Literature Review

From sleeping in cars to having an apartment: Season for Caring helps once-homeless families Austin American-Statesman; Austin, TX; by Nicole Villalpando; 12/8/24 When Thamairis Canales Yanez learned this year that she had been selected for the Austin-American Statesman's Season for Caring program, "what I did was thank God," she said. ... The 45-year-old and her 14-year-old daughter, Ivanna, came to the U.S. from Venezuela after Yanez's dental business was taken away by the government, and she feared for her daughter's life. She is trying to rebuild her life in America, but it has been difficult. At one point, she and Ivanna were living in her car. She has breast cancer that has spread to her brain. She is unable to work. Often when Season for Caring comes into the lives of the featured families, it is during one of their darkest times.  ...  "I have seen the impact on families," said Robin Clemons, chief development officer at Hospice Austin. "Imagine facing the end of life, and they can't pay their rent. (With Season for Caring funds) they don't have to worry about those types of needs. The stress for the caregiver, it relieves that burden."

Living and growing: Spiritual care at end of life Juenaeu Empire; by Claire Richardson; 12/7/24My favorite Gold Creek trail was damaged in one of the 2024 storms that swept through Juneau and altered the creek with a deluge of boulders, rocks and uprooted trees. You could only walk about 100 yards before the alders blocked the route. I didn’t venture there again until recently. Imagine my surprise when the dogs disappeared down the trail and this time, with wind blowing leaves to the ground, I could see clearly that the trail had been restored. Someone had cut off branches that impeded travel and without leaves to blur the way, I could easily find the new route. I felt a delightful sense of discovery, for here was an old, familiar trail now accessible on a frosty fall morning. Even though I knew where I was going, the newness of the path energized me. I moved forward with a smile. Spiritual care offered through hospice can be a lot like finding an old soul trail, but with new twists and turns. ...  Think of your hospice chaplain as a fellow hiker. While we can’t make the journey for you, we can listen carefully to your story of traveling through life. We can walk with you at your pace, perhaps pointing out a few game trails you could explore, but always following your lead.

New alliance steps up as voice for providers & patients HomeCare; by Hannah Wolfson; 12/3/24 Stopping Medicare cuts, ensuring Medicare Advantage beneficiaries have good access to care, passing groundbreaking hospice legislation and bringing homecare into the forefront are all priorities for the newly-formed National Alliance for Care at Home, said CEO Steve Landers. “We’ve got to start improving access to home health care, and the way that we do that is we end this march of payment cuts that are being set forward by Medicare,” Landers said at the Alliance’s Homecare and Hospice Conference and Expo, which was held in October in Tampa, Florida. ... The alliance has automatically enrolled members of both legacy organizations, but Landers said that for renewals or new members, participants will be required to sign an attestation that says they have a program in place for quality and compliance, that they monitor the Office of Inspector General’s expulsion list and don’t take referrals or staff from organizations on that list and that they strive to participate in Medicare’s quality reporting programs.

Dallas’ Analog Informatics emerges from stealth to modernize patient engagement in over 150 languages Dallas Innovates, Dallas, TX; by Lance Murray; 12/4/24 AIC aims to "bridge the communication gap" between healthcare providers and patients worldwide by leveraging secure AI and modern communication tools. CEO Philip Lieberman created the platform based on his experiences in caring for his hospitalized mother-in-law during the COVID pandemic. ... Shocked that he knew “more about his Amazon packages” than the state of his loved one, Lieberman vowed to use the experience and resources he’d gained from the previous multinational companies he created “to bring compassionate yet automated continuous communication to every patient and their families.” ... AIC aims to "bridge the communication gap" between healthcare providers and patients worldwide by leveraging secure AI and modern communication tools.  ... AIC said its platform “bridges the communication gap” between healthcare providers and patients, offering continuous automated logistical support in more than 150 languages. 

