Literature Review

Teleios announces Teleios University graduates Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN), Hendersonville, NC; by Tina Gentry; 12/16/24 Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN) announced its 2024 Teleios University (TU) graduates. Nine individuals successfully completed the year-long program, earning their certificates in leadership excellence. TU’s Leadership Excellence program is unlike any other. This one-year course is provided through monthly webinars, experiential monthly activities, quarterly challenges and more. It culminates with a capstone project and earns each participant who completes the assignments a certification in leadership excellence. This year’s graduates include the following leaders in the Hospice and Serious Illness Sector:

I wish you music to help with the burdens of life, and to help you release your happiness to others. ~ Ludwig van BeethovenEditor's note: Happy Birthday to Ludwig van Beethoven, Dec. 17, 1770. He's my hero! What music helps you "with the burdens of life" and/or helps you "release your happiness to others"? I'd love to hear. Dr. Joy Berger, Editor in Chief; Author, Music of the Soul - Composing Life Out of Loss.

Palliative care may improve quality of life for stroke survivors and their family members American Heart Association - Stroke News & Brain Health; by Newsroom; 12/16/24 Palliative care ... can help improve quality of life for stroke survivors as well as their family members, according to “Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Stroke,” a new scientific statement published today in the Association’s peer-reviewed scientific journal Stroke. ... The new statement complements the Association’s 2014 Scientific Statement on Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Stroke, which covered core palliative care competencies and skills for health care professionals who treat stroke patients. The statement includes strategies to improve communication about prognosis and goals-of-care, address psychosocial needs such as coping with loss, navigate complex health care systems and prepare for death with end-of-life care when necessary. It also highlights the substantial inequities that exist in palliative care after stroke across sociodemographic and regional characteristics and the need to reduce those disparities.

MedPAC advises cutting home health payments by 7 percent, freezing hospice payments in ’26 McKnights Home Care; by Liza Berger; 12/16/24 The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) on Friday issued draft recommendations that entail cutting payments to home health agencies by 7% and freezing hospice payments in 2026. The body, which advises Congress on Medicare payment issues, issued the same recommendations last year. Providers, once again, were not pleased. “The recent recommendations by MedPAC regarding Medicare home health and hospice policy are misguided and deeply troubling,” Steve Landers, MD, CEO of the National Alliance for Care at Home, said in a statement to McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse. “Medicare hospice spending has not kept up with labor inflation in the past five years and the typical length of stay and proportion of beneficiaries accessing hospice has stagnated. With respect to home health, the recommendation for drastic cuts is based on a flawed analysis of agency margins that fails to account for all payers and the true financial health of the home health system.”

Navigating the Generative AI journey: A strategic roadmap for healthcare organizations Perficient; by Felix Bradbury; 12/13/24 The healthcare industry stands at a transformative crossroads with generative AI (GenAI) poised to revolutionize care delivery, operational efficiency, and patient outcomes. Recent MIT Technology Review research indicates that while 88% of organizations are using or experimenting with GenAI, healthcare organizations face unique challenges in implementation. Let’s explore a comprehensive approach to successful GenAI adoption in healthcare. ... The journey to GenAI adoption requires careful consideration of three key dimensions: organizational readiness, use case prioritization, and infrastructure capabilities, [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

2023 hospice index scores, by state Becker's Hospital Review; by Elizabeth Gregerson; 12/11/24 In 2023, the District of Columbia had the lowest hospice care index score among states while Maryland had the highest, according to CMS data released Nov. 26.  CMS collected state data between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023, on the quality of patient care measures, including facility observed rates of hospice care. Hospices earn points for each of the 10 claims-based indicators they meet between admission and discharge. Here are the hospice care index overall scores for each state: [listed in alphabetical order].

Supporting grieving kids during the holiday season: Susan Hamme Cleveland.com, Cleveland, OH; Guest columnist Susan Hamme, director of grief services for Hospice of the Western Reserve ... Childhood grief is tricky no matter the time of year, but the holidays can be a time of especially heightened emotion. The sights and sounds of the season can be triggers for children and adults alike. Combine that with an awareness that things will be very different without your special person, and you have the perfect recipe for emotional meltdowns and miscommunication all around. While it may be impossible to avoid this altogether, there are things you can do to lessen the stress and build in moments of peace and celebration.

L.A.-area cyber attack could impact 17m patient records GT - Government Technology - Cybersecurity; by Scott Schwebke; 12/12/24 Hackers claim they have retrieved 17 million patient records, including confidential personal and medical information, in a ransomware attack on PIH Health that has paralyzed operations at three hospitals, the Southern California News Group has learned. The Dec. 1 attack downed computer and most phone systems at PIH Health Downey Hospital, PIH Health Whittier Hospital and PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles. Also compromised were urgent care centers, doctors offices and a home health and hospice agency operated by PIH. PIH officials on Wednesday declined to comment on a threatening typewritten letter purportedly faxed by the cyber criminals late last week, saying they are working with a cyber forensic specialist and the FBI to untangle the ransomware attack. The FBI also declined to discuss the ongoing investigation.

You heard that correctly: Scammers are committing hospice fraud Federal Trade Commission - Consumer Advice; by Kira Krown, Consumer Education Specialist; 12/13/24 Did someone reach out and offer free, in-home perks like cooking and cleaning in exchange for your Medicare number? Don’t give it. That could be a scammer trying to commit hospice fraud.Scammers are targeting older adults — with calls, texts, emails, fake ads, and even door-to-door visits — claiming they’ll set you up with services like free cooking, cleaning, and home health care. What they likely won’t tell you is how: They want to commit fraud by signing you up for Medicare hospice — that’s right, hospice — care. Then, they can bill Medicare for all kinds of services in your name. Here’s what to know: ..Editor's note: Share this crucial information information from the Federal Trade Commission with communities you serve, your employees, and your volunteers. 

Why some healthcare unions are keeping strikes short Becker's Hospital Review; by Kristin Kuchno; 12/11/24 One-day strikes and other "fixed-duration strikes" — defined as those with a short duration and predetermined time limits — are common at hospitals. While some healthcare unions have held longer or open-ended strikes, most have opted for shorter strikes in 2024. From 2021 to 2023, the majority of healthcare strikes were of a fixed duration rather than indefinite walkouts, ... Despite their brevity and predetermined endings, fixed-duration strikes still require health systems to activate contingency plans to ensure uninterrupted patient care. ... Even short strikes can have significant financial consequences for hospitals, particularly as costs for temporary staffing replacements rise, ...

University of Michigan Health-Sparrow nurses authorize strike as contract negotiations continue CBS News, Detroit, MI; by Elle Meyers; 12/12/24 Union officials representing the University of Michigan Health-Sparrow nursing staff have been working for months for an improved contract, but leaders say they're not close to a deal. "The hospital so far is not making offers that are going to keep up competitive. It's not going to allow us to make sure we maintain our level of care or quality of care," said Jeff Breslin, a registered nurse and the president of the Professional Employees Council of Sparrow Hospital. The University of Michigan bought Sparrow last April. Bresil says he was hopeful for positive change. "They had promised to come in and build new facilities, improve other facilities that we have, which is great, but you've got to take care of the people as well, and frankly, I'm disappointed that this is the direction things are taking," he said. Breslin said contract negotiations between the nurse's union and the hospital began last August. Their contract expired in October, and they still haven't reached a deal. He says nurses want to see more competitive pay, better staffing levels and an improved health plan. 

Beshear unveils paid leave plan for state workers with new child or serious illness Spectrum News 1, Frankfort, KY; by Associated Press; 12/12/24 Kentucky plans to provide state employees with paid time off so they can bond with a new child or deal with a serious medical situation, Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., said Thursday. The added benefit will give state executive branch workers up to six weeks of paid leave, available in three intervals during an employee's career, the governor said. New hires will immediately become eligible for six weeks of paid time off, he said. Another six weeks of paid leave will be offered two more times: once employees reach 10 years of service and again at 20 years. 

'A blessing': Hospital beds find new homes in families who had been praying for them Austin American-Statesman, Austin, TX; by Nicole Villalpando; 12/13/24 Ron McDaniel had been trying to find a place for the hospital bed both his dad, Robert, and brother, Gary, had used in the assisted living facility where they were before they died. His father was a Navy veteran who was burned over 30% of his body during World War II. His brother had severe brain damage from a car accident in 1976 and was a quadriplegic. The electronic hospital bed with the extra comfortable mattress and the trapeze bar needed a new home. Ron McDaniel wanted it to go to a veteran or a veteran's family because it originally came from the Veterans Affairs, but he tried organization after organization with no luck. Meanwhile, Sandra Daniels was in desperate need of a hospital bed for her mother, Bertha Woodward, 87, who has heart failure, problems with her kidneys and limited mobility caused in part by neuropathy in her feet. Daniels could not afford a hospital bed but had been trying organization after organization for a year and came up empty. She had recently called AGE of Central Texas to see if they might have a hospital bed. ...Editor's note: Organizations who helped include 26th Statesman Season for Caring, Austin Palliative Care, ATX Firefighter Moving, AGE of Central Texas.