet psychosocial, emotional and spiritual family needs, according to Alyssa Friedberg, CLHPN co-founder.