Literature Review

8-year-old boy's dream of skydiving finally comes true after lazy eye led to terminal cancer diagnosis (exclusive) People; by Angela Andaloro; 8/14/24 "In those moments, he's not a cancer kid," mom Amanda tells PEOPLE of Paxton's big adventures. ... Faced with limited time, Paxton's family are helping make his bucket list dreams, like skydiving, come true and tell PEOPLE about what it means to be able to do so. ... [Click on the title's link to see photos and read more.]

Free CHAP Webinar: CMS Posts Final Hospice Rule - Quality changes and regulatory requirement Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP); taught by Dr. Jennifer Kennedy; posted 8/13/24, webinar will be 8/21/24, 1:00-2:00 pm EDTCMS posted the final rule for hospice providers which drives big changes into motion for 2025.  [Click here for the] Final FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update/Quality Reporting Rule  (CMS-1810-F), posted on the Federal Register on August 7, 2024. This free webinar will be taught by Jennifer Kennedy, Vice President, Quality, Compliance and Standards, CHAP. She spent many years as a leader and nurse in diverse healthcare settings with the past 25 years in hospice and palliative care. Dr. Kennedy came to CHAP in 2021 with a vision of moving the organization’s quality forward as “the” accreditation partner of choice for the majority of community-based providers. She believes no matter what type of care a patient receives or how many times they receive care, every experience should be of the highest quality. Webinar Objectives:

Which parts of healthcare are off limits to AI? Becker's Health IT; by Giles Bruce; 8/9/24 The AI physician will not see you now — or ever, for that matter. As artificial intelligence proliferates in healthcare, health system leaders told Becker's that human providers will always be part of the medical field, with their — AI-aided — treatment recommendations being discussed with patients and family members. "Any patient care decisions ... should be made by patients and their caregivers or family members, obviously in consultation with their physician or provider," said Joe Depa, chief data and AI officer of Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare. ... Robots — or AI — will simply never take the place of that human touch, health system leaders say.

How Olympic success can offer leadership lessons The CEO Magazine; by Craig Johns; 8/12/24 As the Paris 2024 Olympic Games wrap up, the extraordinary performances of athletes offer valuable insights into leadership. High performance in both arenas hinges on precision, focus and constant improvement – lessons that can transform leadership strategies and drive success. ... 

A D-AI-alogue: What the leading edge of AI in PR looks like PRovoke Media; by Paul Holmes; 8/12/24 We talked to several leading agencies about how they are using AI to transform their business and improve communication effectiveness. ... I invited representatives of six firms on the leading edge of AI usage to talk about how AI is already impacting corporate communications. ... [From Chris Perry:]  The greatest impact I’ve seen is less on what we can do more efficiently (like using GenAI to write press releases), and more on what we can do to better, like using GenAI to understand how information now travels, making sense of cultural chaos, crafting resonant stories, and identifying others than help translate and tell them. The ultimate value is being faster and better at what we do. Not replacing jobs or reducing costs. ...

Making your Customer Experience [CX] investment strategy work CMSWire [not to be confused with CMS=Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services]; by Jeb Dasteel, Amir Hartman, Brian P. O'Neill and Marc Madigan; 8/12/24 Uncover the key elements of a successful customer experience strategy, from capability planning to aligning with core business objectives. ... Investing in a customer experience strategy is fraught with complications and feelings. Most of us in the world of CX are here because we believe that thoughtful CX spending will make an impact on the performance of our company.Editor's Note: This article is written for a much larger scope than our hospice and palliative readership. However, it highlights the importance of tying "customers' experiences" to the company/organization's core goals and business objectives. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' CAHPS Hospice Compare Scores [not to be confused with this CMSWire source] reflect the hospice "customer experience," from the perspective of the bereaved caregiver. While the CMS Hospice Compare site sorts these public information scores alphabetically (per location and organization), our newsletter's sponsor Hospice Analytics' National Hospice Locator sorts this same data by the highest scores, for the purpose of helping the public "consumer" find the hospice that will provide them with the best "customer experience."

The most urgent needs in medical education Becker's Hospital Review; by Mariah Taylor; 7/30/24 Healthcare is rapidly changing, presenting challenges to new physicians and the organizations that train them. The rise of AI, new technologies, patient demands and increased awareness in social determinants of health and equity have pushed leaders and organizations to change how they evaluate healthcare workers' preparedness as they enter the field. ...

