Literature Review

The No. 1 problem still keeping hospital CEOs up at nightBecker's Hospital Review, by Kelly Gooch; 1/31/24... Here are the 10 most concerning issues hospital CEOs ranked in 2023, along with their average score on an 11-point scale of how pressing CEOs find each issue.

What home health providers need to know about CMS’ Medicare enrollment changesHome Health Care News, by Patrick Filbin; 1/31/24The Medicare enrollment process undergoes annual changes at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to ensure it remains up to date with evolving regulations, policies and health care practices. A number of changes went into effect on Jan. 1, and several of them will affect home health agencies. Here’s what home health agencies should know about those changes.

Hospices struggle to balance costs, patient needs in medication deprescribingHospice News, by Jim Parker; 1/30/24When deprescribing medications for hospice patients, providers have to navigate a complex web of factors. But according to some clinicians, the prospect of cost savings often takes precedence over clinical outcomes. Medication costs are among hospices’ biggest expenses, and deprescribing some medications deemed “curative” or “unrelated” to the patient’s terminal diagnosis is a standard practice. However, even in the context of providing comfort care at the end of life, many patients do not receive medications that could benefit them, including those for pain management.

Top 5 digital health priorities for health systemsBecker's Health IT, by Giles Bruce; 1/31/24Nearly two-thirds of health system C-suite leaders say digital health is easing access to care, though using it to improve patient experience has fallen as a tech priority for executives, a new study found. ... [According] to the Jan. 22 report from management consultant Sage Growth Partners ... [here are] the top five digital health priorities for the next 12 months, per the survey of 108 hospital and health system C-suite executives:

Changing payment dynamics are forcing home-based care providers to level up in value-based careHome Health Care News, by Patrick Filbin; 1/24/24When home-based care professionals were tasked with providing the “greatest challenge” facing them in the new year, 58% responded staffing. After that, 31% said changing payment dynamics, while 7% and 4% said consolidation or non-payment regulatory changes, respectively. Those findings come from a recent survey conducted by Home Health Care News and Homecare Homebase.

New program to provide emergency funding to rural hospitalsCapitol Beat, by Dave Williams; 1/17/24A nonprofit health-care organization announced plans ... to help financially struggling rural hospitals in Georgia in danger of closing. Ohio-based CareSource will contribute $5 million in emergency funding to hospitals and hospital-owned nursing homes in rural communities suffering critical cash deficits. Working in partnership with Cumming-based HomeTown Health, which represents rural hospitals across Georgia, the CareSource Rural Access Advancement Program will provide bridge loans to be repaid and reinvested into the program once the recipient has stabilized. Since 2010, nine rural hospitals have closed in Georgia, third-most in the nation.

46% of C-Suite execs prioritizing cost reduction, survey saysBecker's Hospital CFO Report, by Madeline Ashley; 1/23/24"The New Healthcare C-Suite Agenda: 2024-2025" report surveyed more than 100 C-suite executives and focused on topics like digital tools, EMR optimization, patient publication, operations, and more. Of the respondents, 29% held a CEO title, 13% chief medical officer, 10% CFO, 10% CIO, 10% COO, 7% chief nursing officer, 6% chief quality officer, 3% chief strategy officer, and 2% chief digital innovation officer. ... For top strategic initiatives for executives, 57% said growing revenue, 55% said staff recruitment and retention, and 46% said reducing cost. 

$15 billion win for physicians on prior authorizationAMA, by Kevin B. O'Reilly; 1/18/24Under the leadership of Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a final rule making important reforms to prior authorization to cut patient care delays and electronically streamline the process for physicians. Together, the changes will save physician practices an estimated $15 billion over 10 years, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Congressional advisors grapple with Medicare Advantage data that reveals plenty on excess, but not much on accessMcKnight's Long-Term Care News, by Kimberly Marselas; 1/16/24Medicare Advantage risk scores continue to rise, inflating payments to the private plans that far exceed their actual costs, staff for a Congressional advisory commission warned members Friday. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services uses risk scores, based on patient demographics and their needs, to establish payments to plans during each bid season. 

A looming crisis: Millennials caring for aging parentsFalls Church News-Press, by Brian Reach; 1/11/24... Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, comprise roughly 73 million Americans. By 2030, all boomers, and over 70 million Americans in total, will be ages 65 and older. This represents an at least 25 percent increase in the number of senior citizens — in just over five years.

Provider partnerships driving palliative care growthHospice News, by Holly Vossel; 1/8/24An increasingly diverse base of health care providers have taken an interest in the palliative care space, a trend that could be indicative of how strategic growth is taking shape in the field. ... A range of palliative care joint ventures, care collaborations and partnerships have evolved in recent years as more health care providers work to address the needs of a swelling aging population.

Cap rates increase by 74 basis points across all segments of senior living and careMcKnights Senior Living, by Kathleen Steele Gaivin, 1/3/24The average senior housing and care capitalization rate across all segments increased by 74 basis points between April and October, according to results of the 13th edition of CBRE’s US Senior Housing & Care Investor Survey for the second half of 2023. An April survey had found that cap rates had increased for all sectors but skilled nursing. The commercial real estate services and investment company sought feedback from senior housing investors, developers, lenders and brokers throughout the United States. The survey was conducted in October, and results were released in December.