Literature Review

2024 Hillman funding opportunities announcedGlobal Newswire, The Rita and Alex Hillman FoundationSeeking proposals for nursing-driven innovations that address the health and social needs of marginalized communities

Hospice and home health care in Estes Park: A 2024 updateEstes Park Trail Gazette, by Dawn Wilson; 1/5/24Estes Park Health Board of Directors and management made the difficult decision to eliminate in-home hospice and home health care services as part of a plan to bring the hospital into a financially secure position. Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, marked the last day that Estes Park Health provided these services.

Racial and ethnic differences in hospice use among Medicaid-only and dual-eligible decedentsJAMA Health Forum, by Julie Robison, Noreen Shugrue, Ellis Dillon, Deborah Migneault, Doreek Charles, Dorothy Wakefield, Bradley Richards; 12/23Hospice care enhances quality of life for people with terminal illness and is most beneficial with longer length of stay (LOS). Most hospice research focuses on the Medicare-insured population. Little is known about hospice use for the racially and ethnically diverse, low-income Medicaid population.

How do you ethically integrate a GIP hospice service into the hospital?Hospitalist.org, by William Frederick, et.al.; 1/2/24[General inpatient (GIP) hospice] ... provides holistic end-of-life care and family support in acute-care hospitals. Patients who are appropriate for GIP hospice services often have a life expectancy of hours to days, require care that cannot be delivered at home, and have symptoms that are difficult to control in any other settingEditor's Note: Examine this article for (1) a flow chart of the "GIP Hospice Process at UCSD Health System" and (2) Indications for GIP Hospice Care Indications for GIP Hospice Care."

Chris Comeaux announces the release of first leadership book.News ReleaseNovember 30, 2023 Hendersonville, NC—Chris Comeaux, President/CEO of Teleios Collaborative Network announces the release of his timely book, The Anatomy of Leadership, on November 30, 2023. The Anatomy of Leadership provides a framework for leadership while providing tools and strategies for leaders to develop their skills. The Anatomy of Leadership is published by Teleios Communications and is available on Amazon and in print.Editor Note: While this press release occurred a couple weeks ago, we wanted to include it in our inaugural newsletter.

The experience of Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter helps widen the perception of hospiceBy Heath BartnessTwin Cities Pioneer PressDecember 28, 2023In 2023 the public benefited from the willingness of President Jimmy Carter and his family to openly share their health updates. Hospice care has gotten a renewed focus, and the Carters’ end-of-life journey is illuminating a complicated story of hospice use in the United States. Different sides of the same coin, the hospice experiences of President and Mrs. Carter are kindling a much-needed conversation around this underused service. ... Barriers to hospice care are not so much financial or geographical. In many ways, the greatest barrier to hospice is emotional. 

El Dorado hospital announces new inpatient hospice care serviceKTVE-TV (El Dorado, AR)December 18, 2023El Dorado, AR—South Arkansas Regional Hospital has announced that their new services of hospice inpatient service. The hospital has partnered with Arkansas Hospice, the state’s largest non-profit provider of hospice care. 

Assisted-suicide bills in Mass. present risks to patients, publicBy Madelyn Hicks, MDWorcester (MA) Telegram & GazetteDecember 17, 2023The Massachusetts Legislature’s Committee on Public Health is considering two bills that would legalize physician-assisted suicide in the commonwealth. As a Massachusetts physician, as a psychiatrist who treats persons with mental health problems, and as a daughter who has dealt with the loss of a parent to a debilitating illness, I am concerned by flaws in these bills that present risks to individual patients and the public. Trust in the health care system would likely be damaged for many, but especially for communities that have experienced health care inequity who have not been consulted on these bills. Disparities already exist in end-of-life care so that Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ patients are less likely to receive palliative care or hospice care. 

