Literature Review

New telehealth rules: 5 takeaways on temporary flexibilities for 2025 Becker's ASC Review; in collaboration with Coronis Health; 1/21/25 With the passage of the American Relief Act, 2025, certain telehealth flexibilities initially introduced during the public health emergency (PHE) era have been extended. These provisions, however, are only authorized through March 31, 2025. A Jan. 9 blog post by Coronis Health breaks down what the extensions mean for telehealth providers and patients, what services and features were left out and why certain changes could become permanent in 2025. Five takeaways:

Federal report highlights private equity, consolidation concerns Modern Healthcare; by Hayley Desliva; 1/16/25 Three federal agencies on [1/15/25] said "more effective and vigorous" enforcement is needed to protect patients harmed by healthcare's continued consolidation. In a report released just days before a new administration takes over, the Health and Human Services Department, Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department said comments they sought earlier this year on the state of the industry made clear that worries about access to services and costs have intensified as consolidation and private equity's role have grown. ... The report noted several areas of concern: 

Lobbying groups unite to form US Cannabis Roundtable MJBiz; by MJBizDaily Staff; 1/16/25 The National Cannabis Roundtable and the U.S. Cannabis Council – two large lobbying groups that advocate on behalf of the state-regulated marijuana industry in Washington, D.C. – are merging to form the US Cannabis Roundtable. The unified group represents marijuana multistate operators such as Cresco Labs, Curaleaf Holdings, Green Thumb Industries, Trulieve Cannabis Corp. and Verano Holdings as well as single-state operators, according to a [recent] news release. 

California system, nonprofits pause lawsuit alleging $1B in misuse Becker's Hospital Review; by Kristin Kuchno; 1/6/25 The lawsuit alleging Fresno, Calif.-based Community Health System misused $1 billion in tax dollars has been paused until June while the health system and the nonprofit plaintiffs negotiate privately, Fresnoland reported Jan. 6. Community Health System, Cultiva La Salud and Fresno Building Healthy Communities jointly filed a stipulation on Dec. 23 requesting the court to stay the case, which Fresno County Superior Court Judge Kristi Culver Kapetan approved Dec. 30, according to Fresnoland. The stay halts legal proceedings. The two nonprofit organizations filed the lawsuit in August, alleging the health system misused $1 billion in tax dollars intended to serve low-income patients.

The Alliance celebrates the Dole Act becoming law, protecting burial benefits for veteransNational Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 1/7/25 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) issued the following statement in response to President Biden signing S. 141, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, into law on Thursday, January 2. This landmark legislation includes Section 301, Gerald’s Law, which addresses a critical gap in benefits for Veterans. Gerald’s Law ensures that families of terminally-ill Veterans receiving Veterans Affairs (VA)-furnished hospice care—whether at home, in a nursing home, or in another non-VA setting—retain access to their full VA burial allowance. “We are deeply grateful for the bipartisan support of Gerald’s Law and its inclusion in the Dole Act,” said Dr. Steve Landers, CEO for the Alliance. “This legislation ensures that Veterans and their families can choose hospice care in the setting that best meets their needs without risking the loss of crucial burial benefits. We thank Senators Moran, Tester, and Hassan, Representatives Ciscomani, Bost, Brownley, and Takano, and many others for their leadership, as well as President Biden for signing this important bill into law.”

Here are new state healthcare laws taking effect in 2025Modern Healthcare;by Hayley Desilva;1/2/25 Providers and insurers in several states will have to grapple with health-related laws taking effect in 2025. Most of the legislation concerns reproductive care and insurance coverage. Here are some of the laws affecting healthcare this year. [States include Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pensylvania, and Washington.]

10 Years of making the world a more livable place for all bereaved people Evermore; by Joyal Mulheron, Executive Director; 12/21/24   Fourteen years ago today, I was sitting on my couch, trying to make sense out of what just happened to our family. Our terminally ill daughter, Eleanora, had died a few weeks prior. While others sang holiday songs and gleefully exchanged gifts, it was a profoundly painful, dark, and isolating time for me. Within a few short years, I quit my career because I saw tragedies saturating our national headlines, leaving a trail of unseen and unsupported bereaved people in their wake, and I believed our nation should prioritize the needs of all bereaved people. ... This is what I set out to change. ... Evermore’s groundbreaking advocacy efforts resulted in our nation’s first Report to Congress, which provided an overview of grief and bereavement services in the United States. Next year, a report analyzing more than 8,000 scientific studies will be published, reviewing the highest quality interventions for bereaved people — which was championed by Evermore and endorsed by Congress. Editor's note: Click on the title's link to continue reading Evermore's trailblazing, state-of-the-art leadership and advocacy with Congress, the government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Newsweek, PBS, Harvard's Public Health magazine, Penn State, the University of California, and more. Click here to join Evermore's mailing list, and to learn from Joyal Mulhuron, Evermore's inspiring, soulful Founder/Executive Director. 

