Literature Review

Helene and Hospice: "We're seeing such personal sacrifices ... It's heartwarming and heartbreaking ..."Hospice & Palliative Care Today; Zoom meeting with Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN), Chris Comeaux and Tina Gentry; 10/2/24[These excerpts are from a Zoom meeting between TCN's leaders Chris Comeaux (Hendersonville, NC just outside of Asheville, NC) and Tina Gentry (Fort Mill, SC) and this newsletter's leaders Cordt Kassner and Joy Berger. Click here for the longer transcription. Continue reading for ways you can help.] Chris Comeaux: There's great tragedy, great devastation, and there are beautiful miracles occurring at the same time. … I know I'm going to keep using words like historic, unprecedented, devastating. There are not even words to describe what we’re seeing. ... Tina Gentry: It's just heart wrenching. You want to be able to go and fix things and you just can't do it, right? You don't feel like you can do enough. And knowing that there are certain limitations and that we have to rely on other resources to help support our teams. We have to do what we can and then trust that others will do what they can to help.  ...Chris Comeaux: All of our all staff is accounted for. Some are still without water, electricity. [Some] staff compared at Four Seasons [Hospice], CCWNC [Community Care of Western North Carolina], Amorem staff … have completely lost their homes. They’re gone. We have a wonderful partner that serves many of our hospices. Yesterday, they found the body of their dear neighbor. They can't even get to their house. It would be a 10-mile hike through things that today--in modern days--you would go, “How is that possible?” … I've always heard the word, “aftermath.” I now understand what people mean by “aftermath.” ...Tina Gentry: … We’re seeing such personal sacrifices from those team members on the ground. It’s really heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. ...Chris Comeaux: … What I've seen is, sometimes you have friendly rivalries in the hospice and palliative care world. That's gone. We're all family right now and that--I just, whew--that moves me to tears. That's the type of stuff that's like, you know what? Ok, that gives me hope that we are going to get beyond this. ... [See this in Today's Encouragement.]Key Themes:

Brookdale Senior Living to acquire 41 communities for $610 millionMcKnight's Senior Living; by Lois A. Bowers; 9/30/24Brentwood, TN-based Brookdale Senior Living will acquire 41 communities for $610 million, the company announced Monday morning. The transactions, involving a total of 2,789 units, were privately negotiated and occurred off-market, Brookdale said. After the deals close, Brookdale will own 66% of its consolidated units, aligning with its goal of increasing its owned real estate portfolio.

How to help those impacted by Hurricane Helene: Charities, organizations to support relief efforts ABC News, Good Morning America; by Kelly McCarthy; 9/30/24 Hurricane Helene hit Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4 storm with catastrophic sustained winds up to 140 mph on Thursday and traveled north, leaving widespread destruction across the Southeast. As Americans in storm-battered states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia begin to climb out of the damage from last week's storm that killed at least 120 people with hundreds more unaccounted for, charity organizations have started to rally support efforts. See below for a full list of ways to donate. After more than 4 million customers lost power across the South on Friday, more than 2 million were still without power as of Monday's publication. [Click on the title's link for the list and links.]

Awards and Recognitions: September 2024 We congratulate these honorees and celebrate their contributions to our collective hospice and palliative care mission, vision, and compassionate care throughout our world. Do you know any of these leaders? We encourage you to forward this to them or to find another way to celebrate their success. 

Carter defies odds with 19-month hospice stay: Former president's experience shines light on program The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; by Shelia Poole; 9/27/24 The Rev. Tony Lowden recently visited former President Jimmy Carter at his Plains home, where he is under hospice care. Carter, who turns 100 on Tuesday, was doing “good, fantastic,” said Lowden, who has been Carter’s personal pastor for seven years. Few would have expected such news about Carter, who has been under home hospice care for roughly 19 months.Only 10% of people on Medicare who died while under hospice care were in the program for 275 days or longer in 2022, according to MedPAC, an independent agency that advises Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program. Carter’s longevity while under hospice care continues to defy the odds, but that doesn’t surprise those who know his grit. ... Facts and Figures About Hospice Care:

New revised Medicaid Fraud Control Unit performance standardsOIG press release on X; 9/19/24HHS-OIG published revised Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) performance standards. The standards provide helpful guidance to MFCUs in their operations and assist HHS-OIG in overseeing MFCUs. Read the performance standards here: https://direc.to/fj2o. 