Proportion of hospice users declines while industry undergoes shift, NHPCO report findsMcKnight’s Home Care DailyDecember 14, 2023The proportion of Medicare beneficiaries who died on hospice continued to decline in 2021, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s 2023 Fact and Figures report. ... Notably, the number of hospice users rose by thousands since 2019, but this growth was unable to outpace the proportion of Medicare beneficiaries who died without receiving any hospice care. 

Study uncovers racial inequalities in hospice utilization, length of stayMcKnight’s Home Care DailyDecember 12, 2023Blacks and Hispanics are less likely to use hospice services, and those who do often have shorter lengths of stay than white patients, according to a new study published in JAMA Health Forum. ... Minority patients also generally experienced shorter hospice lengths of stay. Hispanic patients in particular were more than twice as likely to stay in hospice care for seven days or less, compared to the average white Medicaid beneficiary. Still, short length of stay was relatively common across the board at about 40%, which suggests “room for improvement in referring all Medicaid recipients to hospice earlier in the course of terminal illness,” the study’s authors wrote. As to possible reasons for these disparities, the researchers noted that language barriers, mistrust of hospice programs or cultural differences might be at play. But also, the inequity might also reflect “potential racial biases that affect who a physician is more likely to refer to hospice,” according to the study. Specific, targeted efforts to encourage hospice services for Medicaid and dual-eligible beneficiaries who show low rates of utilization may help to overcome these disparities.

UnitedHealth hit with Medicare Advantage marketing complaintModern HealthcareDecember 7, 2023Advocates for people with disabilities are calling on regulators [to] halt what they describe as misleading Medicare Advantage marketing by UnitedHealth Group. The Center for Medicare Advocacy, National Health Law Program, Disability Rights Connecticut and National Disability Rights Network wrote the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Federal Trade Commission and other state and federal officials Thursday to protest UnitedHealthcare advertisements for Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans appearing in Connecticut. The ads target people with both Medicare and Medicaid and spotlight extra benefits from Medicare Advantage plans that state and federal laws already require, the groups wrote. “Unquestionably, this misleading advertising is intended to induce, and has induced, thousands if not tens of thousands of older adults and disabled low-income individuals we are charged with representing to sign up for UnitedHealthcare’s plan, having been led to believe this means they can get extra benefits,” the letter says. UnitedHealth Group did not immediately respond to an interview request.

NPA Says House of Representatives’ Passage of Bill to Provide Veterans Additional Access to the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly Will Improve Their Lives; Urges Swift Senate PassagePRNewswireDecember 6, 2023Washington, DC—On the second anniversary of the passing of the Honorable Bob Dole (R-KS), the National PACE Association praises the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act (H.R. 542) by a vote of 414-5, which will give veterans increased access to the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly across the nation. We urge the Senate to pass this bill soon so more veterans can enjoy the highest quality of life possible as they age by receiving any care needed at home or in the community. The legislation would establish formal partnerships between Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and nearby Veterans Affairs Medical Centers located within their geographic service areas. This policy change would broadly increase access for veterans to the innovative PACE model of care so they may continue to live at home, despite needing a nursing home level of care.

Here’s why you can’t die peacefully in Oklahoma.By Abby RemmingThe OklahomanDecember 6, 2023... Having Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan would cover hospice, but many people have private insurance from work or state Medicaid plans. Private insurance and Medicaid Advantage plans at times can have a hospice benefit but limit which companies can be used. Applying for Medicare will ensure you are covered for hospice. ... I currently work as a hospital social worker and assist many people who need hospice. Many times, I have had to share with patients and their families that, while they may be ready to peacefully pass away, hospice coverage is not included in the patient’s current insurance plan. Providing end-of-life care is extremely difficult without the added burden of worrying whether insurance will cover the benefit. Those without the benefit and who need the service are then reliant upon the generosity of the companies to absorb the cost. If the Medicaid Advantage plan is picked, a person would need to decide if they wanted the benefit to either cover nursing home care or in-home hospice care. A Medicaid Advantage plan might not cover hospice even when the policyholder believes they have the benefit.