Literature Review

What’s next for COOs? Becker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 3/26/25 The health system C-suite continues to evolve, as organizations streamline leadership by eliminating or combining roles, and by restructuring leadership teams amid industry headwinds. Against this backdrop, the COO role is also changing, with leaders taking on more strategic responsibilities while continuing to oversee day-to-day operations across their systems. In conversations with Becker’s, Eric Stevens, COO of Roseville, Calif.-based Adventist Health, and Rick Majzun, president and COO of Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, discussed how they are balancing this growing scope and where the COO role fits in the modern C-suite. [Continue reading ...] 

The blind side of leadership: Toxic positivity in workplace culture Forbes; by Tracy Lawrence; 3/26/25 A surprising number of leaders are unaware of toxic positivity, even as they unwittingly cultivate it. It’s understandable, but toxic positivity isn't just a cultural nuisance – it's a serious strategic liability. When organizations prioritize "feeling good" over honest communication, they lose the ability to address emerging problems, identify market shifts, and leverage their teams' full capabilities. In my experience coaching executives across industries, I've observed that the most successful organizations aren't those with the fewest problems – they're the ones where issues can be safely identified and addressed before they become crises. [Continue reading ...]

Four security updates to get ahead of proposed 2025 HIPAA Amendment Cisco Duo; by Katherine Yang; 3/31/25 Published in early January, the 2025 HIPAA Security Amendments are set to significantly enhance the protection of ePHI. The proposed changes are based off the US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) goals of both addressing changes in the health care environment and clarifying what compliance obligations look like for regulated entities. Organizations have 180 days to reach compliance according to stricter standards of identity cybersecurity if the proposed updates pass. In order to be prepared, here are four things your organization or managed security service provider should focus on:  

10 top health system workplaces, per USA TodayBecker's Hospital Review; by Giles Bruce; 3/21/25Ten health systems were named top workplaces March 21 by USA Today and human resources technology company Energage. The Top Workplaces USA 2025 list was determined using Energage’s confidential employee engagement surveys and participating company benchmarks that take into account years of workplace culture research.Here are the health systems that ranked in the top 100 among organizations with 2,500-plus employees:

AGG, New Day’s Bill Dombi: Hospices’ ‘vibrant evolutionary path’ spurs legal growing pains  Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 3/26/25 Today’s hospice landscape is reaching a pivotal point of evolutionary growth that has come with increased oversight as regulators seek to curb fraudulent activity in the space, according to Bill Dombi, senior counsel for the law firm Arnall Golden Gregory (AGG). ... He previously served as president of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) for 38 years prior to its affiliation with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in 2023 and was heavily involved in the establishment of the Medicare Hospice Benefit. ... [Dombi:] "... Hospice has been a very vibrant part of the health care world for quite a while now, but I think its energy levels are at an all-time high right now. And that’s energy levels in terms of not just public awareness and utilization of the services, but also the gained respect of recognizing that hospice is not a cottage industry anymore. Some people might label it as growing pains. I call it more of an evolution that naturally seems to occur in any field and in any organization."  [Continue reading ...]

Hospice Care and Community Center, Cleveland: First look Healthcare Design; by Tracey Walker; 3/24/25 Hospice of the Western Reserve (Cleveland), a provider of end-of-life palliative care, caregiver support, and bereavement services, chose a lakefront setting for its new Hospice Care and Community Center. Scheduled to open in 2025, the center will provide critical services, create a more efficient care environment, and support the evolving healthcare needs of Northern Ohio. Designed by architecture and interior design firm E4H Environments for Health Architecture (Williston Vt.), the facility will replace the existing Hospice House on the adjacent property, which has served the community for nearly 30 years. [Continue reading for "Interior design strategies" ...]

Hospice House plans to add a new home near Covington Nola.com, New Orleans, LA; by Jessica Saggio; 3/24/25 Mardi Gras may be over, but the Hospice Foundation of the South is rolling. The organization, known for its compassionate end-of-life care, has acquired a piece of land near Convington for a second Hospice House. Plans to fund its construction are underway with a new capital campaign. The effort, once stalled because of a difficult housing market, is back in action after a lot on Lee Road north of Covington was purchased with the help of an anonymous donor. ... Currently, there is one Hospice House in the parish, located near Slidell. The home, which is an oasis for those in their final days of life, provides care to patients free of charge. The only issue is the supply is not nearly big enough for the demand. 