Lawmakers, health care providers raise alarm about growing antisemitism in medical field Jewish Insider - Health Care Hazard; by Marc Rod; 12/18/24 Speaking on a panel on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, lawmakers, medical professionals and Jewish community advocates sounded the alarm about the spread of antisemitism in the health care field, both within medical schools and in clinical settings. They said that the issue deserves and requires greater attention from Capitol Hill, akin to the attention campus antisemitism has received over the past year. “That’s truly scary, the idea that somehow your religious background or your identity would inform or impact the type of care that you get is not only antisemitic, it’s not only anti-American, it is anti-democratic,” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), the incoming chair of the House antisemitism task force, said at the Jewish Federations of North America-organized briefing.

How the downfall of the ‘Chevron Doctrine’ could affect hospices in the courts Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 12/16/24 Recent court rulings have the potential to make significant differences in the landscape of hospice regulatory oversight in coming years, particularly when it comes to audits and the forthcoming Special Focus Program (SFP). In June the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a ruling that in 1984 established the “Chevron Doctrine,” which instructed lower courts to defer to executive branch agencies to resolve ambiguities in laws passed by Congress. The decision marked the end of the practice known as “Chevron deference,” which required that courts must defer to regulatory agencies’ interpretations of “ambiguous” statutes within federal legislation as long as the enforcement activity is deemed “reasonable.” Hospices could potentially see a vastly different outlook in regulatory enforcement activity during a time of tremendous changes already taking place in the industry, [Bryan Nowicki, partner at the law firm Husch Blackwell] said.

Promoting the resilience of health care information systems—The day hospitals stood stillJAMA Health Forum; Daniel B. Kramer, MD, MPH; Kevin Fu, PhD; 11/24On Friday, July 19, 2024, health care workers woke to emails declaring systemwide information technology (IT) emergencies. Because Crowdstrike had access to the most sensitive core parts of the Windows operating system, the automated process caused an immediate global outage of computer systems using the Crowdstrike Falcon product, which is embedded in many computer systems at health care organizations. Rather than accept this event as inherent to a complex, digitized, and wired health care ecosystem, we urge the US Congress, health care regulators, and the public to insist on proactive preventive methods to avoid future IT catastrophic events rather than simply waiting for the next disruptive crisis requiring an emergent response.

The politics of loss: What grief reveals Psychology Today; by Daniela E. Miranda, PhD; 12/10/24 It has been a bit over two years since my 27-year-old brother unexpectedly passed away, exactly two weeks before my 64-year-old father, quickly and expectedly, died from cancer. What followed was a series of “secondary losses”. For my family, secondary losses included the shifting dynamics of caregiving and the emotional labor required to rebuild a daily life after multiple losses, while permanently uprooting to a different country. This article is not about my grief but about how the experience of loss can illuminate the fractures and possibilities within our systems of care. ... Key points:

Hospital-at-home, telehealth, DME reimbursement top year-end home care priorities McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 12/9/24 Home care advocates are advancing numerous home care advocacy priorities in the final days of 2024. They are focusing on telehealth, hospital-at-home and durable medical equipment (DME). Last week, the Long-Term Post-Acute Care Health Information Technology (LTPAC Health IT) Collaborative, which includes LeadingAge as a member, sent a letter to Congress asking for an extension of telehealth flexibilities enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. These flexibilities, which allow providers to furnish virtual care services over state lines, among other capabilities, will expire Dec. 31 without congressional action.

[Great Britain] British lawmakers give initial approval to a bill to allow terminally ill adults to end their lives AP - The Associated Press, London, UK; by Brian Melly and Pan Pylas; 11/29/24 British lawmakers gave initial approval on Friday to a bill to help terminally ill adults end their lives in England and Wales, following an impassioned debate that saw people sharing personal stories of loss and suffering. Members of Parliament approved the assisted dying bill by a 330-275 vote, signaling their approval in principle for the bill, which will undergo further scrutiny before it goes to a final vote. Friday's vote came after hours of debate — emotional at times — that touched on issues of ethics, faith and law. There was no braying and shouting that often marks debates in the House of Commons and speeches were considered respectfully and heard in silence. ... Supporters said the law would provide dignity to the dying and prevent suffering, while protecting the vulnerable. Opponents said the disabled and elderly were at risk of being coerced, directly or indirectly, to end their lives to save money or relieve the burden on family members. Others called for the improvement of palliative care to ease suffering as an alternative.