Literature Review

Here's what for-profit systems are watching as 2025 approaches Modern Healthcare; by Caroline Hudson; 9/9/24 ... Executives from HCA Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare, Community Health Systems and Universal Health Services joined insurers, pharmaceutical companies and others in the spotlight this week at the annual Wells Fargo Healthcare Conference in Boston.  Discussions ranged from upcoming capital projects to supplemental payment programs. Here are five takeaways from the for-profits' discussions.

Cigna to cut Medicare Advantage plans in several statesModern Healthcare; by Lauren Berryman; 9/19/24Cigna Group's health insurance unit is scaling back Medicare Advantage offerings in eight states next year, according to a notice to third-party marketers published by the insurance brokerage Pinnacle Financial Services. Members in 36 health plans will be affected by Cigna Healthcare’s cuts and service area reductions in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. Most people will have another Cigna Medicare Advantage plan available in their counties. The company's Medicare Advantage business is fully exiting at least three counties: two in Missouri and one in North Carolina, the notice said.

10 fastest growing C-suite roles Becker's Hospital Review - Leadership & Management; by Kristin Kuchno; 9/23/24 Organizations in the U.S. are expanding their C-suite with technology- and human-focused executive roles. LinkedIn analyzed the fastest growing C-suite roles from 2022 to 2023 using member profile information, ... Here are the top 10 fastest growing roles LinkedIn found [from #1 highest to #10]: 1. Chief data officer; 2. Chief legal officer; 3. Chief human resources officer; 4. Chief product officer; 5. CEO; 6. Chief technology officer; 7. Chief commercial officer; 8. Chief information security officer; 9. Chief people officer; 10. Chief marketing officer.

The evolving landscape of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A fatal disease!  Delveinsight; 9/24/24 Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive degeneration of motor neurons, leading to muscle weakness, paralysis, and ultimately, death. ... Despite ALS being relatively rare, affecting 2-5 per 100,000 people worldwide, the question Is ALS on the rise? is gaining attention. While global prevalence has not significantly increased, improved diagnostic techniques, earlier detection, and greater awareness have led to a more accurate identification of ALS cases. Many researchers believe that enhanced surveillance and better tools for genetic testing are uncovering more cases than previously recognized, rather than a true rise in the disease’s incidence. However, with an aging global population, the burden of ALS may grow, as age is a major risk factor. Editor's note: Do you provide disease-specific training for your staff? ALS patients' and families' needs are unique. A significant disease comparison is between ALZ (Alzheimer's) and ALS. With ALZ (Alzheimer's), the brain decreases its abilities to function while the body can remain strong; the person is mobile with cognitive limitations. In contrast, with ALS, the body decreases its abilities to function while the brain/mind/emotions can remain strong. The person is immobile with cognitive awareness, but extreme physical limitations in communicating one's thoughts, emotions, and needs. ALS-specific communication tools provide crucial help for all. For more information in your location, visit The ALS Association's USA map.

Twenty years of yachts and care The Montecito Journal; by Sigrid Toye; 9/24/24 ... The Santa Barbara Yacht Club (SBYC) members once again gathered to host their annual Charity Regatta benefiting VNA Health and its mission of caring with compassion. Although always a huge event in the Santa Barbara community, this year’s Charity Regatta marks its 20th anniversary! For two decades this annual benefit has raised over $2.5 million in support of VNA Health and its services for our families, friends and neighbors. Dependent on the generosity of our community, VNA Health is an organization that provides a safe harbor for those in need regardless of resources or insurance. ... VNA is the only medically-certified nonprofit provider of home-health care, palliative care, and hospice care in Santa Barbara. The organization also owns and operates Serenity House, the largest nonprofit inpatient hospice facility in California known as a place to transition at the end of life with dignity and comfort. Editor's note: A photo shows that this event raised $220,387.

National PACE Association to Congress: End the PACE Part D Penalty before this session concludes PR Newswire; by National PACE Association; 9/23/24 The National PACE Association (NPA) is calling on Congress to end the costly financial penalty incurred by the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) participants eligible for Medicare who must enroll in the PACE Medicare Part D drug benefit. Every other original Medicare enrollee may comparison shop for an affordable Part D plan from among numerous options in their county. Medicare-enrolled PACE program participants face exponentially higher premiums for prescription drugs—22 times higher, on average—than other people enrolled in Medicare Part D who may select from numerous Part D plans available in their county. The PACE Part D penalty, which can total $11,000 annually, prevents people enrolled in Medicare with complex care needs from participating in the PACE program, which provides affordable, high-quality, highly coordinated services to people directly in their homes and communities.

Why hospital-at-home, other providers are pressing worker safety Modern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 9/24/24 At-home care providers are testing strategies to better protect workers who are raising the alarm on workplace safety. A new survey of more than 400 home healthcare workers found more than half said they experienced or witnessed at least one act of violence or harassment in the workplace, according to Transcend Strategy Group, which conducted the poll on behalf of home care providers. The report, which echoes similar findings from a National Nurses United survey, comes as hospital-at-home programs expand and more care moves to where patients live. ... Home-based care providers are trying to address the issue because concerns about personal safety could make it harder to recruit and retain workers in a competitive job market. The concerns are also coming up in contract negotiations between unions and providers.

CMS: Kidney Care Choices Model boosted home-based dialysis, but more data needed Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 9/23/24 The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation’s (CMMI) Kidney Care Choices (KCC) Model demonstration has increased utilization of dialysis in the home and has fostered greater clinician training in addressing related conditions. However, more time and data are needed to evaluate the reimbursement model’s impact on quality and cost, according to the first annual model evaluation report from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The report includes the agency’s analysis of KCC model results during the first performance year since its launch on Jan. 1, 2022. Having this reimbursement path available could ease pressures for palliative care patients making decisions about their serious illness care options.

UnitedHealth Group's Optum to lay off 160 employees Modern Healthcare; by Hayley Desilva; 9/19/24 UnitedHealth Group's Optum filed plans to lay off 160 employees at one of its locations in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. The majority of the cuts will occur on Dec. 11, with a single worker laid off Jan. 22, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice filed with the state of New Jersey this month. ... The provider, pharmacy and technology services business said in the filing the planned layoffs are due to a need for "alignment of capabilities and services to meet the evolving needs of our business and those we serve." The employees will be eligible for severance pay and continue to receive their regular wages until their termination date.

East Lansing caregiver sentenced for role in freezing death of elderly womanOIG press release; 9/17/24Colleen Kelly O’Connor, 58, of East Lansing, was sentenced to two years of probation with the first 6-months in jail by Judge Cori E. Barkman of the 29th Circuit Court in Clinton County for her role in the death of an 82-year-old woman in December 2022, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. O’Conner was convicted in June by a Clinton County jury of one count of Vulnerable Adult Abuse — Second Degree. The victim, who was under O’Connor’s care at Vista Springs Imperial Park at Timber Ridge, an assisted living facility in Clinton County, died of exposure after being left unsupervised. O’Connor was also ordered to pay $1,115.00 in restitution to the daughter of the victim... During the very early morning hours of December 23, 2022, O’Connor twice observed the victim attempt to go outside without appropriate attire into a blizzard with single-digit temperatures, subzero windchill, and blowing and drifting snow. As a caregiver, O’Connor recklessly failed to act to prevent the victim from going outdoors into the storm, resulting in her death. A snowplow driver found the victim in the parking lot around 7 a.m., partially buried in snow.

Gentiva leaning into staff development, advanced illness management business Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/23/24 Gentiva in 2024 and 2025 is laser-focused on staff retention and building out its palliative care platform Empatia. ... Gentiva, among other initiatives, is investing in staff education to help develop clearer career paths, stave off burnout and boost retention, according to Chief Clinical Officer Jacqueline Lopez-Devine. “Education is very, very important to the concept of staff retention — taking newer staff that walk into the industry. We have thoughtful training programs that teach them even the concept of work-life balance, professional balance,” Lopez-Devine told Hospice News. “It’s really important that, as organizations, we teach our team members those concepts of joy in work, taking care of self and professional boundaries. That’s what’s going to make us different in some of these other health care industries that maybe don’t take the time.” ... Gentiva is a portfolio company of the private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CDR). The Atlanta-based provider emerged from the former hospice and personal care segments of Kindred at Home. CDR in 2022 purchased a 60% stake from the insurance mammoth Humana, Inc., for $2.8 billion. The firm later rebranded the hospice provider as Gentiva.

Report: US has worse healthcare of 10 developed countriesMcKnight's Long-Term Care News; by Kristen Fischer; 9/19/24Americans die earlier and are the sickest — and have the worst healthcare on the whole — compared with nine other developed countries, a new report shows. “The United States is failing one of its principal obligations as a nation: to protect the health and welfare of its people,” Joseph Betancourt, MD, president of the Commonwealth Fund, said in a HealthDay article... Despite its deficiencies, the US spends the most on healthcare, the report noted. Australia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom had the highest rankings, data showed. The other countries included in the report were Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, Canada, France, and Switzerland.

Maryland to drop Kaiser as Medicaid administrator Becker's Hospital CFO Report; by Jakob Emerson; 9/23/24 Maryland will drop Kaiser Permanente as a Medicaid managed care organization in 2025. "After some lengthy contract negotiations, the [Maryland] Department of Health has elected not to enter into a contract with Kaiser and we are working to ensure a seamless transition of those enrollees to other health plans," MDH's deputy secretary of healthcare finance, told local radio station WYPR on Sept. 20. ... "If we are not able to participate in Medicaid, it would interrupt the highest-rated care and coverage of our more than 113,000 Medicaid members in Maryland in 2025," a spokesperson for Kaiser told Becker's. "We will continue to work with the Maryland Department of Health so we can continue serving this community for decades to come." According to WYPR, the state will renew its existing managed care contracts, which includes Aetna, CareFirst BCBS, UnitedHealthcare, Elevance Health's Wellpoint, Jai Medical Systems, Maryland Physicians Care, MedStar Family Choice and Priority Partners.