Regulators extend some telemedicine flexibilities, gauge telehealth’s ‘new path forward’ in hospice Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 12/4/24 Regulators recently extended certain temporary telemedicine waivers granted during the pandemic, with some flexibilities now sunsetting in 2025 rather than the end of this year. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have announced the extension of telemedicine flexibilities for the prescribing of controlled medications until Dec. 31, 2025. ... The move was made in response to feedback the agencies received from more than 38,000 comments and two days of public listening sessions. The extension allows for more time to consider a “new path forward” for telemedicine, according to the DEA and HHS. “We continue to carefully consider the input received and are working to promulgate a final set of telemedicine regulations,” the agencies stated in an announcement. “With the end of 2024 quickly approaching, DEA, jointly with HHS, has extended current telemedicine flexibilities through December 31, 2025.” The temporary rule, entitled as the Third Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications, was recently submitted to the Federal Register and will take effect/become effective Jan. 1, 2025.

Marin County Office of Education, Novato Unified School District & By the Bay Health partner to address healthcare talent shortage PR Newswire, San Rafael, CA and Novato, CA and Larkspur, CA; by By The Bay Health; 12/3/24The Marin County Office of Education (MCOE), the Novato Unified School District (NUSD), and By the Bay Health, Northern California's largest independent nonprofit hospice provider, are joining forces to launch a strategic workforce initiative to address the growing healthcare talent shortage in the County. Starting in Spring 2025, MCOE, NUSD, and By the Bay Health will pilot a new Career Technical Education (CTE) course at San Marin High School in Novato to introduce students to healthcare careers. The CTE course, Introduction to the World of Healthcare, will be the first high school course of its kind in the County designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to career opportunities in the healthcare field, including a focus on careers in community-based care in the home. An elective for 11th and 12th grade students, the curriculum will cover a range of topics from healthcare professions to medical ethics, communication, public health, and emerging trends in healthcare.

[Recommendations] OIG Report finds that the Medicare Program improperly paid acute-care hospitals for outpatient services provided to hospice enrollees JDSupra; by Michelle Huntsman; 12/3/24 On November 12, 2024, OIG published a report concluding that the Medicare program overpaid acute-care hospitals an estimated $190 million over five years for outpatient services provided to hospice enrollees. ... OIG made six recommendations to CMS to prospectively address the issues identified:  

Decoding complexity for leadership: 7 essential qualities to develop Forbes; by Gregory Crawford; 12/3/24 ... Leading large organizations involves managing intricate connections and interactions that yield both thorny challenges and thrilling achievements. ... As a university president, I lead an organization that feels like a conglomerate or perhaps a city; ... After nine years, I've identified a set of high-level leadership qualities essential for navigating such a complex environment: agility, delegation, consultation, breadth, communication, purpose and recognition.

Michael Dowling: We've revolutionized care for aging adults, but is America's health system ready for the senior population boom? Becker's Hospital Review; by Michael J. Dowling, President and CEO, Northwell Health; 12/2/24 Like many baby boomers and those from earlier generations, I have vivid memories from my younger years of my grandparents and other aging adults struggling with an assortment of ailments that their doctors told them were just an inevitable part of growing old. ... The transformative advancements made over the past half-century in meeting the physical and emotional health needs of the nation's rapidly aging population are remarkable — and that's especially important because more Americans are turning age 65 now than in any other time in our history (4.1 million in 2024, or 11,200 a day). And as we move toward a new year, every healthcare executive must examine whether we are collectively prepared to care for them in the years and decades ahead and take steps to recruit the medical specialists we need to meet burgeoning demand. ... Lastly, all clinicians must embrace palliative care as part of their standard practice in managing the health of aging adults with serious illness. ... 