Digital Transformation 101: A handy primerHealthcare IT News; by Bill Siwicki; 3/21/25 Robert Slepin, chief digital officer at SE Health and an emeritus CIO adviser at Epic, describes the key aspects of digital transformation that provider organizations need to understand, primary technologies involved and how to best organize the effort. Healthcare IT News sat down with him to discuss aspects of digital transformation efforts that provider organizations don't quite have a firm grasp on to begin with, the primary technologies involved in digital transformation, how to organize such a comprehensive effort as digital transformation, and his transformation effort at SE Health. [Continue reading ...]

How a Lewiston health care nonprofit diversified to sustain services Mainebiz; by Laurie Schreiber; 3/20/25 Ken Albert leads Lewiston-based Andwell Health Partners, an independent, nonprofit home- and community-based health care organization. The former Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice, founded in 1966, focused on home health care and hospice in Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin counties. Rebranded in 2024 to reflect its expansion in recent years, Andwell now has locations throughout Maine, with additional service lines including in-home hospice care, Maine’s first inpatient hospice facility, the Maine Center for Palliative Medicine, community and behavioral health, mobile wound care, in-home care giving, private-duty nursing, therapy care, ad maternal and child health. This week, it opened Andwell Audiology in Lewiston. 

If you’re known for these 5 habits, your leadership skills are off the charts Inc.; by Marcel Schwantes; 3/19/25 In an era of constant disruption, every leader should aspire to have these skills and habits. Business is more unpredictable than ever, and it’s hitting leaders hard. More than half (57 percent) of executives say their companies faced serious disruption last year—way up from the year before. Employees are also checking out—engagement is at a 10-year low. The old way of leading, where authority and expertise ruled, isn’t cutting it anymore. The best leaders today aren’t just the smartest or most experienced—they’re the ones who know how to build trust, bring people together, and lead with confidence and compassion. ... Five power skills of essential leadership: ...

Health care system adaptation and resilience during the wildfire crisisJAMA Network; by Attila J. Hertelendy, PhD, Jeremy Maggin, MD, MS, and Gregory Ciottone, MD; 3/19/25 ... Within a span of hours, the Palisades and Eaton fires, propelled by record-breaking Santa Ana winds reaching 150 miles per hour, consumed more than 37,000 acres, destroyed more than 16,000 structures, and claimed 29 lives. All told, greater than 186,000 residents were placed under evacuation orders. ... The experience in Los Angeles County demonstrates the value of maintaining dual-purpose resources: facilities and personnel who can transition between routine operations and emergency response functions. This approach is exemplified by Kaiser Permanente’s successful deployment of mobile health vehicles and the use of clinically trained administrative leaders in direct patient care roles during crisis events. Key elements of successful resource mobilization include:

AI scribes: Can technology do more than free doctors from data entry? Penn LDI - Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; by Hoag Levins; 3/17/25 Since the widespread adoption of electronic health record (EHR) systems in the 1990s, the health care industry has been on a relentless quest to digitally optimize the doctor-patient interaction. Today, many predict this pursuit will be dramatically changed by the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into nearly all aspects of EHR systems, transforming patient care and clinical workflows in ever more revolutionary ways. AI-powered EHRs are now theoretically capable of automating administrative tasks, providing real-time clinical insights, personalizing treatment plans, and allowing health care providers to focus more on patient care and less on data entry.

Certified nurses at Mount Sinai: Representing a commitment to excellence and to their profession Mount Sinai Today - Featrued, Nursing; 3/18/25 Nursing Certification is an important, independent validation of specialized nursing knowledge and expertise that meet or exceed professional standards. In fact, empirical evidence shows an association between nursing certification and better patient outcomes, ... Across the Mount Sinai Health System, an impressive near 50 percent of nurses have earned board certification in their chosen specialties. Their patients, families, colleagues, and teams are the direct beneficiaries of nursing expertise that is recognized as meeting or exceeding the highest professional standards. ... [From Carla Alves-Miraldo, MS, MSN-Ed, RN, CHPN, KP6,] "Becoming a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse is a reflection of my commitment to ensuring every patient receives comfort, dignity, and compassionate care during life’s most challenging moments. This certification is more than a title—it represents my dedication to guiding patients and families with expertise, empathy, and unwavering support."