Literature Review

Assisted ventilation withdrawal in motor neuron disease: updated results BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care; by Lucy Bleazard, Jonathan Palmer, David Wenzel, Thomas Jeffery, and Christina Faull; 3/24/25 Introduction: Patients with ventilator-dependent motor neuron disease (MND) may request withdrawal of their assisted ventilation. Facilitating this process as a healthcare professional (HCP) can be emotionally and practically challenging. The Association for Palliative Medicine (APM) issued guidance to support HCPs and invited anonymised accounts of the withdrawal process to provide an update on the guidance. ... Results: Younger patients tended to need higher doses to achieve adequate symptom management prior to withdrawal. Practices of weaning the ventilator varied significantly between respondents. The median time to death following withdrawal of ventilation was 30 min, with three-quarters of patients dying within 2 hours. Conclusion: This is the largest data set to date regarding the withdrawal of assisted ventilation in MND. This updated analysis reaffirms that a personalised, titrated approach remains appropriate and effective. The revised APM Guidance 2025 incorporates new sections on recommendations for managing the ventilator. [Continue reading ...]

Healthy Colorado: Expanded hospice care in El Paso County KRDO TV-AM-FM, Colorado Springs, CO; 3/24/25 It's hard to talk about, and even harder for many families to live through. But it's important to know how many options there are for supported care. CommonSpirit Home Hospice recently expanded its program into El Paso County. They've been providing compassionate, end-of-life care for more than 30 years now. [Continue reading ...]

MedPAC Report addresses hospital rate increases, new safety net funding, site-neutral payments Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA); Press Release; 3/24/25 In its March 2025 Report to the Congress, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recommended increasing the 2026 hospital Medicare payment rate by the amount reflected in the current law (projected to be 2.5%) plus 1%, redistributing disproportionate share hospital (DSH) and uncompensated care (UC) payments to hospitals through a new Medicare Safety-Net Index (MSNI), and increasing the MSNI pool by $4 billion. ... The March 2025 report also included payment update recommendations for physicians and other health professional services, outpatient dialysis facilities, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and hospice providers.  [Continue reading ...]

Hospice Care and Community Center, Cleveland: First look Healthcare Design; by Tracey Walker; 3/24/25 Hospice of the Western Reserve (Cleveland), a provider of end-of-life palliative care, caregiver support, and bereavement services, chose a lakefront setting for its new Hospice Care and Community Center. Scheduled to open in 2025, the center will provide critical services, create a more efficient care environment, and support the evolving healthcare needs of Northern Ohio. Designed by architecture and interior design firm E4H Environments for Health Architecture (Williston Vt.), the facility will replace the existing Hospice House on the adjacent property, which has served the community for nearly 30 years. [Continue reading for "Interior design strategies" ...]

'They mourn just like you and me': Local nonprofit cares for animals of terminally ill owners The Gazette, Colorado Springs, CO; by Kelly Hayes; 3/22/25 The car ride back to the home of Randy and Linda Gearhart was near silent that February day. The husband and wife from Colorado Springs had just picked up 12-year-old Kimi, a tan, medium-sized dog, and 11-year-old Sage, a slightly larger kelpie mix. ... Sitting in the trunk of the car was all the pups had known: several cushions, their bowls, plenty of toys and a heap of blankets. But there was something — or rather, someone — missing. Their owner, who died recently. “I didn’t wash these until last week,” Linda said, pointing to their cushions. “I think having the smells, having their same beds, that familiarity, was good for them.” For nearly three decades, Safe Place for Pets has served as a new home for animals of terminally ill owners in Colorado Springs. With the help of about 50 volunteers, two part-time employees and a handful of fosters such as the Gearharts, the nonprofit shoulders a heavy responsibility: caring for beloved pets after their person dies. [Continue reading this heart-warming story ...]

Bringing palliative care to every patient with cancer: A conversation with Janet L. Abrahm, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, FASCO The ASCO Post, in partnership with the American Society of Clinical Oncology; by Jo Cavallo; 3/25/25 Janet L. Abrahm, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, FASCO, ... has become a widely recognized leader in the field of supportive care and palliative medicine, serving for nearly a decade on the leadership team of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and helping to craft the first Hospice and Palliative Medicine certifying examination offered by the American Board of Internal Medicine. ... In a wide-ranging interview with The ASCO Post, Dr. Abrahm discussed the importance of providing every patient with cancer access to palliative medicine throughout survivorship, how oncologists can become more effective communicators, and strategies to alleviate patients’ suffering at the end of life.

Lancaster woman convicted in hospice fraud schemeNBC-4 News, Los Angeles, CA; by City News Service; 3/21/25 A Lancaster [California] woman was found guilty Friday of receiving more than $330,000 in illegal kickbacks for patient referrals to two hospice companies in a fraud scheme that bilked Medicare out of more than $3.2 million through claims for medically unnecessary services. Callie Jean Black, 66, was convicted at the conclusion of a four-day bench trial in Los Angeles federal court of four counts of soliciting and receiving remunerations for patient referrals, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. U.S. District Judge André Birotte Jr. scheduled sentencing for July 25. [Continue reading ...] 

Memories are simply moments that refuse to be ordinary. ~ Diane Keaton

From risk to resilience: Leveraging blockchain to safeguard patient data and drive interoperability Healthcare Business Today; by Krista Bowman; 3/21/25 The numbers tell a startling story. Over 42% of the U.S. population is estimated to have had their healthcare records compromised in 2024 alone, exposing critical vulnerabilities within systems meant to protect patient privacy. A staggering 146 million records were impacted in 13 high-profile data breaches, including the largest healthcare breach in history at Change Healthcare, which affected an estimated 100 million individuals. ... In the U.S., a few healthcare companies are exploring blockchain applications. Humana, MultiPlan, Optum, Quest Diagnostics, and UnitedHealthcare have formed the Synaptic Health Alliance to explore the use of blockchain technology to modernize provider data management.

Mt. Hood Hospice to present third Grief Made Visible art exhibit in April Sandy Post, West Linn, OR; by Brit Allen; 3/23/25 Aside from in-home hospice services, Mt. Hood Hospice offers numerous other resources to the community, regardless of income or if they have any other ties to the organization. Among them are grief support groups that utilize art as a tool of healing. As a result of these groups, 16 artists will have the art that they created in these groups on display at AntFarm Café & Bakery, 39140 Proctor Blvd., throughout the month of April, from April 3-30, while the cafe is open. ... “This art show creates a space that normalizes talking about mental health and grief,” said Mt. Hood Hospice Bereavement Services Director Laura Lirette. “In a culture where grief is often experienced alone and behind closed doors, our hope is that this exhibit will invite conversations about grief and supporting grievers.”

Grief support groups available for Spanish speakers The Times-Standard, Eureka, CA; by The Times-Standard; 3/23/25 Hospice of Humboldt and Healing Roots Curando Raíces PC have announced a new partnership to offer free grief support groups in Spanish for the community. These groups will provide a safe and welcoming space for Spanish-speaking individuals to process loss, connect with others and receive compassionate support. ... Like Hospice of Humboldt’s Grief Support Groups in English, these groups are open to anyone in the community and are not limited to Hospice of Humboldt patients and families. “We are honored to collaborate with Healing Roots Curando Raíces PC to expand access to grief support for our Spanish-speaking community,” said Dianne Keating, CEO of Hospice of Humboldt. “Grief can feel isolating, and having support available in one’s preferred language makes a meaningful difference in the healing process.” 

How a Lewiston health care nonprofit diversified to sustain services Mainebiz; by Laurie Schreiber; 3/20/25 Ken Albert leads Lewiston-based Andwell Health Partners, an independent, nonprofit home- and community-based health care organization. The former Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice, founded in 1966, focused on home health care and hospice in Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin counties. Rebranded in 2024 to reflect its expansion in recent years, Andwell now has locations throughout Maine, with additional service lines including in-home hospice care, Maine’s first inpatient hospice facility, the Maine Center for Palliative Medicine, community and behavioral health, mobile wound care, in-home care giving, private-duty nursing, therapy care, ad maternal and child health. This week, it opened Andwell Audiology in Lewiston. 

A doctor’s tumor rupture upends all she thought she knewMedscape Nurses; by Rana Awdish as told to Sarah Yahr Tucker; 3/17/25At some point, every doctor becomes a patient. For many physicians, experiencing serious illness and treatment is humbling, eye-opening, and, in the end, transformative. Dr. Patient is a Medscape series telling these stories... I was 7 months pregnant and it was my last day of fellowship. I went to dinner with my best friend to celebrate, and at the table I had excruciating abdominal pain that led me to present to my hospital. I didn’t know yet, but I had a noncancerous tumor in my liver that ruptured... There’s a lot of good evidence that when physicians communicate with empathy, a patient is less likely to come back to the ER for the same complaint... It’s as effective as any drug we have. I learned this from one of the surgeons who operated on me... He looked at me and said, “I want you to tell me what you’re most afraid of.” I said, “I’m afraid of having an ostomy bag when I leave the operating room.” And he said, “I can’t tell you how much I don’t want that to happen to you. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen.” With that one question and answer, I understood that our work for our patients is to hold their fear. I didn’t know that my fear couldn’t be bludgeoned to death with data. I thought if I had the right data, I would feel better. But nothing was ever going to make that better except him acknowledging my fear and holding it for me.Publisher's note: I recently experienced how healthcare, including hospice, is very different when we are the patient - or in my case, the son. So much to be thankful for; so much to learn. Also see the author's article Never-Words: What not to say to patients with serious illness.