Literature Review

Longitudinal analysis of cancer family caregiver perception of sleep difficulty during home hospice American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care; William Hull, Gary Donaldson, Kristin G Cloyes, Lee Ellington, Kathryn Lee, Kathleen Mooney; 7/22/24 Our findings indicate that family caregivers who cohabitate exhibit increased perception of sleep difficulty over the course of hospice. Future studies and interventions for hospice family caregivers' sleep should consider cohabitation between the patient and the caregiver as a significant predictor of sleep difficulty to observe and potentially mediate the negative outcomes associated with caregiver sleep difficulty. Further, determining the underlying reasons for sleep difficulty in cohabitation (e.g., patient symptoms or treatments) should be explored.

Can Artificial Intelligence speak for incapacitated patients at the end of life? JAMA Internal Medicine; by Teva D. Brender, MD; Alexander K. Smith, MD; Brian L. Block, MD; 7/22/24 Viewpoint: Imagine meeting with the daughter of a critically ill patient. The patient (her mother) had a cardiac arrest, is in multiorgan failure, and cannot communicate. The daughter is uncomfortable making decisions because they are estranged and never discussed what her mother would want in this type of situation. The patient has no advance directive or alternative surrogate. Now imagine this meeting taking place in a future where the mother’s medical visits have been audio recorded. Furthermore, you have access to an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that can identify and play excerpts of the mother talking about what mattered most to her. You and the daughter listen to these recordings together. Then you share that another algorithm, trained on 7 million patient records, predicts that the mother’s chance of walking again is less than 5%. ...

Salvation Army in Lufkin, Harbor Hospice, and other businesses hold ‘Beat the Heat’ fan drive ABC KTRE TV9, Lufkin, TX; by Vanessa Johnson; 7/21/24 “We have a fan drive going on right now from July 1st to July the 31st,” Amy Allen, the director of nursing with Harbor Hospice in Lufkin, said. The fan drive is for those in both Angelina and Nacogdoches counties that need one but do not have the means to get one. ... “They have no resources, they have no money, they have no way to get this. During the hurricane I know we all suffered from the heat, and we felt what they feel like daily,” Jenny Wright, the volunteer coordinator at Harbor Hospice, said. 

Bereaved families face ‘devastating’ impacts of hospice fraud Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 7/16/24 Fraudulent activity in the hospice space may be leaving some families without sufficient bereavement support. Fraudulent hospice schemes can take a tremendous toll on families that have lost loved ones who received poor or negligent end-of-life care, according to Cheryl Kraus, director of government affairs and policy at the Hospice & Palliative Care Association of New York State (HPCANYS). ... “It’s tragic if you’re already grieving the loss of a loved one to have your suspicions confirmed that they did not receive the level of care that they were entitled to because of bad actors in the hospice space,” Kraus said. “It just shocks the conscience what these fraudulent hospices are doing to people. It’s going to take a long time to restore not just the individuals’ trust who have experienced this firsthand, but also the public’s.” 

NAHC-NHPCO Alliance comments on Hospice CARE Act HomeCare; 7/16/24 The NAHC-NHPCO Alliance submitted a comment letter to the office of Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) on the discussion draft of the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement Act (Hospice CARE Act), along with an overview and section-by-section summary. The Hospice CARE Act focuses on hospice payment reform and program integrity. The two trade organizations said they have worked closely with Blumenauer for years on these issues and are committed to continuing the dialogue to secure optimal outcomes for hospice providers and the continued delivery of quality care for patients and their families.

Wellsboro's hospice home closes Gazette, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania; 7/12/24 After 25 years of providing a home for the dying, The Samaritan House, a mission project of St. Peter’s Church in Wellsboro [PA], has closed. For the past two years, the steering committee has tried to increase its volunteer base, raise funds, complete clearances and maintain the house. Despite meeting many goals and continuing to receive referrals, Samaritan House can no longer welcome guests because it can’t sustain a schedule. The Samaritan House ministry has welcomed guests and families from diverse faiths and backgrounds and cared for them with compassion and dignity for 25 years. Many of the volunteers have made friends and memories that will last a lifetime.

10 recent healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements Becker's Hospital Review; by Andrew Cass; 7/8/24... Here are 10 healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements and legal developments Becker's reported since June 26:

A professional’s perspective: Ageism within the healthcare system; does it exist? Northern Kentucky Tribune; by Jeff Rubin; 7/6/24 A friend of mine named Dee recently shared with me a particularly unpleasant experience she had with a young hospital discharge planner regarding her 97-year-old mom in California. It appears Dee had a heck of a time trying to get her mom discharged to home health care rather than hospice, even though the particular care she needed could have been better delivered at home. A geriatrician by training, Dee ... recognized the invaluable role of hospice in providing end-of-life care. However, the situation she found herself in was less a question of end-of-life and more of palliative care. ...  A recent study in the US sampling 2,035 individuals between 50 and 80 years of age revealed that 93.4% experienced ageism firsthand. Their perception extended to professionals like doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers, and psychologists whose services included working with older people. [Click on the title's link for significant data, descriptions, and resources.]

How Hospice of the Chesapeake is innovating bereavement care, family support Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/4/24 Maryland-based Hospice of the Chesapeake has been pursuing innovation in its bereavement and caregiver support programs. The nonprofit hospice and palliative care provider offers grief care to its entire community regardless of whether a family member was one of their patients. Out-of-pocket payments for those services are on a sliding scale. To expand its reach, Hospice of the Chesapeake works with organizations like schools, senior living communities and other community partners, according to Faith Fitzgerald, director of community support programs for the hospice.

Community Hospice & Palliative Care, a subsidiary of Alivia Care, Inc., becomes last remaining not-for-profit hospice provider [in North Florida] PR.com - Alivia Care, Inc. Press Releases, Gainesville, FL; 6/29/24 With recent changes in end-of-life care, North Florida residents may notice a shift as Haven, a long-standing provider in the region, transitions due to acquisition by a for-profit health care company, BrightSpring Health Services. As this transition takes place, Community Hospice & Palliative Care, a subsidiary of Alivia Care, Inc., wishes to express its continued dedication to providing compassionate, community-based care to individuals and families in the community. "We understand that transitions in healthcare can be challenging for our community," said Phillip Ward, President, and CEO of Community Hospice & Palliative Care. "However, we want to reassure everyone that our dedication to serving our neighbors with compassion, dignity, and unwavering commitment remains as strong as ever."

HHS to impose penalties on providers that block patients’ health information McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 6/24/24In a bid to promote easier access and exchange of patients’ health records, the Department of Health and Human Services published a final rule Monday outlining penalties for providers that block access to electronic health information. ... Fragmented and inaccessible patient data can prevent long-term and post-acute care providers from seeing the full picture of a patients’ health. Hospitals, for example, are not required to share updates about a patient’s health with the patient’s post-acute care provider. As a result, home health and home care agencies frequently cannot access patients’ electronic health records to help assess and treat patients. Three disincentives: ... First, hospitals that commit information blocking can be subject to a reduction of three quarters of an annual market basket update. Second, clinicians eligible for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System will receive a zero score in the “promoting interoperability performance” MIPS category, which can be equivalent to roughly a quarter of the clinician’s MIPS score in a given year. Lastly, providers that participate in information blocking can have their Medicare Shared Savings Program or Accountable Care Organization eligibility revoked for at least one year. ...Editor's Note: Almost any solution raises additional challenges. How does HIPAA interface with this? How might a cyberattack at a hospital (or other healthcare agency) affect the patients' other agencies, putting them at risk as well?

Lawmakers remain committed to passing hospice workforce bill Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/24/24 Federal legislators plan to continue to work on passing a bill designed to bolster the hospice and palliative care workforce. The Palliative Care and Hospice Education Training Act (PCHETA) has come before Congress several times but has not yet been passed. The bill’s most recent development occurred in July 2023, when it was reintroduced by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.). Capito has indicated that the senators are not giving up on the legislation as they seek to ensure that hospice and palliative care providers are able to meet growing demand. ... The legislation would establish fellowships through new palliative care and hospice education centers to provide short-term, intensive training, as well as incentivized award programs across all the relevant disciplines. It also would support programs to develop career paths within the field.