Literature Review

Partnership grows to help more clinicians of color find community in Vermont Vermont Business Magazine - Vermont Biz (VB), South Burlington, VT; by Tim, The University of Vermont Medical Center; 2/18/25 A growing partnership between University of Vermont Medical Center and the Vermont Professionals of Color Network (VT PoC) aims to help people of color adjust to life in Vermont and build the personal and professional relationships community leaders say are crucial to both individual wellbeing and keeping residency students in the state after they complete their clinical training. “During my 20 plus years here, I have heard from so many black and brown people about how difficult it can be to adjust to life in Vermont – and this goes for medical residents too,” said Tino Rutanhira, co-founder and co-executive director of VT PoC. "... Without support, many of these professionals decide to leave Vermont at a time when our state desperately needs young, skilled and diverse people to help it grow.” Editor's note: Parteners listed include The University of Vermont Health Network - Home Health & Hospice.

Hospice finance 101 and the gift of mortalityPost Independent; by Peter Schoomaker, Homecare & Hospice of the Valley CFO; 2/19/25... [Practical information about hospice expenses, like labor and mileage reimbursement with. "For our agency, we estimate our clinicians will drive more than 250,000 miles in 2025, slightly more than the distance from the Earth to the Moon."] And now a more personal note … I am grateful for the last seven years of my career working in hospice care. Most importantly, I am grateful for the opportunity to integrate into the clinical experience of hospice. When I shadow an admission visit or attend the hospice interdisciplinary meeting, I am reminded that hospice is a world of YET (You’re Eligible Too). The only thing that separates me, and our hospice patients, is time. My relative physical strength will eventually shrink. My mental faculties will fade. And there is a large possibility, at some point in my life, that I will depend almost entirely on others to help with most activities of daily living. This is true for all of us. ... ... Recognizing this truth opens a path to humility. A path to step away from the ego, even for a moment, and really let go. ... When I reflect on this, I realize what a gift our mortality is. To know that our choices matter because we never know much time we have left. A sincere thank you to all our hospice, homecare and private duty clinicians — and our administrative teams that support them. It is genuinely noble work.Editor's note: "A sincere thank you" to Peter Schoomaker, Homecare & Hospice of the Valley CFO

ViVE 2025: Improving clinical workflows amid workforce shortages HealthTech; by Teta Alim; 2/18/25 As the U.S. braces for a dearth of physicians and nurses, healthcare organizations are transforming processes to attract and retain talent. By 2034, experts have projected, there will be a shortage of between 17,800 to 48,000 primary care physicians. For full-time registered nurses, 2030 projections are even steeper. Healthcare organizations are well aware of these forecasts and have been testing and deploying solutions to improve employee satisfaction and retention and attract new talent. At ViVE 2025 in Nashville, Tenn., industry leaders discussed how improvements supported by artificial intelligence (AI) are offering promising results for streamlining workflows. [Click on the title's link to read this discussion.]

Tech resilience for healthcare providers: Inaction has a heavy toll McKinsey & Company; by Brian Shimabukuro and Sriram Sekar with Angela Botner and Rut Patel; 2/18/25 Cyberattacks and tech outages at provider organizations have reached an all-time high. To stem the tide, providers need strong plans to prevent, detect, and recover from attacks and disruptions. The outages that result from these attacks can have severe, long-lasting effects on health systems and patients. Globally, healthcare provider organizations incur the highest cost for data breaches of any industry, averaging $9.8 million per incident ... Tech resilience encompasses capabilities to monitor, prevent, detect, and recover from disruptions. ... [Click on the title's link for detailed challenges and strategies.]

Harbor Foundation expands mission with support for Southeast Texas students The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; by Barbara Davis; 2/18/25 Hope from heartache: For nearly two decades, the Harbor Foundation has been operating as a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for individuals in hospice care, as well as the patients’ families. ... In 2024, the foundation’s efforts grew to include educational support, awarding $20,000 in scholarships to area seniors. As a result of donations and fundraising success, the Harbor Foundation reported that it will award 25 $1,000 scholarships to Southeast Texas seniors this year. This one-time $1,000 award is granted to graduating high school seniors who have lost a parent. Recognizing the financial challenges that accompany such a loss, the foundation aims to alleviate some of the burdens associated with pursuing higher education. ...Editor's note: These significant "one-time" awards for high school seniors who have lost a parent can provide life-changing opportunities of support at a most critical time for these teens. Consider how your hospice--or another nonprofit--might replicate this innovative, meaningful program.

Witnessing a living funeral Parkview Health; by Tim O'Sullivan, MA, Spiritual and Social Services Supervisor, Parkview Hospice; 2/16/25 ... Rather than planning services after they pass and miss out on a gathering of the people who are most precious to them, some are choosing to schedule a "funeral" while they are still living so they can be a part of the ceremony. These events are known as Living Funerals. As a hospice caregiver, I have seen a rise in the number of these pre-death celebrations of life. While this may not be for everyone, it can be a meaningful experience for those who have chosen to remember a life in this way. I was invited to one of these events and witnessed firsthand the power of acknowledging death while fully living in the moment. ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

Valley Hospice House to open Feb. 25, expanding hospice care in the region Bladen Online, Fayetteville, NC; contributed by Cape Fear Valley Health; 2/14/25 Cape Fear Valley Health is proud to announce the official opening of Valley Hospice House, a new, dedicated facility for hospice care, located at 2431 Legion Road. The facility will begin accepting patients on Tuesday, Feb. 25, providing specialized General Inpatient (GIP) Hospice Care and Respite Care in a compassionate, home-like setting. “The opening of Valley Hospice House marks a significant step forward in enhancing hospice services for our community,” said Susan Dees, Chief Nursing Executive. 

St. Croix Hospice opens new location in La Crosse News 8 Now, La Crosse, WI; by Corey Peters; 2/12/25 St. Croix Hospice held a ribbon cutting for their new location in La Crosse on Wednesday. St. Croix Hospice originated back in 2009 in Oakdale, Minnesota, and have now expanded to 18 locations around Wisconsin. St. Croix Hospice held a ribbon cutting for their new location in La Crosse on Wednesday. St. Croix Hospice originated back in 2009 in Oakdale, Minnesota, and have now expanded to 18 locations around Wisconsin.

BrightStar, Compassus, Empath harness clinical, data and product power Home Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 2/10/25 Clinical power, data power and product power offer three ways of examining some of the top priorities for home-based care companies in 2025. Compassus, BrightStar Care and Empath Health all have a range of initiatives and achievements that are relevant to these areas, which leaders with the three organizations delved into during a panel discussion at the recent Home Care 100 conference. ...

Bringing children home: Kentucky Children’s Hospital’s approach to pediatric end-of-life care American Hospital Association; 2/8/25 When parents have a child with a serious illness, all they want is for their child to get well. If that no longer becomes a possibility, often all they want is to bring their child home. Most — around 70% — of pediatric deaths related to illness occur in the hospital, but the Kentucky Children’s Health Pediatric Advanced Care Team offers some families the chance to transport their child home using life-sustaining technology. That’s not an easy feat; these patients are medically fragile, and the outcome can be unpredictable. A team made up of hospital administrators, hospice providers, coroner and the transportation team comes up with a plan. The child’s parents complete an informed consent procedure, recognizing that their child may not survive the journey home. The transportation team tries to ensure that the journey is as comfortable as possible, as well as planning what to do if the child’s condition deteriorates on the journey. If that happens, he or she will be supported as they pass without resuscitation efforts.

'We’re seeing these struggles.' Rainbow works to support end-of-life caregivers Daily Jefferson County Union, Jefferson, WI; by Hannah Brock; 2/10/25 Rainbow Community Care is facing a growing need in Dodge and Jefferson counties: the overwhelming burden placed on caregivers, both family members and healthcare workers, as they navigate end-of-life care. “There’s this need in the community to support caregivers, where whoever they are,” said Carol Brown, president and CEO of Rainbow Community Care. The backbone of the healthcare system isn’t just hospitals or insurance plans—it’s the unpaid, often invisible labor of family caregivers. ... The newest initiative, the respite care program, is being designed to give caregivers much-needed breaks. Many family caregivers go months—or even years—without a full night’s rest, a doctor’s visit for themselves, or even an afternoon off, according to Rainbow Community Care. To help address this, Rainbow Community Care secured the necessary funding for the program. 

How can we cultivate happiness in medicine? The Hospitalist; by Nikhil Sood, MD and Marjorie Bessel, MD; 2/3/25 Burnout has led to early physician retirements and clinicians leaving the profession, resulting in an unprecedented physician shortage and access challenges. This jeopardizes our ability to meet the community’s needs and fulfill our mission of making healthcare more accessible to improve quality of life. The question is, how can we, as a healthcare system, tackle this issue head-on? ... The CHIM strategy is a comprehensive, evidence-based approach, driven by clinicians, that supports wellness from an individual and organizational perspective. ... The six dimensions of the strategy include the following:

4 critical mistakes to avoid during your workday project Becker's Hospital Review; In collaboration with Healthcare IT Leaders; 2/3/25 The success of a Workday implementation doesn’t just hinge on technology but on people. According to recent research, up to 80% of digital transformation initiatives fail. ... For organizations looking to avoid these pitfalls, here are four critical staffing mistakes to avoid as outlined in our Workday Resource Planning & Staffing Guide: