Literature Review

Garnet Health shutters palliative care program Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/25/24 New York state-based Garnet Health has announced a restructuring plan that spells the demise of its inpatient palliative care services. The plan includes layoffs of about 1% of the health system’s workforce, numbering 26 employees. This is estimated to save Garnett $4.6 million in salaries and benefits. “[Garnet] continues to be challenged with significant labor expenses, inflation on supplies and equipment, and low payor reimbursement rates,” the health system indicated in a statement. The restructuring is the result of financial headwinds, including decreased demand. Patient volumes are gradually increasing, but not yet to pre-pandemic levels, the company stated in an announcement.

Center for Hospice Care launches ‘Kaleidoscope’ Palliative Care Program Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/17/24 The Indiana-based Center for Hospice Care (CHC) has unveiled a new palliative care program, branded as Kaleidoscope. Kaleidoscope is designed to provide patients with interdisciplinary palliative care in the home setting. Their care model includes services from nurse practitioners, palliative care nurses, community health workers, spiritual care providers and volunteers. The nonprofit also provides palliative care in a clinic setting at its Center for Palliative Care. “Kaleidoscope is a community-based palliative care program where we’re seeing patients in the privacy of their own home,” CHC Medical Director Karissa Misner told local news. “We also still have palliative care in a clinic setting. Now we’re able to offer two different entities for people that still want to go out to a doctor’s appointment.”

Providence Hospice-Community Healthcare of Texas and Ascension Providence Hospital collaborate to enhance inpatient hospice care Community Healthcare of Texas; 5/28/24 Providence Hospice-Community Healthcare of Texas, the state’s largest not-for-profit hospice and palliative care provider since 1996, has partnered with Ascension Providence Hospital in Waco to provide inpatient hospice care for qualified patients. The new designated hospice wing will open on June 1 and feature five private rooms located on the fourth floor of Ascension Providence Hospital.

Transformative peer connections: Early experiences from the ASCO Palliative Care Community of Practice American Society of Clinical Oncology; by Mazie Tsang, Cristiane Bergerot, Natasha Dhawan, Rushil Patel, Darcy Burbage, Tingting Zhang, Jafar Al-Mondhiry, Joseph McCollom, Ramy Sedhom; 5/22/24 online ahead of print in June 2024  ... there are barriers to implementing palliative oncology at many institutions for myriad reasons. ... In this article, we discuss an innovative strategy that ASCO implemented called the Communities of Practice (CoP). We share our experiences as the Palliative Care CoP and how our group seeks to develop processes and structures to collectively promote systemic change and enhance palliative care delivery for people with cancer. Our Palliative Care CoP engages with senior leaders, administrators, and those in power to achieve a shared vision of delivering holistic health care for people with serious illness. ... [We address] eight main domains:

Big Bend Hospice, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Plan to Build Value-Based Network, Offer Palliative CareHospice News; by Jim Parker; 5/14/24A new collaboration for transitional care between Florida-based Big Bend Hospice (BBH) and the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) system has more going on behind the scenes. Big Bend, a nonprofit provider, in 2021 formed a new parent company called Seven Oaks Health. TMH has entered into an affiliation agreement with Seven Oaks Health, as the new organization works over the next five years to build a larger value-based network to provide transitional and palliative care, social determinants support, as well as care navigation and other services. Looking to the future, the organizations’ plans to engage in value-based care could manifest through participation in the Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access and Community Health (ACO REACH) model.

UPMC lays off 1,000 employees, citing market challengesModern Healthcare, by Caroline Hudson; 4/24/24UPMC is laying off about 1,000 employees, or slightly more than 1% of its workforce. The layoffs are effective immediately, a spokesperson said Wednesday. The cuts mostly affect non-clinical, non-member-facing and administrative employees, Paul Wood, chief communications officer at UPMC, said in a statement. ... Pittsburgh-based UPMC operates 40 hospitals and 800 doctor's offices and outpatient sites in Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and some international locations. Its insurance division covers more than 4 million members. The nonprofit health system reported a $31 million net loss in 2023, compared with a more than $1 billion loss the prior year. Operating losses for 2023 totaled $198 million.

McLeod Health will build $45 million hospital in Cheraw The Post and Courier Pee Dee, Florence, SC; by Chris Day; 4/10/24 McLeod Health will build a $45 million hospital in Cheraw, replacing the current building that was constructed in 1980. ... McLeod Health operates seven hospitals to serve residents in northeastern South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit organization has 988 licensed beds, including hospice and behavorial health care. 

Michael Dowling: 9 healthcare nuances that defy simple criticismsBecker's Hospital Review; by Michael J. Dowling; 3/28/24Those who work in healthcare should be proud of the distinct role we play in our communities and society. ... Beyond all the numbers and details, it is important to understand that healthcare is deeply human and personal. We are all potential patients — many of us have already been. ... [Click on the article's title for Dowling's 9 differences and distinctions for nonprofit healthcare.]

7 Nonprofit hospices form Integrity Care Partners palliative care ventureHospice News, by Jim Parker; 3/22/24A group of seven nonprofit hospices has launched a palliative care organization branded as Integrity Care Partners. The founding organizations are each members of the Texas Nonprofit Hospice Alliance, a regional collaborative of which Integrity Care Partners is an extension. The partnerships’ seven initial members include Community Healthcare of Texas, Hospice Austin, Home Hospice of Grayson County, the Hospice of East Texas, Hospice of El Paso, Hospice in the Pines and Hospice of Wichita Falls.Notable mentions: Kirsti Krejs, Texas Nonprofit Hospice Alliance; Viki Jingle, Community Healthcare of Texas.

Sierra Community Palliative Care receives generous seed funding grant from Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital YubaNet.com, by Hospice of the Foothills; 2/27/24 In a significant affirmation of its commitment to compassionate care, Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial, through Common Spirit Community Health, awards Hospice of the Foothills’ Sierra Community Palliative Care a $94,000 seed funding grant. Sierra Community Palliative Care led by Hospice of the Foothills is a collaborative program that includes primary healthcare providers, healthcare clinics, and the local hospital to bring comprehensive palliative services to Nevada County [CA]. 

Care Guide Partners PACE Center secures $500,000 grantThe News-Enterprise; 2/14/24Care Guide Partners, an affiliate of Hosparus Health, recently was awarded a $500,000 lead grant from the Legacy Foundation of Kentuckiana. This contribution supports the launch of the Care Guide Partners PACE Center, at 109 Buffalo Creek Drive in Elizabethtown. Scheduled to open next quarter, the PACE Center will increase accessibility to comprehensive health care services for seniors in and around the region, a news release from the organization said.

Marshfield Clinic closing Wisconsin hospice centerBecker's Hospital CFO Report, by Madeline Ashley; 1/24/24Phillips, Wis.-based Marshfield Medical Center Park Falls Home Health and Hospice facility, part of Marshfield (Wis.) Clinic, is closing at the end of February due to limited resources. Marshfield Clinic is working with other providers who offer home health and hospice services to provide continued care to patients.