Literature Review
Problem-solving skills?
08/28/25 at 03:00 AMI have good problem solving skills, but my problem creating skills are where I really shine.
Humana borrows UnitedHealth’s Medicare Advantage playbook
08/28/25 at 03:00 AMHumana borrows UnitedHealth’s Medicare Advantage playbookModern Healthcare; by Nona Tepper; 8/25/25Humana's stock price is up 16.5% so far this year, a notable contrast to the [11.6%] declines the larger Medicare Advantage sector and industry leader UnitedHealth Group report. Humana's secret to success is its transparency into its focused business, experts say.
When patients arrive with answers
08/28/25 at 03:00 AMWhen patients arrive with answersJAMA Network; by Kumara Raja Sundar; 7/24/25Patients arriving with researched information is not new. They have long brought newspaper clippings, internet search results, or notes from conversations with family. Potential solutions passed along in WhatsApp threads have at times been an integral part of my clinical conversations. Information seeking outside the health care setting has always been part of the landscape of care. But something about this moment feels different. Generative artificial intelligence (AI), with tools like ChatGPT, offers information in ways that feel uniquely conversational and tailored. Their tone invites dialogue. Their confidence implies competence. Increasingly, patients are bringing AI-generated insights into my clinic and are sometimes confident enough to challenge my assessment and plan. I heard these tools were helpful, but I understood their appeal only after using them myself. Recent studies have bolstered this claim: large language models (LLMs) show surprising strength in reasoning and relational tone. After seeing it firsthand, my reaction was simple: “Man, I get why my patients like it.”
Hospice AI - Compare hospice, palliative care, and PACE progams
08/28/25 at 03:00 AMHospice AI - Compare hospice, palliative care, and PACE progamsHospice & Palliative Care Today staff; 8/25/25Today we asked ChatGPT "How are hospice and palliative care and PACE programs similar / different? Include infographic." Click here for a 3-page comparison of hospice, palliative care, and PACE programs - including an infographic.
How health systems are saving money with centralized pharmacies
08/28/25 at 03:00 AMHow health systems are saving money with centralized pharmaciesModern Healthcare; by Caroline Hudson; 8/27/25Health systems are centralizing pharmacy operations to cut costs. Many systems are bringing drug inventory, fulfillment and distribution under one roof. Centralization can help systems navigate a rapidly changing pharmaceutical industry.
Letter: A strategic path forward for hospice and palliative care must focus on equity: A response to Byock
08/28/25 at 03:00 AMLetter: A Strategic Path Forward for Hospice and Palliative Care must focus on equity: A response to ByockPalliative Medicine Reports; by Karen Bullock, Ramona L. Rhodes, Marisette Hansan, Kimberly S. Johnson; 8/21/25In a letter to the editor critiquing Ira Byock’s recent white paper, the authors say: “one of the most urgent uncomfortable truths is briefly and incompletely acknowledged in the article. That is, not only do historically marginalized communities face unequal access to the benefits and progress of our field; they endure a disproportionate share of practices that lead to poor quality care, including many of the challenges that Byock highlights.” While applauding the article’s call to action, they caution that: Standards must embed cultural and structural competence. Data must expose disparities and drive accountability. Quality-based competition must not deepen disparities. Rebranding the field must include building trust. Guest Editor Note, Ira Byock, MD: The authors’ perspectives and insights amplify and expand the approach outlined in the Strategic Path Forward white paper. I am grateful to them for calling on me – and us all – to keep equity as a core value and priority in strategic planning.
Over $37,000 raised at Hospice's Swim a Mile event
08/28/25 at 03:00 AMOver $37,000 raised at Hospice's Swim a Mile eventNorth Country Now [St. Lawrence County, NY]; 8/25/25On Saturday, August 2, Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley held its 15th annual Swim a Mile fundraiser and the community showed up in a big way. More than 40 swimmers jumped in the water to help raise $37,864.98, exceeding the fundraising goal.