Thanksgiving tradition brings meals to hospice families in Northeastern Pennsylvania  ABC News 16 WNEP, Scranton, PA; by Jack Culkin; 11/28/24 It's become a holiday tradition for many volunteers to fill their cars at Mansour's Market in Scranton on Thanksgiving morning, delivering meals to those in hospice care. Ray Gillette, a long-time volunteer, shared, "We've been doing this for a long time, and we've taken the boys with us. Our oldest grandson is 14. This is his 14th year that he's come to deliver with us." ... [Diane Baldi, CEO of Hospice of The Sacred Heart] says the event began as an idea. Quickly growing to not just caring for their patients, but their families too.  "19 years ago, in our very first, we may have had 20 patients. Today we have 200. So it has grown exponentially," said Baldi. ... Along with classic holiday staples like turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce, each meal includes a hand-made card. "I like it because it has like a turkey on the front and it has like all the stuff that you would eat," Said nine-year-old Olivia Catalano. She and her classmates made dozens of these cards, each featuring a Thanksgiving message or drawing. ... With each card placed and each meal delivered, workers successfully brought more than 600 meals to hospice families across Northeastern Pennsylvania. 

NUMC partners with Hospice of New York to offer hospice servicesLong Island Press; 11/27/24 The Nassau Health Care Corporation, which represents Nassau University Medical Center, and the A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility have announced a partnership with Hospice of New York to offer hospice services for the first time for patients, regardless of their ability to pay. ... Megan C. Ryan, NHCC interim president and CEO [said,] “Hospice of New York’s proven expertise ensures that this initiative will provide the highest standard of care to patients and their families, including those from low-income and at-risk populations. Bringing this kind of care to those at their most vulnerable is why NUMC exists and why this partnership is so groundbreaking for both our institution and Hospice. We welcome the Hospice team to the NUMC family.” Ryan announced the appointment of Simon Ulubabov to the recently-created position of executive vice president for Hospital and Palliative Care Services at NUMC. 

Nurse diagnosed with blood cancer fulfills dying wish to see new ‘Wicked’ movie Fox 13 Tampa Bay, FL: by Jennifer Kveglis; 11/26/24 A Tampa Bay area nurse who was diagnosed with blood cancer had one dying wish – to see the new movie "Wicked" in theaters. With the help of friends and family, that wish was fulfilled on Monday. Misty Steffen is a wife and mother, and she was also HCA Florida South Shore's chief of nursing. "I've loved every day of my life being a nurse," she said. "Twenty-six years that I got to be one and serve and love and decrease anxiety and increase trust and explain." ... [Description of her serious illness trajectory ...] "It's not what I thought would be the end of my story, but I'm at peace knowing whether I live or whether I die," she said. Steffen said she, her daughter and her husband always sang songs from "Wicked" in the car. Together, they've seen the musical on Broadway twice. Her last wish was to see the new movie in theaters. "The next thing I know he's [her husband] rented out the whole room in the theater," she said. HCA Florida Brandon paramedics, where Steffen worked too, as the assistant chief of nursing, transported her in their ambulance at no charge. "He's like we've got people who are going to come take you in an ambulance to ‘Wicked,’" she said. "I just started balling and I go...'what? Why am I so deserving of that?'" Steffen will spend the coming days surrounded by loved ones, many of whom flew in from all over the country. Editor's note: While this story appears to be focused on the movie "Wicked," it's more about relationships, meaning-making, quality of life, and ... her husband rented out the "whole room in the theater"! If you--like I--enjoy this movie weekend, Misty Steffen's story gives a new meaning to giving thanks, creating new memories from old for now and ahead. From Part 2 of Wicked, "... because I knew you, I have been changed for good."

TCN Podcast: Industry Trends Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux, with Maria Warren; 11/27/24Join us for an insightful conversation with Maria Warren, Vice President of McBee, part of NetSmart, as she demystifies the challenges of hospice care audits. Maria shares her journey from entry-level consultant to a leader in compliance, highlighting how audits, designed to combat fraud, can unintentionally burden resources and detract from patient care. Her thoughtful perspective sheds light on balancing regulatory demands with compassionate care. We also dive into the transformative role of technology in hospice care with insights from Betsy Hansen. Discover how electronic medical records (EMRs) go beyond digital documentation to improve patient outcomes and streamline operations. Learn about the potential of EMRs to enhance compliance and care quality while tackling the challenges of implementing innovative, user-friendly systems. This segment emphasizes the importance of creativity and high standards in overcoming staffing hurdles and fostering a supportive care environment.