Literature Review
Tensions between grieving hearts and Western minds: Brave spaces for grief literacy and mystical experiences
03/19/24 at 03:00 AMTensions between grieving hearts and Western mind: Brave spaces for grief literacy and mystical experiences
COLUMN: March is National Social Workers Month
03/19/24 at 03:00 AMCOLUMN: March is National Social Workers Month The Andalusia Star News; by Vicki C. Wacaster; 3/16/24 In recognition of National Social Workers Month in March 2024, we wish to honor and recognize the vital gifts of dedication, love, professionalism, time, talent, and care Hospice Social Workers provide. ... Hospice social workers often perform the following tasks:
Today's Encouragement: The first blooms of spring ...
03/19/24 at 03:00 AMThe first blooms of spring always make my heart sing. - S. Brown
Hospice prepares to thank Vietnam era vets
03/19/24 at 03:00 AMHospice prepares to thank Vietnam era vetsMid Hudson News; 3/17/24In early 2017, Congress passed the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act, establishing March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. The holiday is also known as “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” and in honor of those who served during the Vietnam era, the Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties will host its fourth annual “Thank You” and Memorial Ceremony on March 29 at 10 a.m. at the Cornwall Yacht Club. Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties is a community partner of “We Honor Veterans,” a campaign developed by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs.Editor's Note: Click here for information about March 29th, National Vietnam War Veterans Day.
Voices of Grief to host workshops for families victimized by funeral home
03/19/24 at 03:00 AMVoices of Grief to host workshops for families victimized by funeral home Pikes Peak Courier, by Pat Hill; 3/18/24 In October, investigators with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office discovered 200 bodies that had not been cremated but rather were improperly stored, many of them for four years. The owners, Jon and Carie Hallford, have been arrested and face 200 felony charges. Of 1,200 families affected, 190 of them were directly impacted. ... [Kathy] Sparnins, [filmmaker and producer of the documentary “Voices of Grief,”] who lives in Woodland Park, was recently contacted by the FBI Victim Advocacy Program to work the families whose deceased loved ones were taken to Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose.
UnitedHealth Group cyberattack status update
03/19/24 at 03:00 AMUnitedHealth Group cyberattack status update UnitedHealth Group Press Release; 3/18/24 Today [Monday 3/18/24], Change Healthcare will begin releasing medical claims preparation software, an important step in the resumption of services. This will be made available to thousands of customers over the next several days. The company expects to have third-party attestations available prior to services becoming operational. Following this initial phase, remaining services restoration will continue through ongoing phases of activation until all customers have been connected.
When the American Dream becomes survival: Short doc chronicles rural healthcare crisis
03/19/24 at 03:00 AMWhen the American Dream becomes survival: Short doc chronicles rural healthcare crisis PBS - KET, by Nathan Duke; 3/17/24 Director Ramin Bahrani’s acclaimed films ... focus on people struggling to survive due to economic challenges or failing to achieve the mythologized American Dream. His latest, the short documentary If Dreams Were Lightning: Rural Healthcare Crisis, is a startling look at the challenges facing rural communities in which hospitals are closing and leaving residents without options for care. The film incorporates themes from Bahrani’s previous work, but its subjects’ struggles are far from fictional.
Long-term care costs can cripple families with aging loved ones. Turlock has a solution - Opinion
03/19/24 at 03:00 AMLong-term care costs can cripple families with aging loved ones. Turlock has a solution - Opinion The Modesto Bee, by Jeffrey Lews and Francesa Rinaldo; 3/17/24The sudden closures of the Brandel Manor nursing home and Cypress Place Assisted Living have left many in Turlock and the surrounding communities wondering where they will find quality care for their loved [ones]. ... The Turlock City Council approved a $400,000 grant to support the Legacy Health Endowment Person-Centered Care (PCC) program, an innovative initiative offering comprehensive in-home support services for families looking after aging loved ones. The program aims to assist families by providing care while safeguarding against premature placement into a nursing home or the fear of re-hospitalization.
Palliative Care as ‘Personalized Medicine’
03/19/24 at 03:00 AMPalliative Care as ‘Personalized Medicine’Hospice News, by Jim Parker; 3/18/24The term “personalized medicine” is often used to describe health needs based on a patient’s genetics. However, more stakeholders are applying the term to palliative care. Personalized medicine is a step away from a “one-size-fits-all” approach to health care. The model uses information gathered from a patient’s genome to plan for care, treatment and services, and to some extent, predict a likely health trajectory, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.
How a Florida woman’s NYC selfie led to her brain tumor diagnosis
03/19/24 at 03:00 AMHow a Florida woman’s NYC selfie led to her brain tumor diagnosis New York Post, by Chris Harris; 3/16/24 It was a life-changing selfie. ... “I looked at the picture, and my eyelid was drooping,” Troutwine recalled. “I thought it was odd, so when I returned home, I mentioned it to my neurologist.” The doctor ordered an MRI, and on her way home from the scan, she got a call: They had found a benign mass inside her brain that was growing at an aggressive rate.
Accountable Care Organization leader perspectives on the Medicare shared savings program - A qualitative study
03/19/24 at 03:00 AMAccountable Care Organization leader perspectives on the Medicare shared savings program - A qualitative study
Art Ellison has one dying wish: Feed all New Hampshire students
03/19/24 at 03:00 AMArt Ellison has one dying wish: Feed all New Hampshire students Concord Monitor, by Michaela Towfighi; 3/15/24 Art Ellison isn't one to mince words. With red blanket over his lap and a "support public education" t-shirt on, he has one final request as he rests at the Granite VNA hospice house. ...
Navigating difficult conversations with patients with terminal cancer diagnoses
03/19/24 at 02:00 AMNavigating difficult conversations with patients with terminal cancer diagnoses Oncology Nursing News, by Darlene Dobkowski, MA; 3/18/24 Although oncology nurses need strong communication skills to help all of their patients navigate their cancer journeys, it is critical to have the ability to have difficult conversations with patients who received a terminal diagnosis, ... Betty Ferrell, Ph.D., M.S.N., CHPN, director and professor in the Division of Nursing Research and Education in the Department of Population Sciences at City of Hope in Duarte, California, said in an interview with Oncology Nursing News. For the past 24 years, her institution has been directing a project called the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC), which is a palliative care training program and includes a module focused on communication. ... “One of the things that we teach nurses is … that your No. 1 job is to listen,” Ferrell said. “Another thing that we say to nurses is, it is not your job to have all the answers. Patients ask very unanswerable questions. ‘Why me?’ is not an answerable question. But when a patient says, ‘Why me,’ then we want nurses to have good communication skills to say, ‘I can imagine why you're asking that question. Because as you've shared with me, you had no idea that you might be diagnosed with cancer, or you're the first person in your family to ever have cancer.’”
Use of machine learning to optimize referral for early palliative care: Are prognostic predictions enough?
03/19/24 at 02:00 AMUse of machine learning to optimize referral for early palliative care: Are prognostic predictions enough Journal of Clinical Oncology - Editorials; by Gary E. Weissman, MD, MSHP; Joseph A. Greer, PhD; and Jennifer S. Temel, MD; 3/15/24 The Takeaway In the article that accompanies this editorial, [Weissman] et al used a machine learning (ML) algorithm to identify patients with advanced cancer who were receiving non–curative-intent treatment and at risk of death within 1 year to allocate early palliative care services at least 6 months before death as a means to increase use of early palliative care in the context of limited resources. While ML prognostic models are one promising strategy for triaging palliative care services, initiation of palliative care based exclusively on estimated survival and in the months before death likely excludes patients who would benefit from early palliative care initiated at the time of diagnosis, regardless of their estimated survival.
Should the DOJ break up UnitedHealth Group?
03/19/24 at 02:00 AMShould the DOJ break up UnitedHealth Group? MedCity News, by Marissa Plescia; 3/17/24 The U.S. Department of Justice has reportedly recently launched an antitrust investigation of UnitedHealth Group, which begs the question of whether the healthcare giant should be broken up. Experts have varying opinions.
CHI Memorial awards nonprofit grants [$80k to Home of Chattanooga]
03/18/24 at 03:45 AMCHI Memorial awards nonprofit grants Hamilton County Herald; 3/15/24 ... Welcome Home of Chattanooga, which provides hospice and respite care to marginalized populations, received $80,852 to expand its social services, access to mental health treatment and nutritional support.
We Honor Veterans: Examples and resources from partners
03/18/24 at 03:30 AMWe Honor Veterans: Examples and resources from partners NHPCO; 3/14/24 This webpage has been designated for partners to share any resources they created to share with others. Includes:
Healthcare workers' mental well-being among ECRI's top patient safety concerns
03/18/24 at 03:30 AMHealthcare workers' mental well-being among ECRI's top patient safety concerns Becker's Behavioral Health, by Rylee Wilson; 3/14/24 The mental and physical well-being of the workforce is one of the ECRI's top 10 patient safety concerns for 2024. The nonprofit organization published its annual list detailing the biggest threats to patient safety March 12. "Rampant physical and emotional exhaustion" has led some healthcare workers to leave the workforce, creating stress on those who remain and possibly threatening patient care, according to ECRI's report.
Sylvester researchers, collaborators call for greater investment in bereavement care
03/18/24 at 03:00 AMSylvester researchers, collaborators call for greater investment in bereavement care NewsWise, by Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center; 3/15/24The public health toll from bereavement is well-documented in the medical literature, with bereaved persons at greater risk for many adverse outcomes, including mental health challenges, decreased quality of life, health care neglect, cancer, heart disease, suicide, and death. ... Wendy G. Lichtenthal, PhD, FT, FAPOS, who is Founding Director of the new [Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer] Center and associate professor of public health sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, noted, “We need a paradigm shift in how healthcare professionals, institutions, and systems view bereavement care. Sylvester is leading the way by investing in the establishment of this Center, which is the first to focus on bringing the transitional bereavement care model to life.”
Hines VA introduces new monitoring system for hospice and nursing home Veterans
03/18/24 at 03:00 AMHines VA introduces new monitoring system for hospice and nursing home Veterans VA Press Release; 3/15/24 Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital has begun integrating a new patient monitoring system to improve Veteran health and assist medical staff. The AvaSure© Continuous Video Monitoring System places portable cameras in patients’ rooms who may need closer monitoring. Staff can observe up to 15 patients simultaneously through a virtual interface to monitor for issues such as a patient out of bed or patient-caused medical device interference. ... The monitoring system will be used in Hines VA’s Community Living Center (CLC), which includes short- and long-term nursing home care and hospice.
Specialized nursing facility clinicians improve end-of-life care
03/18/24 at 03:00 AMSpecialized nursing facility clinicians improve end-of-life care Cornell Chronicle, by Marijke Vroomen Durning, Weill Cornell Medicine; 3/15/24 Specialized nursing facility clinicians, or SNFists, may decrease the likelihood of nursing home residents experiencing stressful hospitalizations and improve the quality of life in their last days, according to researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine. The paper, published March 15 in JAMA Network Open, examined how SNFists uniquely impacted the care of nursing home residents in their last 90 days, compared with those cared for by other clinicians. This large-scale study is the first of its kind.
MedPAC releases March 2024 report on Medicare payment policy
03/18/24 at 03:00 AMMedPAC releases March 2024 report on Medicare payment policy CMS MedPAC; 3/15/24 Washington, DC, March 15, 2024—Today, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) releases its March 2024 Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy. The report presents MedPAC’s recommendations for updating provider payment rates in traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare for 2025 and for providing additional resources to acute care hospitals and clinicians who furnish care to Medicare beneficiaries with low incomes. ... MedPAC recommends ... eliminating the payment update for hospice providers; and payment reductions for three post-acute care sectors (skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, and inpatient rehabilitation facilities).Click here for this report's "Chapter 9: Hospice Services"
Beautiful people: Busy 14-year-old still finds time to volunteer for local hospice [creating legacy books]
03/18/24 at 03:00 AMBeautiful people: Busy 14-year-old still finds time to volunteer for local hospice [creating legacy books]
Care Alternatives, whistleblowers resolve hospice fraud suit
03/18/24 at 03:00 AMCare Alternatives, whistleblowers resolve hospice fraud suitBloomberg Law, by Daniel Seiden; 3/15/24
The identity dilemma: Navigating rebranding decisions in home health M&A
03/18/24 at 03:00 AMThe 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.