Literature Review

Advocates rally in DC for the future of hospice: NHPCO and HAN amplify provider voices on Capitol Hill NHPCO; Press Release; 6/13/24 More than 100 hospice and palliative care advocates from across the country met with over 150 congressional offices this week to discuss key legislative and regulatory priorities for ensuring and expanding access to hospice and palliative care. The meetings were part of Hospice Action Week, hosted in Washington, DC by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and its advocacy affiliate, the Hospice Action Network (HAN). “The cornerstone of effective advocacy is storytelling. It’s about sharing why hospice holds personal significance and why serious illness and end-of-life care policy should resonate with our lawmakers,” said Logan Hoover, NHPCO’s VP of Policy & Government Relations. “From Hawaii to Rhode Island, advocates from 35 diverse states came to DC this year. The relationships they’re building with Members of Congress hold the potential to shape the future of the healthcare landscape.” 

Rep. Earl Blumenauer plans landmark hospice reform billHospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/13/24Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) is drafting a landmark bill that, if enacted, would represent the most significant reforms to date for hospice payment and oversight. Blumenauer announced the bill, the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act, on Thursday at the Hospice News Elevate conference in Washington D.C. Though the bill language is still in development, key provisions will likely include a new payment mechanism for high-acuity palliative services, changes to the per-diem payment process and actions to improve quality and combat fraud.

Haven Hospice team members win three Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association awardsPress release; 6/5/24Gainesville, FL: Three Haven Hospice team members were awarded with Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association (FHPCA) Awards of Excellence at the 2024 FHPCA 39th Forum in Orlando, Florida.

NAHC President Bill Dombi reflects on tenure: We Went ‘To War’ on behalf of our providers Home Health News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 6/4/24 For more than 40 years, William A. Dombi has been one of home-based care’s fiercest advocates. He became the National Association for Home Care & Hospice’s (NAHC) vice president for law in 1987, and has been a key player in many of the advancements and milestones that have moved the industry forward. Those include the growth of the home health benefit under Medicare, the implementation of the home health prospective payment system in 2000 and much, much more. ... Home Health Care News recently caught up with Dombi to look back at his time at NAHC, and on what he believes to be the biggest accomplishments during his tenure.

What health system CEOs need to tackle conflict, change Becker's Hospital Review; by Laura Dyrda; 5/31/24  Health system CEOs are leaving behind ego-driven, top down leadership in favor of a trusting and a supportive culture to guide their organizations and transform healthcare delivery. Change is hard, but necessary, to grow. "One of my greatest realizations is the importance of fostering a culture where every individual genuinely feels valued and supported," K. Craig Kent, MD, CEO of Charlottesville, VA.-based UVA Health and executive vice president of health affairs at the University of Virginia told Becker's. ... Change is happening on many fronts. More care is exiting the hospital to be delivered at outpatient sites, in the home and through virtual connections. Patients are more actively participating in decision-making about their care, and digital technology makes it possible to personalize care more than ever before. ...

Apply now for AHA’s 2025 Circle of Life Award recognizing end-of-life and hospice care providers  American Hospital Association; 5/30/24 Applications are open through July 24 for AHA’s 2025 Circle of Life Award, which recognizes hospitals and health systems that advance end-of-life and hospice care that is safe, timely, efficient, effective and equitable. There will be up to three recipients of the award, and Citations of Honor may also be presented to other noteworthy programs. The awards will be presented at the 2025 AHA Leadership Summit in Nashville, Tenn.

NAHC, NHPCO to merge, Dombi to retire McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 5/23/24 The National Association for Home Care & Hospice and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization are on track to begin merging by July. In a related development, NAHC’s president William Dombi disclosed that he intends to retire by the end of 2024. “Both boards have authorized an affiliation agreement; it’s fully drafted,” Ken Albert, chair of NAHC’s board of directors, told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse in an interview. “We’re looking to transition July 1 of this year. The transition board has been selected. I’ll serve as chair of that transition board; [NHPCO board chair] Melinda Gruber will serve as vice chair. Board members have been identified, and then that next six months from July to December will kind of be the operational integration. We’re in the process of recruiting a new CEO right now, and then all the tech-side, the backend, office-end, that’s going on right now.” Albert added that neither Bill Dombi or Ben Marcantonio, NHPCO’s chief executive officer, would be eligible to lead the new organization.

Would an 'unbossed' culture work in healthcare? Becker's Hospital Review; by Madeline Ashley; 5/24/24 The workforce has seen an influx of changes and trends come and go in a post-pandemic world, with more employees taking the reins and standing up for new, flexible ways to get their jobs done. One such trend catching on lately is the "unbossed culture." The term describes a work environment wherein management assumes more of a leadership role than a supervisor role. The hands-off approach makes for fewer check-ins, allowing employees to have more ownership over how they tackle and complete their tasks. While this new workforce trend spreads across multiple industries, the glaring question remains, "Would an unbossed culture work in healthcare?" 

Hospice and the care continuum: Achieving Age-Friendly CareHospice News; by Jack Silverstein; 5/23/24When Jennifer Hale thinks of age-friendly care in hospice, her mind goes first to what might seem an unusual place: man’s best friend. As the VP of Clinical Quality and Standards of hospice provider Compassus, Hale views age-friendly care as an approach to care that is “focused specifically on the needs of people as they age in their home setting,” she says. That means hospice providers listen to what their patients need and want to make them comfortable and give them dignity at the end of life. Compassus uses its clinical assessment not just to capture a patient’s health information but also to inform their goals, hopes and fears. “Age-friendly care certification was another way for us to validate our care model,” Hale says. “We worked with Homecare Homebase to implement their person-centered care plan which actually further validated the approach to care that we were already taking.”

Great leaders in healthcare | 2024Becker's Hospital Review; by Anna Falvey, Carly Behm, Paige Haeffele, Riz Hatton, Claire Wallace; 5/23/24Healthcare is rapidly evolving and the best leaders have embraced change and are leading organizations on the forefront of transforming care delivery. The [leaders listed] are using innovative digital technology, novel care delivery approaches and creative care solutions to shape the future of healthcare.Publisher's Note: The article includes a long list - mostly large hospital system leaders, which is appropriate given the source. It's likely at least one of these people is in your service area. As always, it's interesting to consider who is selected, why, and where they are. A quick word search for "hospice" occurred once, "palliative" not at all - who might be included in a similar "great leaders in hospice and palliative care" list?

Training opportunities for managers in home health, hospice, and community-based care settingsThe Journal of Nursing Administration; by Ann M Nguyen, Alfred F Tallia, Tami M Videon, Robert J Rosati; 6/24The aim of this study was to identify areas for developing management skills-focused continuing education for managers working in home health, hospice, and community-based settings. For all 33 management tasks, managers with 6+ years of experience reported greater confidence than managers with 0 to 5 years of experience. Tasks with the lowest confidence were budgeting, interpreting annual reports, strategic planning, measuring organizational performance, and project planning. Managers were clustered into 5 "profiles." Management training is not 1-size-fits-all. Healthcare organizations should consider investing in training specific to the identified low-confidence areas and manager roles to better support and develop a robust management workforce.

Compassus Taps Fresenius Veteran Michael Asselta As Next CEOHome Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 5/7/24There’s a new leader at the helm of Compassus. The company’s board of directors has named Michael J. Asselta as CEO. Compassus is one of the largest home-based care providers in the country. The Brentwood, Tennessee-based company provides home health, hospice, palliative and home infusion services across more than 270 locations in 30 states.