Mercy Health Home Care and Hospice by Compassus to provide care in Greater Lima Area HometownStations.com - ABC, FOX, NBC, CBS, Lima, OH; by Mercy Health - St. Rita's; 9/23/24 The Mercy Health Home Care and Hospice programs serving the greater Lima, Ohio, area, announced a new name today: Mercy Health Home Care and Hospice by Compassus. The name change reflects a joint venture partnership between Bon Secours Mercy Health, the fifth-largest Catholic health system in the U.S., and Compassus, a leading national provider of integrated home-based health care services, finalized earlier this year. Locations in Lima formerly managed by Mercy Health will be rebranded under the joint venture and managed by Compassus.

63 Hispanic and Latino leaders to know | 2024 Becker's Hospital Review; by Anna Falvey; 9/20/24 Becker's is thrilled to honor these Hispanic and Latino healthcare leaders. Diverse leadership in healthcare culminates in a more comprehensive, seamless experience for both patients and providers alike. The leaders honored in this list are transforming the patient journey, ushering in the new wave of healthcare providers and promoting DEI. ... Becker's Healthcare developed this list based on nominations and editorial research. Leaders do not pay and cannot pay for inclusion on this list. This list is not exhaustive, nor is it an endorsement of the leaders or organizations mentioned. Editor's note: Reminder that the National Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 to October 15. Are you recognizing your Hispanic employees and volunteers? Click here for CMS resources. 

Hospice fraud prevention toolkitCMS press release; 9/24People with Medicare should beware of scammers offering older Americans in-home perks, like free cooking, cleaning and home health services, while they are unknowingly being signed up for hospice services. The scammers then unlawfully bill Medicare for these services in your name. Criminals are using every avenue they can to sign people up including door-to-door visits, false advertising, phone, text and email. Hospice care is for people who are terminally ill and only the patient and doctor can make this serious decision about end-of-life care. This toolkit includes social media posts and a drop-in article to help educate beneficiaries and their loved ones on how to protect themselves against Medicare Hospice fraud.Publisher's note: Also see resources posted on the CMS Senior Medicare Patrol Hospice Fraud website.

NHPCO hosts final Annual Leadership Conference, welcomes evolution to National Alliance for Care at Home NHPCO / National Alliance for Care at Home; by Elyssa Katz; 9/20/24 The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) hosted its annual leadership conference (ALC2024) in Denver, Colorado September 14–18, 2024. This conference is the final conference that legacy NHPCO is hosting as it joins with the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) to become the National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance). NAHC will host its final conference on October 20-24, 2024, in Tampa, Florida.  Over 1,000 attendees and exhibitors joined for the in-person program which included action-packed days of keynotes, concurrent education sessions, networking opportunities, award presentations, and celebrations. ... Thanks to the generous support of attendees [at Tuesday evening's Gala], the National Hospice Foundation, NHPCO’s fundraising affiliate, raised over $200,000 throughout the evening. All funds will support the Lighthouse of Hope fund to help fulfill patients’ last wishes. ... As NHPCO celebrates the lasting impact its member have had since 1978 and looks ahead to the Alliance, ALC2024 also served as an opportunity to recognize, celebrate, and honor the many leaders from across the nation who played critical roles in shaping the hospice and palliative care community. 

‘Think like a reviewer’: How hospices can use communication, documentation to boost quality McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 9/24/24 Regulators are tightening their scrutiny of the hospice industry, so providers must prioritize the documentation and communication practices that help them obtain higher quality scores. That’s according to hospice industry experts who spoke during an educational session at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s annual meeting in Denver. “They’re looking closely at the hospice industry,” Angela Huff, senior managing consultant at Forvis Mazars, said last week during the conference. “They have increasing concerns about fraud, waste and abuse in this space. … Don’t think this is going to stop.” ... A key part of hospice quality assurance is communication, Gallarneau said. Providers should support open, friendly channels of communication. This helps staff and clients feel comfortable raising concerns, making quality issues easier to tackle quickly and effectively. Also, prioritizing accuracy in documentation will help providers stay ready for any surveys or audits, Gallarneau noted. Hospices should ensure patient consent and election of benefit forms are properly filled out, signed and dated, and staff should all be trained to do so accordingly. 

Featured Hospice Fund Raisers - compiled by Hospice & Palliative Care TodayCompiled from numerous hospice press releases; by Joy Berger, editor; 9/26/24Editor's note: As hospice and palliative care organizations wrap up summer fundraisers and move into autumn events, we have been compiling sample fundraisers, looking for themes, community engagement, success, and creativity. Typically, we post outcomes--after an event--versus promoting it prior to the event. The purpose is this compilation is to explore the scope of current hospice fundraising in the US. Of note, hospice fundraising throughout the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries tend to bring in larger amounts, due more extreme need. Enjoy! We welcome your thoughts on this post.