Literature Review

All posts tagged with “Palliative Care Provider News.”



Do automated reminders decrease no-show visits in an outpatient palliative medicine clinic?

04/23/25 at 03:00 AM

Do automated reminders decrease no-show visits in an outpatient palliative medicine clinic? Sage Journals - American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Ruth L. Lagman, MD, MPH, MBA, Renato V. Samala, MD, MHPE, Ahed Makhoul, MD, Kyle Neale, DO, Chirag Patel, MD, Elizabeth Weinstein, MD, Wei Wei, MS, and Xiaoying Chen, MS; 3/23/25 Individuals who do not show up for medical appointments can lead to unfavorable outcomes for both patients and health systems. Automated methods are available to confirm appointments in addition to patient service coordinator (PSC) telephone calls. This study aims to determine the no-show rates for automated methods of confirmation, in-person and virtual visits, and patients living in underserved areas.Conclusion: PSC telephone calls, individuals living within COZ and virtual visits had higher no-show rates.

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Value-based palliative care moving toward risk-based models

04/22/25 at 03:00 AM

Value-based palliative care moving toward risk-based models Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 4/21/25 Risk-based contracts may be the future of palliative care reimbursement as Medicare Advantage continues to ascend. The simple term “value-based care” belies its complexity. The term can refer to any number of payment models that are designed to reduce total cost of care and improve outcomes. While most palliative care remains locked in the fee-for-service realm, most value-based organizations like MA plans are moving towards it, according to Dr. Gavin Baumgardner, vice president and national medical director for complex and palliative care at Contessa Health, a subsidiary of Amedisys (Nasdaq: AMED). 

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Integrating social determinants into palliative care

04/18/25 at 03:00 AM

Integrating social determinants into palliative care Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 4/16/25 Strong staff education and reimbursement are among the keys to successfully integrating social determinants of health within a palliative care program. Screening tools developed by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) include five areas of social determinants of health: food and housing insecurity, transportation needs, utility difficulties and interpersonal safety. Supplemental domains include financial stability, employment and family and social support, among others.

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Why good palliative care clinicians get fired

04/17/25 at 03:00 AM

Why good palliative care clinicians get fired JAMA Network - Viewpoint; by Abby R. Rosenberg, MD, MS, MA; Elliot Rabinowitz, MD; and Robert M. Arnold; 4/14/25 Even the most seasoned palliative care clinician gets fired. In the past year, one of us was fired after asking whether a patient endorsing suicidal ideation had access to a gun; the patient requested not to see the palliative care team because we asked intrusive questions and documented the encounter. One of us was fired after supporting a family’s decision to discontinue life-sustaining therapies for their loved one with multisystem organ failure; the primary intensivist suggested palliative care overstepped in discussing options for which the family (and clinical teams) was not ready. And one of us was fired after sharing the impression that a patient with cancer was dying; the family suggested they preferred the oncologist’s version of a more hopeful future.

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Defining palliative care quality in murky regulatory waters

04/14/25 at 03:00 AM

Defining palliative care quality in murky regulatory watersPalliative Care News; by Holly Vossel; 4/4/25The wide range of palliative care services available nationwide can present obstacles around consistent quality measurement. Calls are growing louder for a federally established set of standardized palliative guidelines.Notable mentions: Monisha Pujari, Longleaf Hospice & Palliative Care; Yonah Klein, Unity Hospice and Palliative Care; Keith Everett, ProCare Hospice / TruHue consulting.

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Helios Care gets major grant for palliative care program

04/09/25 at 03:00 AM

Helios Care gets major grant for palliative care program ALLOTSEGO, Oneonta, NY; Press Release; 4/3/25 Helios Care has received a grant of $195,000.00 from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to support its Choices Program, officials announced on Friday, February 14. According to a media release, the Choices Program, which supports patients in Delaware, Otsego, and Schoharie counties, was created to bring in-home palliative care services to older adults who are facing a serious illness. ... “Choices has evolved thanks to the longstanding relationship between Helios Care and the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation,” said Kelly McGraw, who played a key role in launching and developing this program at Helios Care. “With this grant, Choices brings in-home person-centered care to patients, addressing their emotional, social, and physical needs.” [Continue reading ...]

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Palliative care in home health: Misconceptions and market opportunities

03/31/25 at 03:00 AM

Palliative care in home health: Misconceptions and market opportunities Home Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 3/28/25 While palliative care remains an uncommon offering among home-based health care providers, forward-thinking providers have recognized a growing market demand and are strategically expanding their service offerings to include palliative care solutions. Expanding service lines to include palliative care can help home-based care providers stand out from their peers, industry insiders told Home Health Care News. However, a significant knowledge gap is slowing the adoption of palliative care within the home health community. Home health care clinicians, patients and caregivers all report insufficient knowledge of palliative care, according to a recent study conducted by Columbia Nursing research and published in the Journal Home Healthcare Now. [Continue reading ...]

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Palliative care clinic offers supportive care for patients with end-stage heart failure

03/27/25 at 03:00 AM

Palliative care clinic offers supportive care for patients with end-stage heart failure Yale School of Medicine; by Rachel Martin; 3/25/25 ... Michael Beasley, MD, [Yale] assistant professor of medicine (cardiovascular medicine), and Nora Segar, MD, [Yale] assistant clinical professor (general internal medicine) and director of palliative medicine at the Saint Raphael Campus of Yale New Haven Hospital, recently established a new outpatient clinic to provide dedicated palliative care for people with end-stage heart failure. ... “For many patients with advanced heart failure, hospice care does not meet their needs until very late in their course,” said Segar, an early champion of the clinic. “Instead, by providing early palliative care outside of the hospital, when it’s not a time of crisis, we can help patients accept and cope with their prognosis, manage their symptoms, and continue making plans for the future.” New patients receive longer appointments, which allows the team to hear their stories and start building relationships with them. [Continue reading ...]Editor's note: For all palliative and hospice leaders, we highlight this last statement: "New patients receive longer appointments, which allows the team to hear their stories and start building relationships with them."

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Bringing palliative care to every patient with cancer: A conversation with Janet L. Abrahm, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, FASCO

03/25/25 at 03:00 AM

Bringing palliative care to every patient with cancer: A conversation with Janet L. Abrahm, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, FASCO The ASCO Post, in partnership with the American Society of Clinical Oncology; by Jo Cavallo; 3/25/25 Janet L. Abrahm, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, FASCO, ... has become a widely recognized leader in the field of supportive care and palliative medicine, serving for nearly a decade on the leadership team of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and helping to craft the first Hospice and Palliative Medicine certifying examination offered by the American Board of Internal Medicine. ... In a wide-ranging interview with The ASCO Post, Dr. Abrahm discussed the importance of providing every patient with cancer access to palliative medicine throughout survivorship, how oncologists can become more effective communicators, and strategies to alleviate patients’ suffering at the end of life.

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Community health workers and technology interventions' impact on palliative support globally: A Scoping Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

03/24/25 at 03:00 AM

Community health workers and technology interventions' impact on palliative support globally Journal of Palliative Medicine; by Alekhya Gunturi, Margarita Pertierra, Irma Elizabeth Huayanay Espinoza, Maya Kavita Ramachandran, Mpho Ratshikana Moloko, Karl A Lorenz; 3/20/25Background: Palliative care has the potential to relieve burdened global health systems but is in short supply in many low-resource settings. Community health workers (CHWs) and digital health tools/telephonic support have the potential to scale scarce palliative care resources and improve outcomes for seriously ill adults in home/community settings.  Conclusions: CHWs and digital health/telephony can improve quality of life, health care use, and caregiver support. Most research focuses on physical and psychological aspects of care instead of cultural aspects of care. Future research is needed to explore culturally tailored interventions in minority populations and low- and middle-income countries, as well as investigate emerging remote technologies to allow for scaling palliative care into home/community settings.Editor's note: Pair this with Hospice community responds to proposed DEA telehealth prescribing rule, posted 3/21/25.

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Global Partners in Care, Elea Institute partner to improve palliative care access worldwide

03/24/25 at 03:00 AM

Global Partners in Care, Elea Institute partner to improve palliative care access worldwide Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 3/21/25 Global Partners in Care (GPIC) and Elea Institute have formed a partnership designed to extend access to palliative care services worldwide. The two organizations are currently working to convene teams of experts to meet in Dublin, Ireland, later this year. These experts will design a tangible framework for addressing barriers to palliative care access globally, including increasing awareness, workforce development, identifying policy and research gaps and preparing future leaders, according to John Mastrojohn III, CEO and president of Global Partners in Care. 

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Dr. Sean O’Mahony aims to expand UTMB’s Division of Palliative Care

03/20/25 at 03:00 AM

Dr. Sean O’Mahony aims to expand UTMB’s Division of Palliative Care UTMB Health - The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston;  3/18/25 Palliative care should be more accessible, bridge gaps in health care environment. ... Dr. Sean O’Mahony, director of the Palliative Medicine division, came to UTMB in June, having served as professor and Director of Supportive Oncology and Section Chief at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and in key roles at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. ... O’Mahony said, “I was attracted to UTMB’s commitment to underserved patients, its prison health population, and its large population of underinsured patients. I’m also interested in the opportunity to develop palliative medicine from the ground up in the mainland hospitals.” ... 

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2010 to 2019 saw early palliative care billing up for advanced cancer

03/18/25 at 03:00 AM

2010 to 2019 saw early palliative care billing up for advanced cancer HealthDay News; by Elana Gotkine; 3/17/25 For patients with distant-stage cancers, there was an increase in early palliative care (PC) billing from 2010 to 2019, but the level remained low, according to a study published online March 7 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. ... The researchers found that in 2010 to 2019, there was an increase in the percentage with early PC billing among 102,032 patients treated by 18,908 unique physicians, from 1.44 to 10.36 percent. The likelihood of early PC billing was increased in association with treating physician's early PC referrals in the previous year and organizations' employment of any HPM specialist (3.01 and 4.54 percentage points, respectively). 

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The roots of palliative care: Michael Kearney, Sue Britton, and Justin Sanders

03/18/25 at 02:00 AM

The roots of palliative care: Michael Kearney, Sue Britton, and Justin SandersGeriPal - A Geriatrics and Palliative Care Podcast for Every Healthcare Professional; by Alex Smith; 3/13/25 ... As far as we’ve come in the 50 years since Balfour Mount and Sue Britton opened the first palliative care at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Quebec, have we lost something along the way? In today’s podcast we welcome some of the early pioneers in palliative care to talk about the roots of palliative care.  Sue Britton was the first nurse hired on that palliative care unit. Michael Kearney on a transformational meeting in Cicely Saunders’s office, with Balfour Mount at her side and a glass of sherry.  Justin Sanders wants to be sure the newer generations of palliative care clinicians understand the early principles and problems that animated the founders of hospice and palliative care, including:

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Northern Light Palliative Care helps patients live their best lives

03/14/25 at 03:00 AM

Northern Light Palliative Care helps patients live their best lives The Piscataquis Observer - The Voice of Rural Maine; by Stuart Maine; 3/13/25 People who have received a chronic, life-altering or life-limiting diagnosis can live their best life with the help of Northern Light Palliative Care, and there have been recent changes in the delivery of palliative care.  ... Northern Light Health Palliative Care Service Line Medical Director Dr. Vanessa Little, DO, FAAHPM [described,] ... “We’ve had nurse practitioners who visited people in the home exclusively and now we’re moving to expand the program to a clinic setting and the in-home model is going to be changing a bit." ... Patients can still receive home care “but we’re trying to have palliative care be available to more people,” she said. “We are going to be relying on technology to get the providers, nurse practitioners, and physicians in homes via technology and then have people in person through Northern Light Homecare & Hospice with nursing, critical therapy, and occupational therapy just as we always have.”

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Enloe Health to transition Palliative Care Program to new cancer center

03/10/25 at 03:00 AM

Enloe Health to transition Palliative Care Program to new cancer center Action News Now, Chico, CA; by Matt Wreden; 3/7/25 Enloe Health is transitioning its Palliative Care Program to function under its soon-to-open cancer center. This shift means that Enloe Health will be phasing out its in-home palliative care services, a decision that has raised concerns within the local community. ... Enloe Health explained that this move is in line with the upcoming Symptom Management Clinic set to open as part of the new Cancer Center. Editor's note: Does this limit their palliative care services to only those with cancer? What about palliative care needs for persons with advanced heart disease? Strokes? Neurological diseases like ALS or Parkinson's? Advanced dementia?

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Can default palliative care referrals increase consults?

03/05/25 at 03:00 AM

Can default palliative care referrals increase consults? Medscape; edited by Gargi Mukherjee; 3/4/25 A default palliative care referral intervention increased palliative care consultations by more than fivefold and decreased end-of-life systemic therapy by more than half among patients with advanced cancer being treated in the community oncology setting. ...

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World Hospice and Palliative Care Day Theme 2025

03/03/25 at 03:00 AM

World Hospice and Palliative Care Day Theme 2025 ehospice; by the Worldwide Hospice and Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA) team; 2/18/25 Every year the second Saturday of October marks World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD). This year WHPCD will be on Saturday 11 October 2025. Each year the WHPCD campaign has a theme that is carefully thought through and selected by the Worldwide Hospice and Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA) team.  The theme for 2025 is Achieving the Promise: Universal Access to Palliative Care.... More than 60 million people both adults and children need palliative care services every year with over 80% living in low-middle-income countries (LMIC’s) countries. WHPCA has estimated that over half of the need for palliative care is being met in high-income countries while only 4% of the bigger need is met in LMICs, a continuing and shocking disparity.Editor's note: What can you do to help "Achieve the Promise" in your corner of our world? Click here for more information from ehospice/WHPCA.

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Palliative care advocates at the World Health Organization Executive Board Meeting

02/28/25 at 03:00 AM

Palliative care advocates at the World Health Organization executive board meeting ehospice; by Stephen Connor, Executive Director WHPCA; 2/19/25 The World Health Organization (WHO) is in turmoil with the planned withdrawal of funding and membership from the USA. About 20% of the WHO budget is from the US and withdrawal of all USAID funding is causing serious problems worldwide. Many member states are increasing their dues to WHO to help offset this loss, but these are difficult times for public health. These issues were front and center at the meeting of the WHO Executive Board 3-11 February.

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WesleyLife at Home expands services with palliative program

02/27/25 at 03:00 AM

WesleyLife at Home expands services with palliative program Hospice News; by Kristin Easterling; 2/26/25 Des Moines, Iowa-based WesleyLife at Home has launched the area’s first home-based palliative care program. The organization is the fourth-largest home health provider in the state, according to Aaron Wheeler, vice president of home and community-based services. While analyzing their home health census, the organization identified a significant number of patients with chronic medical conditions who required an additional level of care.

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Palliative care’s most disruptive forces in 2025

02/27/25 at 03:00 AM

Palliative care’s most disruptive forces in 2025 Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 2/25/25 Palliative care providers are taking varied routes to address the most disruptive forces they are encountering this year, rising to challenges that have been persistent across the sector. Mounting workforce pressures mark the most significant of concerns for palliative care providers, according to Dr. Martha Twaddle, The Waud Family Medical Directorship’s palliative medicine and supportive care clinical professor of medicine at Northwestern Medicine. The nation lacks a sufficient supply of palliative care professionals amid a swelling population of seriously ill patients, driving up demand. Current reimbursement streams are challenging the staffing issues even further, Twaddle stated. ... Workforce shortages and lack of sustainable reimbursement are indeed the largest obstacles to palliative care growth, according to Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) CEO Brynn Bowman.

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Innovations in serious illness care with Bree Owens

02/20/25 at 03:00 AM

Innovations in serious illness care with Bree Owens Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast by Chris Comeaux; 2/19/25 In this episode of TCNtalks, host Chris Comeaux interviews Bree Owens, a licensed clinical social worker and co-founder of The Holding Group.  They discuss Bree’s journey in the healthcare field, particularly in Palliative Care. Bree shares insights on learning the importance of meaningful conversations with patients and their families about care options, which led her to the unique model of The Holding Group.  Her organization has created space, hence the name The Holding Group, for a patient-centered approach, helping patients and their families find the right care at the right place and at the right time.  Bree emphasizes the significance of informed consent and the role of social workers in facilitating these discussions to enhance patient outcomes and satisfaction.

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The intersection of medicine and humanity in palliative care

02/20/25 at 02:00 AM

The intersection of medicine and humanity in palliative care Michigan Technology News; Guest Column; 2/19/25 Palliative care stands as a testament to the intricate balance between medical science and human compassion. ...  The human side of palliative care is as vital as its clinical aspect. Patients in palliative care are not just medical cases; they are individuals with personal histories, emotions, and relationships that require acknowledgment and respect. ... This approach necessitates a deep level of empathy and an understanding that every patient’s journey is unique. ...

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Navigating palliative care models in ACO partnerships

02/18/25 at 03:00 AM

Navigating palliative care models in ACO partnerships Hospice News; by Markisan Naso; 2/14/25 Partnerships between health care providers and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) can help to create effective, value-based palliative care models for patients, but navigating the development of those relationships requires communication and a true commitment to collaboration. ... “ACOs are looking for high-quality care that reduces avoidable crises, and specialty palliative care has been proven to do just that,” Allison Silvers, chief of health care transformation at the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), told Palliative Care News. ... 

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Non-profit news: Sullivans commit $1.6M to support palliative care

02/13/25 at 03:00 AM

Non-profit news: Sullivans commit $1.6M to support palliative care The Swellesley Report, Wellesley, MA; by Bob Brown; 2/11/25 Steve and Rebecca Sullivan of Wellesley have made a $1.6 million commitment to support palliative care at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. This adds to their $1.5M gift in 2021 to endow the chief of palliative care position.

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