New play focuses on Advance Care Planning for LGBTQ+ families and caregivers Hospice Foundation of America; by Lisa Veglahn; 7/29/24 Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) has added a new version of the short play “Lily” by award-winning playwright Bryan Harnetiaux to its AD (Advance Directives) Project, a collection of plays that dramatize the importance of advance directives. In the play, Jo visits her ex-wife, Lily, who is seriously ill. Jo is surprised that after years apart, Lily has asked to see her. She is even more surprised by Lily’s request that Jo serve as her surrogate decision maker when or if she cannot make healthcare decisions for herself. Hospice Foundation of America’s AD Project uses two-character, 10-minute plays featuring different relationships and settings. The plays are easy to produce and are intended for use by hospices, hospitals, and other community-based organizations wanting to engage audiences in discussions about advance care planning.The world premiere of the newest version of “Lily” was produced by Accord Hospice & Palliative Care in Sedona, AZ, in partnership with PFLAG Sedona, Unify Sedona, and the Sedona International Film Festival.Editor's Note: Click here for licensing information, to use this play in your community.  

‘Good’ death different for everyone Altoona Mirror, Altoona, PA; 7/26/24 The social and economic inequities patients suffer in life often shapes their death” was a key point of a July 13-14 article in the Review section of the Wall Street Journal. ... In the article, which was written by Dr. Sunita Puri, a palliative care physician and the author of “That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour,” Puri focuses on the conundrum many families face when dealing with the question of where to spend the final days of life. ... “New research classifies the rise in home deaths as progress,” the message immediately under the article’s headline begins, “but we need to look more closely at what these deaths look like.” ... Puri, now 10 years into her physician career, says it is now clear to her that there is much more to a “good” death than where it occurs. “Presuming a home death is a success obscures important questions about the process,” she wrote. “Did this person die comfortably? Did their caregivers have the resources and guidance they needed? Was dying at home a choice or simply the only option?” 

Death can be a gentler exit for those enrolled in hospice care The Blade; by Kimberly Wynn; 7/28/24 A baby coming into the world needs a lot of care, and families prepare for that wailing, cooing bundle of life with cribs, and changing tables and advice from mothers-in-law. When baby formula was in short supply, family members branched out to scour retail shelves for the necessities. For those leaving this world, care is also needed, according to Victoria Palenske, branch director for Elara Caring, which offers home health and hospice services in the Toledo area. Such souls may need oxygen, pain medications, and spiritual counseling, as well as a hand to hold. “People deserve a lot of care at the beginning of life, but they also deserve care at the end of their life,” said Ms. Palenske, who began her career as a registered nurse whose focus turned to hospice services. “It is a calling.”Editor's Note: Thank you Elara Caring for this mission-oriented description of hospice care that gently addresses "dying," in contrast to some hospice materials that deny or completely divert purposes related to terminal illness, dying, death, or bereavement.  

Hospices strategize sustainable growth for Veteran Programs Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 7/26/24 Hospices combat both operational and financial challenges as they seek to grow and evolve their veteran programs around the diverse and complex needs of patients and their families. Some of the largest expenses associated with offering veteran services include staffing and training costs ... In addition to staff training, this includes having ways to honor veterans for their service, assess the social determinant of health resources they may need and identify gaps of caregiver support. ...Editor's Note: Notable mentions include Carlos Graveran, executive director at Maryland-based Frederick Health Hospice; Sherri Bickley, vice president of patient support services at Oklahoma-based Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care; and Carla Creegan, PACE director of clinical services and director of adult day swervices at Empath Health.

Hospice driving 'die-alogue' series sparks end-of-life conversations OrilliaMatters; by Giesele Winton Sarvis; 7/21/24 Comedian Jerry Seinfeld was the inspiration for Driving Die-alogues created by Hospice Huronia [Ontario, Canada]. Debbie Kesheshian, executive director of Hospice Huronia, and Tammy Vater, the supportive care coordinator, were trying to think of a way to normalize conversation around the often taboo subject of death and dying. They decided to follow Seinfeld's model with his show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, where Seinfeld picks up a fellow comedian and they have a chat while going for coffee. "Tammy and I thought let’s go for a drive and have a conversation that is just normal and human. Her and I ask a question and we go back and forward with open dialogue," says Kesheshian. A year later, the duo have created approximately 30 short videos posted on YouTube and the Hospice website and they plan on creating more.

Readers write: Why RCM is the most interesting opportunity in healthcare HIStalk - Healthcare IT News & Opinion; by Kim Waters, MBA; 7/22/24 Revenue cycle management (RCM) isn’t for everybody, but it certainly is for me. ... In a 2023 study, HFMA reported on the rising cost of claims, with as much as 60% of claims not resubmitted and the average denial rate’s total percentage of gross revenue at 11%. What’s more is that they found that the cost per claim appealed is $118 and the denial rate is increasing 20% year over year. In an era when budgets are tight and margins are lower, organizations need to improve on these numbers to survive and eventually thrive. Opportunities for improvement can be easy to see. Reconsider any processes or solutions that: