Literature Review

How healthcare AI is meeting the hype at UW HealthBecker's Health IT; by Giles Bruce; 12/6/24Ambient clinical documentation will be commonplace in healthcare three years from now, according to Chero Goswami, chief information and digital officer at Madison, Wis.-based UW Health... What is the IT project you're most excited about at your health system? I would say the stuff we're doing with ambient listening, which most others in the industry are doing as well, which is allowing providers and other members of the care team to spend more time in direct patient care, and not typing up notes, with AI capturing everything in the background and then creating a summary note, or a clinical note. It returns the clinicians to clinical practice, rather than making them glorified typists. And it also leads to a better patient experience, because the patient is very much aware that the clinician is looking at them eye to eye and having a conversation, versus looking at a keyboard. And it reduces cognitive burden. The physicians aren't completing the note at 8 o'clock at night, but doing it in real time at the clinic.

Sierra Hills employees strike for safer conditions to live and work Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Cheyenne, WY; by Noah Zahn; 12/26/24 Employees at Sierra Hills Assisted Living protested Thursday outside the facility after Edgewood Healthcare, which owns Sierra Hills, has refused to budge in negotiations for safer working conditions for employees and residents after more than 10 months of negotiation. “We did include many things in our contract proposal that we feel will really benefit the residents,” said Taylor Ewig, who has been a CNA at Sierra Hills for around 10 years. ... There are currently between 70 and 80 residents at the facility and around eight under hospice care. Ewig and other CNAs participating in the strike said that many of the Sierra Hills residents are supportive of the strike. The issues began at the facility when Sierra Hills implemented a hospice care service a few years ago, shortly after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. ... The company hires hospice nurses who are only on the facility about two hours per week, according to Sierra Hills staff. The rest of that time, the burden of care for the resident falls to the staffed CNAs and RNs.

Accountable Health Communities (AHC) Model: Third evaluation report (2018-2023)CMS press release; 12/27/24The Accountable Health Communities (AHC) Model tested whether connecting beneficiaries to community resources for their health-related social needs (HRSNs) improved health care utilization outcomes and reduced costs. [The five core HRNS's include housing instability, food insecurity, transportation problems, utility difficulties, and interpersonal violence.] Collectively, these findings provide evidence that navigation can transform the delivery of care in ways that address major HRSN barriers to health and promote health equity for underserved populations.

Hospice in Branford receives $25k grant from CT Health Foundation Patch, Branford, CT; by Rich Kirby; 12/27/24 The Connecticut Hospice Inc., the Branford-based nonprofit organization which provides hospice and palliative care to patients suffering from irreversible illness, has received a $25,000 grant from the Connecticut Health Foundation. ... Connecticut Hospice will use the grant money to evaluate the efficacy of a bilingual community health worker in underserved communities to support the work of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience program. ... "We know community health workers are extremely valuable when it comes to improving health outcomes, ... said Connecticut Health Foundation President and CEO Tiffany Donelson in a news release. "Expanding community health worker services in public settings can help the state make even more progress toward eliminating health disparities."

Family faces high costs to let loved one spend last days in her own historic home The Santa Fe New Mexican, Santa Fe, New Mexico; by Carina Julig; 12/28/24 Even as a storm brought freezing temperatures and a foot of snow to Santa Fe on Nov. 7, Margaret Acton knew she couldn't wait a single day more. After six long years, her mother was moving back into the family home. ... It was 87-year-old Eloisa Bustos' dying wish to be able to move out of an assisted living facility and back into her home. She is now in hospice care. ... Bustos spent two years at Brookdale Senior Living, which cost the family $5,500 a month. They transferred her to Pacifica Senior Living, which at $4,500 was one of the most affordable facilities in the city — but, the family discovered, also was beset with problems. The troubled facility announced in the spring it was transitioning to a 55-plus independent living community — now called Sierra Blanca Apartments — giving most of its residents just a short time to find other housing arrangements. ...

Beyond the bedside: How an online Master's in Healthcare Administration impacts patient care University of the Cumberlands, Florence, KY; 12/26/24 Healthcare is about more than just bedside care. Behind every smooth-running hospital or clinic is a team of administrators ensuring that patients receive high-quality treatment efficiently. Healthcare administrators bridge the gap between clinical operations and organizational management, directly influencing the patient experience. By implementing policies, optimizing resources, and supporting healthcare teams, these professionals make it possible for caregivers to focus on what they do best: treating patients. With this in mind, earning an online master’s degree in healthcare administration can equip professionals with the leadership skills and strategic insight needed to improve patient outcomes on a broader scale. ...

Flu season is here. Here’s what you can do about it. USA Today; by Eduardo Cuevas; 12/26/24 Holidays are upon us — and so is the flu. More Americans are getting infected with seasonal influenza and seeking care, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. “It is clearly the season,” Dr. Eduardo Azziz-Baumgartner, a medical epidemiologist in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Influenza Division, told USA TODAY. One important step, if people haven’t done so, is to get vaccinated, he said. Full protection takes a couple weeks to kick in, but it has benefits in preventing serious illness. “The flu season still has weeks to go, so they will still get protection from the flu shot if they get it soon,” he said. Last year, the flu led to 470,000 hospitalizations and 28,000 deaths.

Providence’s joint venture with Compassus likely delayed amid concerns about patient care and rural access Home Health Care News; by Audri Martin; 12/19/24Oregon’s Health Care Market Oversight (HCMO) program is reviewing a proposal to spin off Providence’s home health and hospice services into a joint venture supported by private equity. ... OHA’s HCMO program evaluates health care business transactions to ensure they do not negatively impact citizens or communities. The program also empowers state regulators to impose conditions on acquisitions and mergers or reject deals they find anti-competitive. Critics of the deal argue that the joint venture will result in cost-cutting measures, increased staff workloads and reduced patient services. Providence is the fifth largest nonprofit health care provider in the United States, while Compassus is a private equity-backed provider of home-based care services operating in more than 30 states.

Hospice Special Focus Program ListCMS Announcement; 12/20/24December 20, 2024: Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the list of the initial cohort of 50 hospices selected for participation in the Hospice Special Focus Program (SFP) in 2025. The SFP program, led by the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, drives hospice quality improvement through increased health and safety oversight. This effort is a continuation of CMS’s commitment to improving hospice care for patients and families by holding hospice agencies accountable to national health and safety standards. [The initial cohort of 50 hospices selected for participation in the SFP can be downloaded here.]

Muslim community-engaged research highlights Muslim Americans' end-of-life-healthcare gaps and needs WisconsinMuslimJournal.org; by Sandra Whitehead; 12/20/24 Few Muslim Americans use hospice care, despite its posited benefits. A multi-sectoral team of academicians and community leaders in southeastern Wisconsin decided to find out why. ... Muslims are one of the fastest-growing religious communities in the United States, numbering between 3 to 5 million, with projections it will double by 2050. “With an aging Muslim population, there is a growing need for specialized healthcare services like hospice and palliative care,” the team’s research explains. ... Through a qualitative descriptive study with a Muslim patient and 10 family caregivers, the research team identified their perceptions of hospice care, ethical concerns and experiences. Among their varied perceptions, many saw it as useful only in the last hours of life. Participants also had ethical concerns about the use of sedative medication and with cessation of feeding terminally ill patients. Some had concerns about how hospice care might lead to unnecessary interventions or even hasten death. ...  The team is developing an informational resource, Islamic Bioethical Considerations for the End of Life: A Guide for Muslim Americans, to help Muslims who struggle when thinking about death and dying. 

Mobile app–facilitated collaborative palliative care intervention for critically ill older adults-A randomized clinical trialJAMA Internal Medicine; Christopher E. Cox, MD, MPH; Deepshikha C. Ashana, MD, MBA, MS; Katelyn Dempsey, MPH; Maren K. Olsen, PhD; Alice Parish, MSPH; David Casarett, MD; Kimberly S. Johnson, MD; Krista L. Haines, DO; Colleen Naglee, MD; Jason N. Katz, MD, MHS; Mashael Al-Hegelan, MD, MBA; Isaretta L. Riley, MD, MPH; Sharron L. Docherty, RN, PNP, PhD; 12/24An automated electronic health record–integrated, mobile application–based communication platform that displayed family-reported needs over 7 days, coached ICU attending physicians on addressing needs, and prompted palliative care consultation if needs were not reduced within 3 study days. In this randomized clinical trial, a collaborative, person-centered, ICU-based palliative care intervention had no effect on palliative care needs or psychological distress compared to usual care despite a higher frequency of palliative care consultations and family meetings among intervention participants.

ProCare Hospice of Nevada names nationally recognized hospice expert Keith Everett as new CEOProCare Hospice press release; 12/9/24In a move that underscores its vision to transform the cultural perceptions of advanced illness care, ProCare Hospice of Nevada (PCH) proudly announces Keith Everett as its new Chief Executive Officer. Everett, a proven leader in hospice care, most recently served as the President and CEO of Hospice of Acadiana in Lafayette, Louisiana.

House of Goshen makes history as Chicago’s first black-owned independent inpatient hospice house G20 News Today, Flossmoor, IL; 12/21/24 House of Goshen, a state-of-the-art inpatient hospice facility and the first Black-owned independent hospice center in the Chicago Southland area, is now officially accepting patients. Located at 19810 Governors Highway in Flossmoor, the center represents a pivotal advancement in equitable, compassionate end-of-life care in Chicagoland, the South Suburbs and beyond. The 14,000-square-foot facility offers 14 private suites designed to provide comfort, dignity, and peace for patients and their families. ... “Our goal is to create a sanctuary where every patient and family member feels supported, seen, and cared for,” said Sade Bello, co-founder of House of Goshen. “Being the first Black-owned hospice center in the region comes with immense pride and responsibility. We are committed to setting a standard of care that reflects the diversity and humanity of the communities we serve.”Editor's note: Thank you to the House of Goshen. Readers, pair this with the significance about hospice locations in "Who gets access to a good death?," an article that we posted on 10/24/24.