Literature Review

New study finds underutilization of early palliative care for patients with advanced cancer mostly attributable to provider and organizational characteristics American Cancer Society; 5/28/24 A new study led by researchers at the American Cancer Society (ACS) shows despite considerable growth in early palliative care (PC) use, utilization among patients with advanced cancer remained low from 2010 to 2019. ... Early integration of palliative care is recommended for advanced-stage cancers, but evidence of its use and the role of provider and organizational characteristics in its uptake is limited. ... Early PC was defined as receipt of PC within 90 days post-diagnosis and before hospice admission, if any. ... Study authors stress the large variation between providers and organizations suggest important modifiable provider behaviors and organizational characteristics in early PC receipt, ...

Nephrologists' perspectives and experiences with hospice among older adults with end-stage kidney disease Journal of the American Geriatrics Society; by Melissa W Wachterman, Anupallavi Sinha, Tarikwa Leveille, Sushrut S Waikar, Eric Widera, Kai Romero, Barbara Bokhour; 5/22/24 Background: ... Hospice use among older adults with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is markedly lower than among older adults with other serious illnesses, and the majority of those with ESKD who use hospice enroll in the last days of life. ... Conclusions: Our findings suggest that, in addition to Medicare policy change, nephrologists need to receive more training in primary palliative care skills including in indications for hospice, initiating conversations about hospice with patients, and collaborating with hospice clinicians to care for these vulnerable patients.

Experts urge Legislature to pass bill preventing for-profit and private equity hospice in New York Spectrum News 1; by Susan Arbetter; 5/21/24The FBI has issued public warnings about hospice fraud in four states — Texas, Arizona, Nevada and California. The bureau is alerting consumers to a wide-spread scam in which patients are enrolled in hospice without their knowledge by recruiters who “sell” hospice care to people who aren’t actually eligible. ...  One reason fraudsters have yet to gain a foothold in New York is that new hospices here go through a “Certificate of Need” process (CON) which reviews applications, provides for public comment and ensures that hospice operators don’t have a history of fraud or abuse. But according to Jeanne Chirico, president and CEO of the Hospice & Palliative Care Association of NYS (HPCANYS), and Kara Travis, president and CEO of Mountain Valley Hospice & Palliative Care, and a trustee of HPCANYS, there’s more that New York can do to protect consumers. They are urging lawmakers to pass a bill carried by state Sen. Liz Krueger and Assemblymember Amy Paulin that would prohibit the establishment of new for-profit hospices in the state (A6032 - Paulin / S6460 – Krueger).

Androscoggin Home Healthcare + Hospice rebrands to ‘Andwell Health Partners’ Home Health Care News; by Andrew Donlan; 5/21/24 The Maine-based Androscoggin Home Healthcare + Hospice is rebranding to “better reflect its evolutions and future,” and will be operating under the name Andwell Health Partners moving forward. ... Andwell – formerly Androscoggin – is a nonprofit operator that employs more than 500 workers across all 16 counties in Maine. The company ... has expanded past just home health care over the years to provide hospice, palliative, behavioral health and pediatric care services to patients. Its president and CEO, Ken Albert, has served on the board of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) ... including as chairperson of the board. ... The word Andwell is “an amalgamation of the organization’s history, mission and services,” the company said. Specifically, the “And” makes reference to Androscoggin, the “Well” emphasizes the focus on health and wellbeing and “Dwell” evokes its home-based care focus.

Resurgia Health Solutions and Ennoble Care's Georgia Housecalls Practice finalize combination to strengthen healthcare access in Georgia KSN.com News - Cision PR Newswire; by PR Newswire; 5/20/24 Resurgia Health Solutions and Ennoble Care have united to strengthen healthcare access in Georgia. ... Under the regional leadership of Kevin Charles and Dr. Mark Bradshaw, Ennoble's Georgia home-based primary care practice will be integrated into Resurgia's regional operations and Ennoble's national operations. Renee Brack, FNP, will work closely with Mr. Charles and Dr. Bradshaw in Georgia, as the operational leader of palliative and hospice care in Georgia, ensuring continuity. ... "We are thrilled to combine our strong programs to expand home-based primary and palliative care access in Georgia." said Molly Viscardi, PhD, RN, Chief Operating Officer of Ennoble Care. 

PACE program officially launches in Greater Peoria area OSF HelathCare, Peoria, IL; by Nathan Pritzker; 5/14/24 It’s a new and exciting day for older adults receiving health care services in the Greater Peoria area. After months of preparation, the state of Illinois and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have awarded OSF HealthCare a contract to be one of the first in the state to offer Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Enrollment for the program, known as OSF PACE, is currently underway with services officially beginning June 1.“OSF PACE will really help the people in the Tri-County area stay in their home and community,” says Nathan Pritzker, executive director of OSF PACE.

Potential progress at Optum Tri-State complicated by corporate care crisis: It's bonuses for bodies' The Examiner News; by Adam Stone; 5/13/24 'It's Bonuses for Bodies' This is the 16th installment in an investigative series, launched in December 2022, about CareMount/Optum/UnitedHealth and broader concerns about corporate medical care. ... I know this piece is a long ride to the larger point but buckle up and pretend you’re reading a few book chapters instead of a newspaper column, because all of the context matters, and interconnects. ... 

NAHC advocacy scores wins in CongressNAHC Newsroom; Press Release; 5/10/24Tireless advocacy by the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and our partners at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, has resulted in the approval of the Preserving Telehealth, Hospital, and Ambulance Access Act (H.R. 8261) through the Ways & Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. While the committee advanced the legislation, it will still need to be passed by the full House of Representatives and the Senate as well. This first step was crucial to get the bill on the pathway to its ultimate enactment into law. This legislation provides:

Life Coordinated Commonwealth Pace holds ribbon cutting Marshall County Daily; by Staff Report; 5/10/24 Life Coordinated Commonwealth Pace held a Ribbon Cutting on Friday morning with special quest Governor Andy Beshear in attendance to launch the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the elderly in Western Kentucky. This is the first of three planned KY Pace centers which provide elders an option for in-home care versus nursing home care.  Life Coordinated Commonwealth Pace will serve qualifying PACE members in a six-county area in Western Kentucky that includes Marshall, Calloway, Graves, Hickman, Fulton and McCracken.

House Committee vote gives hope to extending telehealth, hospital at home waivers Health Leaders; by Eric Wicklund; 5/9/24 The House Ways and Means Committee has voted to advance the Preserving Telehealth, Hospital and Ambulance Access Act (HR 8261), which would, among other things,  continue pandemic-era Medicare waivers enacted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for telehealth access and coverage through 2026 and extend the CMS Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver for an additional five years, to the end of 2029.

Action is key to continue to break down barriers for equitable cancer care OncLive; by Ryan Scott; 5/8/24 Experts from the University of Wisconsin (UW) School of Medicine and Public Health, including Catherine Zhang, MD, MPH, ... Monica Patel, MD, ... Janelle N. Sobecki, MD, ... and Loyda Braithwaite, NP ... participated in an interview with OncLive® on disparities in cancer care. In [this] interview, these experts addressed significant barriers to equitable cancer treatment and highlighted challenges for rural communities to access specialized oncologic care. Furthermore, they emphasized financial limitations affecting treatment access, specifically for marginalized groups, and the need to push for health policy changes.  ... 

What every family should know about navigating hospice care: The keys to experiencing a peaceful, gentle, and dignified death Psychology Today; by Bob Uslander, MD; 5/7/24... As a physician with 35 years of experience, including 25 years as an emergency physician and 10 years as a palliative and end-of-life care specialist, I've witnessed firsthand the stark realities of palliative and hospice care.  ... Let me be clear: Hospice care is an enormous benefit to many people, and I am often awed by the level of compassion and commitment I witness among some hospice staff I encounter. Despite this, there are many gaps, the care can be inconsistent, and hospice care is frequently not the appropriate option for people who are encouraged down that path.

Health Equity Data Definitions, Standards, and Stratification: New resource available Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; by CMS; May 2024Resource of health equity-related data definitions, standards, and stratification practices ... This document serves as a technical resource that can be used by organizations and entities, such as providers, states, community organizations, and others, that wish to harmonize with CMS when collecting, stratifying, and/or analyzing health equity-related data. It may also clarify differences in results that may arise when different data standards and definitions are used. This document includes suggested definitions, standards, and stratification practices for the following sociodemographic elements: