Literature Review

All posts tagged with “Hospice Provider News | Operations News | Challenges.”



The no. 1 problem still keeping hospital CEOs up at night

02/05/24 at 04:00 AM

The No. 1 problem still keeping hospital CEOs up at nightBecker's Hospital Review, by Kelly Gooch; 1/31/24... Here are the 10 most concerning issues hospital CEOs ranked in 2023, along with their average score on an 11-point scale of how pressing CEOs find each issue.

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Cancer facts & figures 2024

02/05/24 at 04:00 AM

Cancer facts & figures 2024American Cancer Society; 2024Cancer Facts & Figures 2024 is an educational companion for Cancer Statistics 2024, a scientific paper published in the American Cancer Society journal, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. These annual reports provide:

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How hospices are diversifying their services in 2024

02/05/24 at 12:30 AM

How hospices are diversifying their services in 2024Hospice News, by Holly Vossel; 1/31/24Palliative care, pediatric end-of-life care and end-of-life doula (EOLD) services are top of mind for hospices that are diversifying their services in 2024.Fewer than half of 143 respondents to Hospice News’ 2024 Outlook Survey, conducted with Homecare Homebase, reported that their hospice organizations would pursue new care types this year. But the aim of their service diversification efforts may indicate future trends. Service diversification trends in hospice could ramp up as value-based care models incentivize this path, according to Tony Kudner, chief strategy officer of the home-based care consulting company Transcend Strategy Group. 

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‘Crying wolf’ or dying breed? Incentives often ignore plight of rural skilled nursing operators

01/30/24 at 04:00 AM

‘Crying wolf’ or dying breed? Incentives often ignore plight of rural skilled nursing operatorsMcKnights Long-Term Care News, by Kimberly Marselas; 1/29/24As hundreds of nursing homes have shuttered in the last few years, the very strategies meant to prop up the sector have often left the most isolated, resource-strapped facilities with nothing gained. Several new federal payment models and insurance programs are designed to allow skilled nursing providers to take on financial risk, tap into new revenue streams or access additional staffing and clinical resources.

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Why hospice utilization rates have fallen

01/29/24 at 04:00 AM

Why hospice utilization rates have fallenHospice News, by Jim Parker; 1/25/24National hospice utilization rates have fallen since 2020, though the total number of patients served remains consistent. ... Mathematically, the percentage declined in part because of continually changing demographics.Publisher's note: This article quotes a decline in Medicare hospice utilization rates through 2021, which is true. However, we are seeing a rebound / increase in 2022 and 2023 information.

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Planning ahead for peace of mind: How an advance care conversation educator can help

01/26/24 at 04:00 AM

Planning ahead for peace of mind: How an advance care conversation educator can help

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The Long Decline: Health care access grows difficult in shrinking rural communities

01/23/24 at 04:00 AM

The Long Decline: Health care access grows difficult in shrinking rural communitiesAlabama Reflector, by Alanda Rocha; 1/18/24The lack of health care providers in rural Alabama is stark. Most of Alabama’s rural counties have significantly more people per primary care physician than urban counties. Butler County ... has just one primary care physician per 4,900 residents ... As rural Alabama continues a decades-long population collapse, residents who remain — many of them older people — face increasing barriers to health care, a trend seen around the nation.

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Cancer statistics, 2024

01/23/24 at 04:00 AM

Cancer statistics, 2024American Cancer Society, by Rebecca L. Siegel MPH, Angela N. Giaquinto MSPH, and Ahmedin Jemal DVM, PhD; 1/17/2024In this article, we provide the estimated numbers of new cancer cases and deaths in 2024 in the United States nationally and for each state, as well as a comprehensive overview of cancer occurrence based on up-to-date population-based data for cancer incidence and mortality through 2020 and 2021, respectively.

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Pressing questions about rural telehealth access and investments put innovation in danger

01/23/24 at 04:00 AM

Pressing questions about rural telehealth access and investments put innovation in dangerMcKnights Long-Term Care News, by Kimberly Marselas; 1/22/24Proven healthcare technologies can help improve patient care and boost staff confidence, but in many rural areas, one major impediment remains: lack of high-speed internet.

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$15 billion win for physicians on prior authorization

01/22/24 at 04:00 AM

$15 billion win for physicians on prior authorizationAMA, by Kevin B. O'Reilly; 1/18/24Under the leadership of Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a final rule making important reforms to prior authorization to cut patient care delays and electronically streamline the process for physicians. Together, the changes will save physician practices an estimated $15 billion over 10 years, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

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Widespread health care disparities revealed: Hardships for minority kids start at birth

01/19/24 at 04:00 AM

Widespread health care disparities revealed: Hardships for minority kids start at birthUSA Today, by Adrianna Rodriguez; 1/18/24Black and Hispanic children receive universally worse medical care than their white peers, starting from the moment they’re born and spanning across all specialties, according to a comprehensive five-year review. ... They found widespread racial and ethnic disparities in care, treatment and health outcomes across all pediatric specialties, including neonatology, primary care, emergency medicine, critical care, surgery, mental health, developmental disabilities, endocrinology and palliative, or end-of-life, care, ...

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Survey shows 2024 to be a "Year of Efficiency" for Care at Home Organizations

01/18/24 at 04:00 AM

Survey shows 2024 to be a "Year of Efficiency" for Care at Home OrganizationsHomeCare News; 1/16/24To improve their bottom line and operations, care-at-home organizations plan to focus on shoring up operational processes and how they manage staffing and scheduling, according to the just-released 2024 Industry Trends Report. ... The focus on having more efficient operations was reflected in the top concerns from respondents: staffing, and addressing the changing payment dynamics and new regulations and oversight in the care at-home industry.

