Literature Review

Lessons for skilled nursing and assisted living facilities from the ‘largest health care fraud case’ JD Supra, by Callan Stein and Rebecca Younker; 3/22/24 Phillip Esformes, the alleged mastermind of one of "the largest single criminal health care fraud cases ever brought against individuals by the Department of Justice," has finally reached a plea deal with the Department of Justice (DOJ), concluding the eight-year-long case. ... 

36 rural hospitals have closed since 2020 Becker's Hospital CFO Report, by Alan Condon; 3/21/24 The closures highlight the heightened financial challenges that rural hospitals face amid persisting workforce shortages, rising costs and leveling reimbursement. In addition, only 45% of rural hospitals now offer labor and delivery services, and in 10 states, less than 33% do, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. [Listed in the article] are the 36 rural hospitals that closed since 2020, beginning with the most recent.

Massachusetts makes paid family leave more accessible, offering services in Spanish, Portuguese New England Public Media, by Elizabeth Roman; 3/22/24... The state passed a law in 2018 which provides paid family and medical leave (PFML) for serious injury or illness whether personal or a family member, as well as time for parental leave, but found that people whose primary language is not English were unaware of, or hesitant, to apply for the services. ... While the state portal for applying for PFML services now has options in various languages, some people are still overwhelmed by filling paperwork out online. ... There are representatives who speak Spanish and Portuguese and the state also works with an interpretation service for many other languages.

AI scribe saves doctors an hour at the keyboard every dayAMA, by Andis Robeznieks; 3/18/24 When a health system rolls out new technology that it insists will make physicians’ lives easier, the announcement is typically met with skepticism. But the use of augmented intelligence (AI)—often called artificial intelligence—has changed that. The Permanente Medical Group’s rollout of ambient AI scribes to reduce documentation burdens has been deemed a success, saving most of the physicians using it an average of one hour a day at the keyboard. ... Refinement of the tool, however, is ongoing. ... For example, one physician mentioned scheduling a patient’s prostate exam, but the AI scribe recorded that the exam had been performed. 

Report: Alzheimer's and dementia caregivers total 840K in Florida, bear heavy burden NPR WMFE, by Joe Byrnes; 3/22/24The number of Floridians serving as caregivers for people with Alzheimer's and other dementias is an estimated 840,000, an increase of 13,000 in just one year, according to an annual report from the Alzheimer's Association. Caregiving takes a toll on families hit by the degenerative brain disease, but a new program from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services could lessen that burden. ... [This] promising resource in the works is the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience Model, an approach that includes the patient and caregiver. The GUIDE Model -- through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services -- starts in July. 

Deal or No Deal: The futures of 3 home-based care companiesHome Health Care News; by Andrew Donlan; 3/21/24 Most buyers in home health and personal care are signaling they'll be more active in the M&A market this year. There are three major home-based care deals that have happened, or may happen, in the near-term future. All of them could have significant ripple effects. 

HHS Secretary Becerra: We’re with you on telehealth flexibilities Hospice News, by Jim Parker; 3/21/24 Telehealth flexibilities must become permanent U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra indicated in a congressional hearing [Wed]. At the end of this year, telehealth flexibilities implemented during the pandemic are slated to expire. In a hearing before the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee Becerra said that HHS was willing to make them permanent. However, he said this would require closer collaboration with state governments. “We’re with you. We can’t allow those flexibilities to expire, and we need to work closer with our state partners, because much of the flexibility that comes from telehealth means being able to go over state lines,” Becerra said.

"A strong reason why I enjoy coming to work": Clinician acceptability of a palliative and supportive care intervention (PACT) for older adults with acute myeloid leukemia and their care partners Journal of Geriatric Oncology; by Ayomide Okanlawon Bankole, Natasha Renee Burse, Victoria Crowder, Ya-Ning Chan, Rachel Hirschey, Ahrang Jung, Kelly R Tan, Susan Coppola, Mackenzi Pergolotti, Daniel R Richardson, Ashley Leak Bryant; 3/20/24 Introduction: ... In this study, we examined clinician acceptability of a NIH-funded interdisciplinary PAlliative and Supportive Care inTervention (PACT) for older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and their care partners that transcends both inpatient and outpatient settings. Results: ... Five themes were identified in the thematic analysis: (1) Emotions and affect towards the intervention, (2) Intervention coherence and self-efficacy, (3) Barriers, burden, and opportunity costs of delivering the intervention, (4) Usefulness and effectiveness of the intervention, and (5) Recommendations to improve intervention delivery.

Racial/ethnic differences in care intensity at the end of life for patients with lung cancer The ASCO Post, by Matthew Stenger; 3/21/24 The study used data from the California Cancer Registry linked to patient discharge data abstracts. The primary outcome measure was intensity of care in the last 14 days before death, with greater intensity defined as any hospital admission or emergency department visit, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, intubation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), hemodialysis, and death in an acute care setting. ... The authors concluded: “Compared with [non-Hispanic White] patients, [Asian/Pacific Islander], Black, and Hispanic patients who died with lung cancer experienced higher intensity of [end-of-life] care. Future studies should develop approaches to eliminate such racial and ethnic disparities in care delivery at the [end of life].”

8 likely next in-demand nursing roles, per Tampa General's chief nurse Becker's Clinical Leadership, by Laura Dyrda; 3/15/24 ... "In the next two to three years, the nursing team may require new roles and skills to adapt to the changing healthcare landscape," said Wendi Goodson-Celerin, DNP, APRN, senior vice president and chief nursing executive at Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital. Dr. Goodson-Celerin outlined potential roles and skills that may be in demand over the next two to three years:

Inside Jefferson's push to engage retired nurses Becker's Clinical Leadership, by Mariah Taylor; 3/21/24 Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health is keeping more retired nurses connected to the system through its Nurse Emeritus program. ... The program offers retirees an opportunity to reenter the workforce and provide guidance to new nurses and help nurses at the bedside. To participate, retired nurses must have an active New Jersey nursing license, work at least eight hours per month and have retired in the last three years. Nurse Emeritus participants work in an education-based role and do not perform hands-on clinical care or medication administration. 

What are ageing and death from a biological point of view? Polytchnique insights, by Alexis Gautreau and Clemence Guillermain; 3/12/24 Linking philosophy and biology may seem strange. Yet there are many subjects where the two disciplines come into play and are, in turn, essential to understanding them. Death is a perfect example. This biological reality remains an abstract concept until we experience it in our own lives. But, however abstract it may be, death is based on a biological reality. 

The identity dilemma: Navigating rebranding decisions in home health M&A Home Health Care News, by Patrick Filbin; 3/14/24 ... While some companies swiftly integrate acquired businesses into their brand and splash their logo, marketing materials and likeness on the newly acquired assets, others opt to maintain the selling company’s identity. In home-based care, the decision to “rebrand or retain” takes into account a number of factors, sources told Home Health Care News. They include operational efficiency, patient/client retention, market positioning and more.