How older people are reaping brain benefits from new tech: New research “flips the script that technology is always bad.”
08/28/25 at 03:00 AMHow older people are reaping brain benefits from new tech: New research “flips the script that technology is always bad.”Katie Couric Media; by Paula Span, KFF Health News; 8/24/25... Now [Wanda Woods] is an instructor with Senior Planet in Denver, an AARP-supported effort to help older people learn and stay abreast of technology. Woods has no plans to retire. Staying involved with tech “keeps me in the know, too,” she said. Some neuroscientists researching the effects of technology on older adults are inclined to agree. The first cohort of seniors to have contended — not always enthusiastically — with a digital society has reached the age when cognitive impairment becomes more common. Among the digital pioneer generation, use of everyday digital technology has been associated with reduced risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.
Hospice provider’s coast-to-coast expansion receives green light from California AG
08/28/25 at 03:00 AMHospice provider’s coast-to-coast expansion receives green light from California AGMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 8/26/25Chapters Health System, a Florida-based hospice and palliative care organization, received conditional approval for its expansion into California via affiliation agreements with Hospice East Bay and Hospice of Santa Cruz County. To finalize the two affiliations, Chapters agreed to: ensure that Hospice East Bay and Hospice of Santa Cruz County maintain certification with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; honor employment agreements with existing staff members; establish quality advisory committees for both East Bay and Hospice of Santa Cruz County; make a reasonable effort to continue providing specialized care services that are currently offered by both newly affiliated providers; and provide annual reports on its compliance with these conditions, according to the California Office of the Attorney General.
DOJ probing UnitedHealth’s Optum Rx, alongside Medicare practices
08/28/25 at 03:00 AMDOJ probing UnitedHealth’s Optum Rx, alongside Medicare practicesModern Healthcare; by Chris Strohm, John Tozzi; 8/26/25The U.S. Justice Department’s criminal division is digging into UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s prescription management services as well as how it reimburses its own doctors under an ongoing probe into the firm’s operations, according to people familiar with the matter. The previously unreported areas of the probe show the scrutiny is broader than was known and goes beyond an inquiry into possible Medicare fraud. Investigators are looking into business practices at the company’s pharmacy benefit manager Optum Rx, in addition to the physician payments, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing a confidential matter.
Judge approves $2.8B Blues settlement with providers
08/28/25 at 03:00 AMJudge approves $2.8B Blues settlement with providersHealthcare Dive; by Rebecca Pifer; 8/22/25Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans have agreed to pay $2.8 billion to millions of hospitals, physicians and providers to settle allegations that they colluded for years to lower reimbursement.
Spokane hospice chaplain’s new book challenges comfort clichés at life’s end
08/27/25 at 03:15 AMSpokane hospice chaplain’s new book challenges comfort clichés at life’s endThe Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA); by Mia Gallegos; 8/25/25“Hospice Chaplain: Interrupted” examines how caring for the dying transforms the caregiver, exploring the profound discomfort and unexpected revelations that emerge when chaplains sit with patients at life’s end. Written by the Rev. Scott Kinder-Pyle, a hospice chaplain and Presbyterian ordained minister in Spokane, the collection of poems following an introductory essay challenges some of the typical mechanisms pursued by those who accompany people within their final moments of life.
Home care workers are more likely to live with older, sicker adults, new study finds
08/27/25 at 03:10 AMHome care workers are more likely to live with older, sicker adults, new study findsMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 8/21/25Compared to the average adult, home care workers are more likely to live with older seniors or those with long-term services and supports (LTSS) needs, according to a new study published in Health Affairs Scholar... Approximately 15% of these home care workers lived with those who needed LTSS, the study found. This compared to about 4% of nonhome care workers... This tendency among home care workers to live with older, sicker adults could be linked with their on-the-job duties, according to the study. “Household caregiving responsibilities may serve as an on-ramp into the home care workforce — both through employment within the home and through employment outside of it,” the study said. It added, “The flexible work schedules and high labor demand in the home care workforce may be particularly appealing to workers who must balance their employment with unpaid household caregiving responsibilities.” Another possibility is that home care workers are more capable of assisting older, sicker seniors with aging in place, and therefore have a higher likelihood of living with those who could use their care.Publisher's note: Perhaps this is important information regarding employee flexibility and retention.
