Literature Review

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. ... 

Investing in employee engagement can add a competitive advantageHomeCare; by Jeffrey Knapp; 5/9/24You cannot pay people enough to care. But it is possible to attract and retain great talent and bring out the best in them by fully engaging employees in a shared purpose, giving them a sense that their work is worthwhile and that they are making a difference in the world. That is the culture effect on health care staffing. ... For leaders who want either to start building or to invest more in a culture infrastructure, do not forget these essential steps: 

Van Duyne, Blumenauer, 38 lawmakers push CMS on hospice integrityVanDuyne.house.gov; Press Release; 5/8/24Today, Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) led a bipartisan group of 38 lawmakers demanding answers from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the implementation of recent reforms aimed at combatting hospice fraud and abuse. “When electing to receive hospice care, individuals and their families must be confident the provider is committed to delivering individualized, compassionate care that optimizes quality of life; however, we continue to hear about instances of pervasive fraud and abuse,” the lawmakers wrote.  ... To better understand the steps CMS has taken to increase program integrity, the lawmakers continued the letter with detailed questions on the implementation of reforms. Read the full letter here.  ...“Thank you, Representatives Blumenauer and Van Duyne, for your leadership in holding CMS accountable and safeguarding hospice patients and families from fraudulent activities,” said Ben Marcantonio, Interim CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “Preserving the integrity of the Medicare Hospice Benefit is paramount to ensure high-quality care for Americans with serious illness and end-of-life care needs.” 

Fresno State honors three with honorary doctorates this commencement season: Nancy Hinds, founder of Hinds Hospice Fresno State News; 5/7/24Fresno State will award honorary doctorates to three individuals this year — advocate for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Robert R. Davila; Hinds Hospice founder Nancy Hinds; and Fresno arts proponent Lilia Gonzales-Chavez. ... Nancy Hinds is nationally and internationally recognized for her work with the terminally ill and as the founder of Hinds Hospice, a non-profit hospice and grief organization serving Fresno, Madera and Merced Counties. A 2021 Business Journal article said Hinds’ “name is synonymous with compassion and quality care.” Editor's Note: Read more of Nancy's life-story and profound contributions to hospice and palliative care. Congratulations Dr. Nancy Hinds!

TCN News Stories of the Month, April 2024TCN Talks; by Chris Comeaux; 5/1/24In this week’s podcast Mark Cohen joins once more for the Top News Stories for the prior month. This is a new format as Mark has retired from publishing the Hospice News Today as he has transitioned it to Cordt Kassner and the daily publication has been rebranded as Hospice and Palliative Care Today. You can subscribe for free here: https://www.hospicepalliativecaretoday.com.

What Hospice VBID’s ending means for palliative care Hospice News; by Markisan Naso; 5/1/24 The impending demise of the hospice component of U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ value-based insurance design (VBID) model has largely been met with a sense of relief by providers as they plan new initiatives for palliative care in 2025. ... The program, which initially contained promising components designed to give patients better access to palliative care, instead became an increasing source of frustration for organizations. ... With the end date for the hospice component of the VBID model approaching, many palliative care providers are left with concern for their patients and questions about the coming transition, as they shift focus to what happens next.  Editor's Note: This article includes perspectives from Rory Farrand, Vice President of Palliative and Advanced Medicine at NHPCO, and Mollie Gurian, Vice President of Home-Based and HCBS Policy at LeadingAge.

Judi Lund Person: UnleashedTCN Talks; by Chris Comeaux; 4/18/24Judi Lund Person, former vice president of regulatory and compliance at NHPCO, shares her journey into the hospice industry and her passion for ensuring patients and families receive the care they need and want. Judi emphasizes the importance of addressing bad hospice care and uncovering fraud and abuse in the industry.  She discusses the proposed changes in the 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Conditions; ... the HOPE tool and the revised hospice survey;  ... the sunset of the VBID demonstration; and the need to focus on accountable care organizations and quality reporting. This is a great listen for staff, leaders, and boards of hospice and palliative care organizations. Here’s a great quote from the discussion: “You never know when something you do or somebody you talk to changes the course of your life."

'Why we need to talk about dying': Thames Hospice and the reality of palliative careMaidenhead Advertiser; by Sam Leech; 4/27/24What is your understanding of what a hospice does?Many would suggest it is a place where people go to die – but there is much, much more to the journey of patients and loved ones at Thames Hospice [United Kingdom]. ... Catherine McLaughlin, the hospice’s chief executive, said: “This is a place where – yes, death is a big part – but it’s about how do you make memories? How do you give hope at a time when there might not be much of that? Those final days in somebody’s life is a very important time and the lasting memories are important to those who are left behind.”Editor's Note: Too often--in order to make hospice palatable to another's "sign-on-the-dotted-line-so-we-can-admit-you"--marketing professionals overtly deny that hospice is about "dying," "death," or "grief." Take note from this CEO who sensitively weaves in death, dying and bereavement for not only hospice, but also for "palliative care" with gentle, authentic conversation and questions to the public.

HCA's CEO-to-worker pay ratio over the past 5 years Hospital CFO Report; by Andrew Cass; 4/22/24 Nashville, TN-based HCA Healthcare CEO Sam Hazen was paid between 254 and 556 times more than the health system's median employee since becoming the health system's chief executive in 2019, according to proxy statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ... Here is how the ceo-to-median-worker pay ratio has changed the past five years: ...

Skepticism is healthy, but in medicine, it can be dangerous The New York Times, Guest Essay, by Dr. Daniela J. Lamas; 4/24/24 I arrived at the hospital one recent morning to find a team of doctors gathered just outside a patient room. The patient was struggling — his breaths too fast and too shallow. For days we had been trying to walk the line between treating the pain caused by his rapidly growing cancer and prolonging his life. [The author describes interactions with the family.] ... We are at a crossroads in medicine when it comes to public trust. After a pandemic that twisted science for political gain, it is not surprising that confidence in medicine is eroding. ... Our medical system relies on trust — in face-to-face meetings as well as public health bulletins. Distrust can lead doctors to burnout and can encourage avoidable negative outcomes for our patients.Editor's Note: For a patient/caregiver/family to agree to a hospice admission, they must first trust the physician who refers them to your organization. Before that, the referring physician must trust your organization. Too often, "trust" is diluted as a "soft skill." "Trust"--as described in this article--is a cornerstone, a foundation of strength, endurance, and integrity in the hardest, most conflicted times of decisions about living and dying that a person (and family) might face.

Community partnership with Hinds Hospice brings supportYourCentralValley.com - MedWatch Today; by Juanita Adame; 4/22/24Facing difficult end-of-life decisions for loved ones is difficult. Community Regional Medical Centers has partnered with Hinds Hospice to bring in an extra layer of support to patients and their families inside the hospital. The services are for patients who cannot be cared for at the home during their end-of-life journey. “We started looking at institutions that could partner with us around delivering inpatient hospice care, not only to reduce our length of stay but to be able to provide a higher level of care for patients in hospice,” said Tina Gulbronsen, VP of Capacity Management at Community Medical Centers. “So this change means that there are some patients that can’t be discharged safely  because they are in some sort of crisis.”

NHPCO's CaringInfo program launches new consumer blog, insights NHPCO Press Release; 4/15/24 CaringInfo, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), has launched a new consumer blog, Insights, offering timely and practical content on serious-illness care and services from a variety of perspectives in both English and Spanish. ... CaringInfo also offers more information about advance directives and free advance directives and instructions for all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and Washington DC in both English and Spanish, downloadable as PDF files.