Literature Review

Revamped tool can reliably assess pain symptoms in dementia patients: researchers McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Zee Johnson; 3/17/25 ... A team of researchers reconstructed the End-of-Life Dementia-Comfort Assessment in Dying, or EOLD-CAD, after a multifacility study showed that caregivers could adequately and reliably address a host of pain symptoms seen in end-of-life dementia patients. ... When clinicians working in the SNFs that were part of the trials used the EOLD-CAD, they were able to detect patterns in more than 600 residents that fell into four categories: physical distress, symptoms of dying, emotional distress, and well-being. Common symptoms observed across these categories were restlessness, shortness of breath, choking, gurgling, difficulty in swallowing, fear and anxiety. ...

Hospice Insights Podcast - Psychedelics and end of life care: Understanding the legal landscape Hospice Insight - The Law and Beyond; by Husch Blackwell LLP; 3/12/25 There has been a lot of buzz around psychedelics, and particularly their potential usefulness in treating existential suffering at the end of life. Husch Blackwell was the first law firm in the country to establish a Psychedelics & Emerging Therapies practice group devoted to helping clinicians, researchers, and investors navigate the complex and difficult legal and regulatory issues involved in developing new therapies in this space. In this episode, host Meg Pekarske is joined by the leaders of Husch Blackwell’s Psychedelics & Emerging Therapies practice group, Kimberly Chew, Karen Luong, and Natasha Sumner, who provide an overview of what psychedelics are, their legal status under federal and state laws, and liability considerations for clinicians.

Walgreens sells to private equity firm Sycamore Partners Healthcare Brew - Pharma; by Nicole Ortiz; 3/11/25 Since December, rumors have floated around that Walgreens was going to be acquired by private equity (PE) firm Sycamore Partners. And while analysts told Healthcare Brew at the time that it was unlikely to happen, the tides appear to have turned in the PE company’s favor. On March 6, Walgreens Boots Alliance announced in a press release that it had signed a definitive purchase agreement with Sycamore for up to $23.7 billion. However, when Walgreens’s debts and assets to be potentially divested are taken out, the total sale price is actually closer to around $10 billion, per the ll Street Journal, turning the retailer into a private entity after nearly a century as a public company.

Hallucinogens may elevate death risk by more than twofold Medscape; by Liz Scherer; 3/5/25 Hallucinogens are associated with a 2.6-fold increased risk for premature death in some individuals seeking emergency care, according to a recent study. The risks are especially substantial in vulnerable patients who are suicidal, who are susceptible to severe mental illness, or have comorbid conditions such as respiratory disease or cancer. The findings come at a time of renewed interest in the therapeutic potential of substances like psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and ketamine for mood and substance use disorders. In 2023, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research allocated roughly $3 million to three clinical trials examining psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of alcohol use disorder, treatment-resistant depression, and end-of-life psychological distress in patients with advanced cancer.

Charges dismissed against chef accused of trying to kill his Monterey county mother KSBW Action News-8, Monterey, CA; by Felix Cortez; 2/28/25 A popular San Francisco area chef who was arrested along with his sister and charged with trying to kill their mother more than two years ago has had attempted murder charges dismissed against him. “In over 30 years of practice, this was one of the saddest cases I have ever seen and one of the most incompetent investigations by the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department that I have ever seen,” said Juliet Peck, the attorney for James Stolich. ... The mother was terminally ill and lived on a ranch off Highway 68 outside Salinas. “James’ mother’s only wish was to die at home without pain, surrounded by her daughter, son, and pets,” Peck said. But that never happened; Tinker died about a week later in a hospice facility, never to see her children again, because an emergency protective order obtained by the sheriff’s office prevented the children from visiting their dying mother. ... According to court documents, the daughter, Whitney, was the “agent designated to make all health care decisions for her mother,” which included administering medication to help alleviate her mother’s pain. ...The original criminal complaint alleging attempted murder charges said Whitney or a co-conspirator “crushed up pills with a mallet.” A close friend of Tinker was willing to testify that Whitney had no intent to kill her mother but was simply following her mother’s “directive to provide effective and sufficient palliative care even if it hastened her death.”Editor's note: This case raises numerous issues, including but not limited to community education (including law enforcement), Advance Directives, patient and caregiver education and support, MAiD (Medical Aid in Dying) or the End Of Life Option Act (EOLOA) in California, ethics, and the dying process (note that "the mother died about a week later in a hospice facility). 

Center for Hospice Care's BreatheEazy Program supports patients with respiratory issues LaporteCounty.Life; by Garrett Spoor; 2/13/25 One of the toughest health challenges a person can face is the trouble of breathing. Center for Hospice Care comes across a lot of patients who experience this issue and encourages many of them to become a part of their BreatheEazy program. Dr. Karissa Misner, medical director at Center for Hospice Care, considers the BreatheEazy program to be a monumental boost for patients who might have respiratory issues. “This is a specialized pulmonary program for our patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” Misner said. “It can also be used for many other terminal diagnoses that affect the lungs. Whenever there is any type of illness that causes difficulty in breathing, we can utilize this program.”

Kroger partners with Express Scripts to expand pharmacy services Becker's Hospital Review; by Alexandra Murphy; 2/6/25 Cincinnati-based Kroger Health has reached a new agreement with Express Scripts, the pharmacy benefit services arm of Evernorth, to provide access to prescription medications and health services at the Kroger Family of Pharmacies for Express Scripts Customers. Under the new agreement, the Kroger Family of Pharmacies will resume serving customers in Express Scripts' Medicare Part D and Tricare/Department of Defense plans, according to a Feb. 5 Kroger news release. This comes after Kroger ended its contract with Express Scripts in September of 2022, after months of unsuccessful negotiations over a new agreement. 

Opioid painkillers less available to people of color HealthDay News / Coastal Breeze News, Marco Island, FL; 1/30/25 People of color now have less access to prescription opioid painkillers than white patients, an unintended consequence of efforts to stem America’s opioid epidemic. Communities of color have a 40% to 45% lower distribution of commonly prescribed opioids, compared to majority white communities, researchers reported in a study published Jan. 23 in the journal Pain. This could prevent opioid painkillers from reaching those in true need of them, like cancer patients, researchers said. 

DEA proposed telemedicine prescribing rule could burden hospice physicians and hospice operations Morgan Lewis, Washington, DC; by Howard J. Young, Jacob J. Harper, and Roshni Edalur; 1/27/25 Signaling a possible future approach to regulating Schedule II-V prescribing via telemedicine in lieu of in-person examinations, on January 17 the DEA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking regarding its next iteration of controlled substance prescribing controls. With comments due March 18, 2025, the Proposed Rule is not subject to the Trump administration’s executive order freeze on new proposed regulations. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

Disproportionate use of aid in dying among people with ALS: Why ALS aid-in-dying requests are common while ALS is rareJournal of Aid-in-Dying Medicine; Carolyn Rennels, MD; Steven Z. Pantilat, MD FAAHPM, MHM; Ambereen K. Mehta, MD, MPH, FAAHPM; Allison Kestenbaum, MA, MPA, BCC-PCHAC, ACPE; Kelsey Noble, DO; Jessica Besbris, MD; Ali Mendelson, MD; Kara Bischoff, MD; 12/24People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disproportionately use aid in dying. We explore aspects of the ALS experience that may help explain the higher rates of aid-in-dying requests in this disease relative to others. In particular, the desire to maintain control is prominent in the face of a relentlessly progressive disease that results in substantial disability. We also describe how the requirement for self-administration of aid-in-dying medications impacts people with ALS.

Transforming care: Spencer Health Solutions and Pharmerica partner to simplify medication management and improve lives The MarCom Journal, Morrisville, NC; by Leigh White, PharMerica and Daphne Earley, Spencer Health Solutions; 1/21/25In a move set to redefine how medication is managed, Spencer Health Solutions (SHS), a leader in innovative healthcare technology, and PharMerica, one of the nation’s largest and most trusted long-term care pharmacy services provider, are joining forces. This transformative partnership aims to make managing medications easier and more reliable for individuals with complex medication needs, senior living communities, and payers nationwide. ... Spencer Health Solutions (SHS) is dedicated to transforming medication management through innovative healthcare technology. ... PharMerica ... serves the long-term care, senior living, hospital, home infusion, hospice, behavioral, specialty and oncology pharmacy markets. 

DEA unveils long-overdue special registration for telemedicine in proposed ruleThe National Law Review; by Marika Miller, Nathan A. Beaver of Foley & Lardner LLP; 1/21/25 In the final days of the Biden administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released a proposed rule that would allow practitioners with a Special Registration to prescribe Schedule III-V, and in limited circumstances Schedule II, controlled substances via telemedicine. Practitioners with a Special Registration would still need to obtain a DEA registration in each state where they prescribe or dispense controlled substances. However, the proposed rule establishes a limited, less expensive State Telemedicine Registration as an alternative to the traditional DEA registration. The proposed rule imposes several obligations on practitioners with Special Registrations when they prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine.  [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

Enclara Pharmacia announces patient record integration with FireNote Hospice EMR NCN - Nebraska News Channel; Business Wire Press Release; 1/21/25 Enclara Pharmacia, ... [a national] pharmacy solutions provider for the hospice and palliative care sectors, announces the launch of a new interface with FireNoteTM, an innovative hospice electronic medical record (EMR) platform. This integration enables patient demographics and medications to flow seamlessly from FireNote to Enclara’s E3 ProTM medication management system. The new software interface enables timely admissions and medication access for patients while reducing the administrative burden on nurses, a key priority for both Enclara and FireNote.“