Transformative impacts of clinical pharmacists in hospice care
08/27/25 at 03:10 AMTransformative impacts of clinical pharmacists in hospice careMcKnight's Home Care; by Deanna Douglass; 8/20/25Hospice represents a unique niche in the healthcare system, with goals and best practices that differ significantly from those of curative care. One defining characteristic of hospice is the use of medications to manage symptoms rather than improve or restore health. Pharmacists with specialized hospice and palliative care expertise have long played a vital role in enhancing quality of life for patients in their final days. From managing complex symptoms to ensuring cost-effective prescribing, these dedicated professionals are indispensable partners within interdisciplinary care teams and for hospice leadership. [This article discusses:]
Teleios announces fourth annual Care As It Should Be award winners
08/27/25 at 03:05 AMTeleios announces fourth annual Care As It Should Be award winnersTeleios press release; by Tina Gentry; 8/21/25Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN) announced the fourth annual recipients of the Care As It Should Be Awards during the August Board of Directors Meeting. The purpose of the Care As It Should Be Awards is to recognize those individuals who make an extraordinary impact on the patients and families who they serve daily. “We know that each of the staff members who are on the front lines provide excellent care to patients, so these awards are to recognize those who take care to the next level – those who go above and beyond to make a patient’s experience the best that it can be during such vulnerable and challenging times,” said Chris Comeaux, President and CEO of TCN. The award recipients are:
Are patients with advanced cancer receiving treatment aligned with their goals?
08/27/25 at 03:05 AMAre patients with advanced cancer receiving treatment aligned with their goals?Medical Xpress; by Wiley; 8/25/25New research indicates that many patients with advanced cancer report receiving treatment focusing on longevity over comfort, even when their goal is the opposite. The findings are published in Cancer. Treatment of serious illnesses generally aims to optimize longevity and quality of life, but in some cases, these goals are at odds with each other. Therefore, clinicians must strive to understand each individual's objectives so that patients do not receive burdensome treatments that go against their wishes.
Why some leaders create chaos to stay relevant
08/27/25 at 03:05 AMWhy some leaders create chaos to stay relevantForbes; by Benjamin Laker; 8/24/25Some leaders intentionally create chaos and manufactured urgency to maintain their relevance and perceived indispensability. This strategy, often driven by insecurity, harms productivity, morale, and innovation, while eroding trust and talent. Effective leadership fosters clarity, empowers teams, and builds resilient systems, rather than relying on constant crisis to prove worth.
How chatbots talk about suicide
08/27/25 at 03:00 AMHow chatbots talk about suicideSTAT Morning Rounds; by Theresa Gaffney; 8/26/25Three major AI chatbots — ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini — generally respond appropriately to questions about suicide when those queries are especially benign or dangerous. But there is still some fine-tuning needed, especially when it comes to questions that lay somewhere in the middle, according to a new RAND study. And if you read the gutting New York Times opinion essay last week titled “What my daughter told ChatGPT before she took her life,” then you know how urgent an issue this is.Publisher's note: An interesting story about AI applications with suicide. It raises questions about AI applications with hospice, palliative care, and other end-of-life care situations. Accessing STAT Morning Rounds may require free subscription; accessing NYT may require paid subscription.
More time, less paperwork: The quiet revolution in primary care
08/27/25 at 03:00 AMMore time, less paperwork: The quiet revolution in primary careModern Healthcare; by Alex Kacik; 8/26/25Concierge and direct primary care practices are gaining traction among physicians, employers and patients increasingly frustrated with traditional care pathways. The growth of these practices, where patients pay membership fees in exchange for increased access to physicians, is a symptom of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement that has not kept pace with inflation, advisers, doctors and policy experts said. Growing care backlogs, coding and documentation tasks that take doctors away from patients and seemingly ever-rising health insurance premiums are also contributing, they said. “A year ago, I would’ve told you these care models were a slowly evolving, quiet phenomenon,” said Dr. Zirui Song, an associate professor of healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School and a primary care provider at Massachusetts General Hospital. “It is now evolving quite rapidly — it is not so quiet anymore.”Publisher's note: Is concierge medicine coming to a hospice or palliative care provider near you...?
What if...
08/27/25 at 03:00 AMWhat if there were no hypothetical questions? ~George Carlin
Why physician strikes are a form of hospice
08/27/25 at 03:00 AMWhy physician strikes are a form of hospiceKevinMD; by Patrick Hudson; 8/24/25I have only recently started thinking about strikes. They seemed like something other people did: railway workers, bus drivers, teachers, dockworkers. People with contracts. People who clocked in and out. Not doctors. Not surgeons. Certainly not me. You and I were supposed to absorb and adapt. To advocate from within. And we did, for a long time. We bent ourselves into shapes that did not fit. Worked around all the broken processes. Made phone calls after hours. Took the extra shift. Rewrote the notes to satisfy a system that did not understand the work. Until, eventually, some of us stopped. Not because we wanted to burn it all down, but because we could not keep pretending. And that is what a strike is, sometimes. Not rebellion. Not rage. Just a line and a refusal. And an end to the performance. Is it not strange how long you can work inside a system that is eating itself? ... You do not strike because you have stopped caring. You strike because you remember when it mattered.Publisher's note: An interesting analogy for our fractured healthcare system...
Hospice was meant to offer dignity in death - but it fails the most marginalized. We need hospice programs that go to the streets, into shelters, behind bars
08/27/25 at 03:00 AMHospice was meant to offer dignity in death — but it fails the most marginalized. We need hospice programs that go to the streets, into shelters, behind barsSTAT; by Christopher M. Smith; 8/26/25I’ve spent more than a decade in hospice care, sitting at the bedsides of people facing the final days of their lives. I’ve held hands in hospital rooms, in tents, in prison cells, and in homes that barely qualify as such. And over time, I’ve come to see that dying in America is not just a medical event — it’s a mirror. It reflects everything we’ve failed to do for the living. Hospice was created to bring dignity to the dying — to manage pain, provide emotional and spiritual support, and ease the final passage for people with terminal illness. But the systems surrounding hospice care are riddled with inequity. The very people most in need of compassion — the unhoused, the incarcerated, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities — are systematically excluded, underserved, or erased. Access to a good death is too often reserved for the privileged, while everyone else is left to navigate a system that wasn’t built for them — or worse, actively works against them... The truth is, hospice care cannot achieve its mission unless it actively addresses the inequities built into the structures around it. We need hospice programs that go to the streets, into shelters, behind bars. We need training rooted in cultural humility, in antiracism, in trauma-informed care. We need to reimagine what it means to offer dignity to someone whose life has been defined by abandonment... Because dying is universal. But justice, even at the end of life, is still not.Publisher's note: STAT also references Dr. Ira Byock's article "The hospice industry needs major reforms. It should start with apologies, 8/22/23".
Redefining hospice: Living life to the fullest is not about giving up
08/27/25 at 03:00 AMRedefining hospice: Living life to the fullest is not about giving upForbes; by Wes Kilgore; 8/25/25Discussions about end-of-life care in America are often met with silence, confusion or fear. Yet millions of families face it every year, often without the support, clarity, or resources they need. Tom Koutsoumpas, CEO and founder of the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), argues that it’s time we redefine hospice not as a last resort, but as a profound opportunity for quality, dignified living until the end. [Discussion includes:]