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Cultivating cultural competence with interdisciplinary teams in serious care

01/15/24 at 04:00 AM

 

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How history has shaped racial and ethnic health disparities: A timeline of policies and events

01/15/24 at 03:00 AM

How history has shaped racial and ethnic health disparities: A timeline of policies and eventsKFF, with thanks to Daniel Dawes, Gilbert Gee, Michelle Tong; ongoing reference for health policy research, polling and journalismThis timeline offers a historical view of significant U.S. federal policies and events spanning the early 1800s to today that have influenced present-day health disparities. It covers policies that directly impacted health coverage and access to care, relevant events in medicine, social and economic policies and developments that influence health, and efforts to tackle inequalities. ... While not exhaustive, the timeline aims to provide context for addressing disparities, acknowledging the complex history that shapes racial and ethnic health and health care disparities that persist today.

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Rural hospitals are caught in an aging-infrastructure conundrum

01/12/24 at 04:00 AM

Rural hospitals are caught in an aging-infrastructure conundrumFortune, by Markian Hawryluk and KFF Health News; 1/11/24Kevin Stansbury, the CEO of Lincoln Community Hospital in the 800-person town of Hugo, Colorado, is facing a classic Catch-22: He could boost his rural hospital’s revenues by offering hip replacements and shoulder surgeries, but the 64-year-old hospital needs more money to be able to expand its operating room to do those procedures.

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Sustainability of our healthcare system; Day 2 notes from the 42nd annual J.P. Morgan healthcare conference

01/11/24 at 04:00 AM

Sustainability of our healthcare system; Day 2 notes from the 42nd annual J.P. Morgan healthcare conference LexBlog, by Eric Klein; 1/10/24Sustainability of our healthcare system was an interesting topic at Day 2 of the 42nd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. Paul Markovich, CEO of Blue Shield of California, expressed the concern that “[T]he status quo is an existential threat to our healthcare system.” Markovich is worried that the healthcare system is losing the public’s trust – which will make it harder to effectively fix our system – while also not delivering the quality of care and accessibility needed by our population. 

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Finding a voice for the terminally ill

01/10/24 at 04:00 AM

Finding a voice for the terminally illHealth Affairs, by Richey Piiparinen, 1/9/24A patient with terminal illness reflects on the reluctance in health care to discuss death. Access to the full-text article requires either an online subscription or purchase of 24-hour access to this article.

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Local experts say number of people using hospices has decreased despite benefits

01/09/24 at 03:05 AM

Local experts say number of people using hospices has decreased despite benefits Virginia News, by Emaryi Williams; 1/8/24According to a recent report by American Health Rankings, Virginia placed 30th nationally in deceased medicare patients who used hospice care, even though it was 17th nationally for senior health care. Local experts say they are seeing fewer opting for hospice care and are concerned about what it means for members of our community and their families who may need it.

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How hospice, behavioral health can team up for caregiver support

01/08/24 at 04:00 AM

How hospice, behavioral health can team up for caregiver supportHospice News, by Holly Vossel; 1/6/24“We are officially living in that sandwich generation where so many of us actually are caregivers, taking care of our children, sometimes even the parent is now taking care of two generations, ..."

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Hospice and home health care in Estes Park: A 2024 update

01/08/24 at 04:00 AM

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.

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About 10 percent of Medicare home health providers do not use EHRs, study finds

01/08/24 at 04:00 AM

About 10 percent of Medicare home health providers do not use EHRs, study findsMcKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 1/3/24Home health agencies that do not have electronic health record (EHR) systems in place are at a disadvantage, but many still lack this technology, according to a recent study published in the journal Home Health Care Management and Practice. Among a sample of  more than 1,500 Medicare home health providers, about 10% did not use EHRs. 

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To affiliate or acquire: Trends in nonprofit hospice consolidation

01/08/24 at 03:00 AM

To affiliate or acquire: Trends in nonprofit hospice consolidationHospice News, by Jim Parker; 1/5/24Recent years have seen an uptick in consolidation activity among nonprofits in the hospice space. Increasingly, nonprofit s are pursuing acquisitions and affiliations, as well as forming regional collaboratives. To achieve these kinds of growth, hospices must consider whether they should affiliate or buy another company outright. Each approach comes with benefits and risks.

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Nursing home struggles expected to worsen hospital backlogs

01/05/24 at 04:00 AM

Nursing home struggles expected to worsen hospital backlogsMcKnights Long-Term Care News, by Josh Henreckson; 1/4/24Nursing homes’ familiar struggles with insufficient staffing and insurance reimbursements are contributing to growing backlogs of patients awaiting throughput from hospitals to post-acute care across the US. Those waitlists are set to grow more congested in 2024 and cause even bigger disruption throughout the US healthcare system, according to recent state-level reports.Editor's Notes: Hospice leaders, how might your organization help reduce these backlogs and delays?

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Gentle endings: Lessons learned in a hospice for those without a home

01/05/24 at 04:00 AM

Gentle endings: Lessons learned in a hospice for those without a homeDeseretNews, by Eliza Anderson; 1/3/24 Jillian Olmsted was intrigued by a news story in 2015 about attempts to open a small residential hospice for the homeless in Salt Lake City, where she lives. The INN Between would offer a home for people who were unsheltered and dying so they could be fed and cared for, in beds and out of the cold. But she was also floored by the hue and cry of neighbors who didn’t want them around — even though they were terribly medically frail. Her dad was fighting cancer, and she had just helped care for her mom and stepfather, who died a month apart. Both “had insurance and a nice home and family to take care of them.” Why begrudge someone shelter, care and comfort in such dire circumstances? 

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How do you ethically integrate a GIP hospice service into the hospital?

01/04/24 at 03:05 AM

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."

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