Literature Review

Our Hospice to add new personal care services 1010WCSI.com, Columbus, IN; 2/26/25 Our Hospice of South Central Indiana is announcing a new service to assist those in need and to help them remain in their homes as long as possible. The personal care service is meant to help provide care that can help clients remain independent. Personal care services can include daily living needs such as bathing and grooming, dressing and toileting, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping and laundry and transportation to appointments. ... The program will be in addition to existing hospice and palliative care programs provided by the non profit group. ... Our Hospice of South Central Indiana, based in Columbus, serves clients and their families in 22 counties. There are also offices in Greensburg and North Vernon.

Why being trustworthy is a leadership hack that drives success Inc.; by Yufie Ren; 2/20/25 Leaders who cultivate trust can significantly reduce employee churn and improve organizational performance. ... In an era of rapid change, when teams look to leaders for stability and direction, trust is the invisible currency that fuels organizational success. ... Fortunately for managers – and workers – there’s a lot of research into how to be a more trustworthy leader. Here are a few insights:

Empowering employees to drive CX [Customer eXperience] innovation: A comprehensive path to successCustomerland; by Ricardo Saltz Gulko; 2/24/25 ... While it is widely recognized that employees play a crucial role in shaping customer experience (CX), their impact on innovation is often less clear. However, employees are the bedrock of innovation within any organization. They bring diverse perspectives, skills, and creativity that fuel the development of new products, services, and processes. This article delves into the significant ways employees influence innovation, providing a comprehensive analysis supported by ten key points. ...

Hospice caregiver spends days with family during Arkansas winter storm NBC News KARK - Maumelle, AR; by Neal Zeringue; 2/20/25 In icy conditions, many would not risk going up and down the steepest hills, but in-home care workers have. One in Maumelle even stayed away from home for days to be with a family on top of a dangerous hill. ... [Nelda] Michael’s husband has dementia and has had in-home care for 15 months. He needs constant attention. Because of the ice, nurses with Arkansas Hospice could not see him Wednesday, but on Thursday they were determined to give him care. However, Morgan Bartley and Michelle Kelley’s cars slid down the hill on one side of the road the Michaels live on top of. KARK 4 News found them stuck and helped them up from the other end of the road. “We were prepared to park our vehicles at the bottom and hike a mile up. Anything to get to him and to her,” Bartley said. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

What is death positivity? Phaneuf Funeral Homes & Crematorium, New Hampshire & Vermont; by Phaneuf; 2/19/25 Death positivity is a growing movement that challenges the long-held taboos surrounding death. Rather than shying away from the subject, death positivity encourages individuals and communities to discuss mortality openly. It’s about accepting death as a natural part of life, reducing the fear and stigma often associated with it, and using that acceptance as a foundation for better end-of-life planning and living more fully. Historically, many cultures—including those in the New England region—often treated death as a private, somber affair. Today, however, a new narrative is emerging: one that celebrates the life lived, honors the memories left behind, and helps families make informed, compassionate decisions about the future.

3 bold and disruptive strategies to retain top-performing leaders Forbes; by Dr. Cheryl Robinson; 2/19/25 ... The Global Leadership Forecast 2025 by DDI reveals a concerning trend: leaders are burning out at unprecedented rates. With 40% of leaders contemplating resignation due to burnout, top talent is either stepping down or disengaging, leaving organizations vulnerable to performance decline and talent gaps. The stakes are high. ...

Ascension recoups $1B in advance payments Becker's Hospital CFO Report; by Alan Condon; 2/19/25 St. Louis-based Ascension has recouped about $1 billion in advance payments from Medicare and certain commercial payers related to disruptions from the May ransomware attack that affected the health system as well as the February 2024 Change Healthcare cyberattack. "The advance payments helped to mitigate the unfavorable cash flow impacts associated with the aforementioned cyber incidents as revenue cycle processes continue to ramp towards recovery," the health system said in financial documents published Feb. 17. "In accordance with the terms and conditions of the programs, recoupments began in FY24 with all payments being fully recouped at Dec. 31, 2024." 

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

Part payer, part provider: VNS Health embraces the futureHome Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 2/18/25As one of the biggest home-based care organizations in New York, VNS Health is leaning into its size and capabilities. ... “Our real challenge is, how do we leverage the large number of programs and services we already offer to ensure a seamless journey through the most difficult times in a person’s life,” VNS Health CEO and President Dan Savitt told Home Health Care News. ... "Being both a payer and provider allows us an opportunity to work with people in our community throughout their health care journey." ... "We use analytics to identify home care patients with late stage conditions who can benefit from enrollment in our advanced illness management program. Then we use analytics to determine when it may be appropriate to consider moving this patient population into hospice care." 

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.]