Literature Review
All posts tagged with “Headlines.”
All-inclusive elder care for aging at home: This nursing home alternative is on the rise
12/08/24 at 03:15 AMAll-inclusive elder care for aging at home: This nursing home alternative is on the rise Caring.com; by Dom DiFurio; 11/25/2024 ... PACE centers, or Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. As of August 2024, 177 programs across 33 states and the District of Columbia are in operation, allowing aging people to stay within their home communities while still receiving the elevated care they would need as older adults living with disabilities or chronic illnesses. A PACE facility is a kind of "one-stop shop" that offers services like dental care, social services, occupational therapy, prescription medication, and nutritional counseling. ... Caring.com examined data maintained by the National PACE Association to see which states have the most programs available to serve their aging populations and how they can impact the quality of care for adults who want to live independently outside a clinical setting for as long as possible. ... Several states are also undergoing trials, expansion, or establishing new PACE programs for their aging residents. Minnesota and South Dakota are considering starting PACE programs. Nevada is in the process of establishing its own program after using COVID-19 funding to experiment with the system to address the health needs of people ages 55 and older who need nursing facility-level care but can still live safely in their communities. Georgia's governor also signed a bill into law earlier this year creating the state's first PACE.
[CAPC] 2024 Serious Illness Scorecard
12/08/24 at 03:05 AM[CAPC] 2024 Serious Illness ScorecardCenter to Advance Palliative Care press release; 12/4/24America’s readiness to meet the needs of people with serious illness. A state-by-state look at palliative care capacity. How does your state rate? How can I improve my state’s rating? Download the full report.
Giving Tuesday is tomorrow!
12/08/24 at 03:00 AMGiving Tuesday is tomorrow! [There's still time!]We'd like to highlight several ways you can particpate in Giving Tuesday tomorrow, including:
UnitedHealthcare CEO's slaying adds tragic twist to parent company's tumultuous year
12/06/24 at 03:00 AMUnitedHealthcare CEO's slaying adds tragic twist to parent company's tumultuous year CBS News WCCO, Minneapolis, MN; by Beret Leone, Stephen Swanson; 12/5/24 Minnesota-based UnitedHealthcare Group Inc. has faced a firestorm of controversy this year. And as investigators search for a motive in the slaying of Brian Thompson, CEO of its insurance arm, they aren't counting anything out. Between a software attack, protests, lawsuits and layoffs by one of its subsidiaries, Thompson's killing adds a tragic end to a troubled year for the company. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]
National Alliance for Care at Home welcomes Sherl Brand as new COO
12/06/24 at 02:00 AMNational Alliance for Care at Home welcomes Sherl Brand as new COO The National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 12/5/24 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) is proud to announce the addition of a proven leader, Sherl Brand, RN, BSN, who will be joining the Alliance as its first Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective the middle of January 2025. Sherl Brand comes to the Alliance with a wealth of experience spanning over three decades in nursing, association management, and health care management. Prior to joining the Alliance, Sherl has been serving as Senior Vice President for Hospice Care at VNS Health. Before that, Sherl held senior positions at CareCentrix and VNA Health Group. Sherl served as chair of the Forum of State Associations for almost four years, and as President and CEO of Home Care Association of New Jersey for seven years. She served on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice and the Home Care 100 Advisory Board. “Sherl’s leadership experience and history of successful management of trade associations and home care and hospice organizations make her a perfect fit for the Alliance,” said Alliance CEO Dr. Steven Landers. “I am honored, and deeply grateful, for the opportunity to serve as the Chief Operating Officer of the National Alliance for Care at Home,” said Sherl.
Top News Stories of the Month Nov 2024 - TCN Podcast
12/05/24 at 03:00 AMTop News Stories of the Month Nov 2024 - TCN Podcast Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast by Chris Comeaux with Mark Cohen; 12/4/24 What if the future of Hospice and Palliative Care depends on understanding the intricacies of industry integration and regulation? Join us for an insightful journey through November's most compelling stories that have captured the attention of Hospice and Palliative Care Today's readership. Our conversation reveals the significant impact of national events, from elections to regulatory changes, on shaping news cycles and industry priorities. Also, rising workforce demands and political changes, such as immigration restrictions, paint a concerning picture for the future labor pool in Hospice Care. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the month's key themes that may have been missed, like tackling issues from CMS payment cuts to the Justice Department's stance on UnitedHealthcare Group's acquisition of Amedisys. This episode is a must-listen for those seeking a deeper understanding of the critical yet often overlooked issues in Hospice and Palliative Care today, and Mark delivers another excellent masterclass on creating compelling headlines.
[CAPC] 2024 Serious Illness Scorecard
12/05/24 at 02:30 AM[CAPC] 2024 Serious Illness ScorecardCenter to Advance Palliative Care press release; 12/4/24America’s readiness to meet the needs of people with serious illness. A state-by-state look at palliative care capacity. How does your state rate? How can I improve my state’s rating? Download the full report.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in New York City, reports say
12/05/24 at 02:00 AMUnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in New York City, reports say USA Today; by Christopher Cann; 12/4/24, updated 11:11 am ET The CEO of UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest insurance providers in the nation, was fatally shot Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan, where the company was hosting an investors conference, multiple news outlets reported, citing police sources. Brian Thompson, 50, was shot just before 7 a.m. near the hotel on 54th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, the New York Post, New York Times and WPIX reported. UnitedHealth did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY. A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department who declined to be identified by name told USA TODAY a 50-year-old man was fatally shot outside the hotel, but did provide the victim's name, saying the department was waiting to notify the family.
Caring for patients at the end of life: [AMA's Council on Ethical & Judicial Affairs] CEJA reports
12/04/24 at 03:00 AMCaring for patients at the end of life: CEJA reports AMA - American Medical Association; by Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA); 12/2/24 Reports by the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA) interpret the AMA Principles of Medical Ethics to provide practical ethics guidance on timely topics. When the AMA House of Delegates adopts the recommendations of a CEJA report they become Opinions in the Code of Medical Ethics. The body of the report, which sets out CEJA’s ethics analysis, is archived and remains available as a resource to help users apply guidance. CEJA reports may not be reproduced without express written permission. [Click here to access these CEJA reports.]
[Recommendations] OIG Report finds that the Medicare Program improperly paid acute-care hospitals for outpatient services provided to hospice enrollees
12/04/24 at 03:00 AM[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:
40 largest health systems in the US | 2024
12/03/24 at 03:00 AM40 largest health systems in the US | 2024 Becker's Hospital Review; by Laura Dyrda; 11/27/24 Some large health systems grew while others shrunk over the last year, and more consolidation could be ahead. But changes were minimal in either direction, and the largest health systems this year remain relatively similar to previous years. Becker's compiled a list of the largest health systems in the U.S. based on the number of hospitals reported on the system's website. ... Note: The list below is not a ranking. Data includes all hospitals within the system. [Click on the title's link for the full list of 40 health systems.]
705 hospitals at risk of closure, state by state
12/03/24 at 03:00 AM705 hospitals at risk of closure, state by stateBecker's Hospital CFO Report; by Molly Gamble; 11/22/24 More than 700 rural U.S. hospitals are at risk of closure due to financial problems, with more than half of those hospitals at immediate risk of closure. The count comes from the latest analysis from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, which is based on CMS's October 2024 hospital financial information. The center's analysis reveals two distinct levels of vulnerability among rural healthcare facilities: risk of closure and immediate risk of closure. ... The report also analyzes hospitals facing immediate threat of closure meaning financial reserves could offset losses on patient services for two to three years at most. Currently, 364 rural hospitals are at immediate risk of shutting down due to severe financial difficulties. [Click on the title's link for] a state-by-state listing of the number of rural hospitals at risk of closure in the next six to seven years and at immediate risk of closure over the next two to three years. Editor's note: Consider how these closures impact patients' trajectories of serious illness, timely treatment plans, referrals to home health, nursing facilities, and hospice care. How do these impact your service areas? What are the root causes for so many potential closures?
18 questions for CEOs to ask themselves
12/03/24 at 02:00 AM18 questions for CEOs to ask themselves Becker's Hospital Review; by Molly Gamble; 11/25/24 McKinsey senior partners developed a CEO performance questionnaire informed by in-depth interviews with more than 70 successful chief executives across industries. The checklist is meant to assess CEOs' performance in six dimensions: setting direction, aligning the organization, mobilizing through leaders, engaging the board, connecting with stakeholders and managing personal effectiveness. "Sure, CEOs have an abundance of financial, operational, and organizational metrics to look at, but what CEOs should be doing to influence those metrics wasn't exactly clear," the authors noted. The checklist serves as both a self-assessment tool and a framework for gathering honest feedback from board members, executives and trusted advisors. [Click on the title's link for] a condensed list of the questions, with commentary and more explanation of each available in the full article from McKinsey here. [Questions address:] 1. Vision. ... 2. Strategy. ... 3. Resource allocation. ... 4. Culture. ... 5. Organizational Design. ... 6. Talent. ... 7. Team composition. ... 8. Teamwork. ... [More]
Giving Tuesday is tomorrow!
12/02/24 at 02:00 AMGiving Tuesday is tomorrow!We'd like to highlight several ways you can particpate in Giving Tuesday tomorrow, including:
Q&A: Prioritizing health equity with Emory Healthcare’s Chief Transformation Office
12/01/24 at 03:55 AMQ&A: Prioritizing health equity with Emory Healthcare’s Chief Transformation Office CDW Healthcare - Patient-Centered Care; by Teta Alim; 11/19/24 Most healthcare organizations regularly prioritize goals to improve the patient experience and increase clinician satisfaction, aligning with the Quintuple Aim. Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare created the role of chief transformation officer to focus on these areas, and in July 2023, Dr. Amaka Eneanya became the first to fill the role. ... What would you say were the top three lessons you learned during the first year in your new role? ENEANYA: It's been a great year. For lesson one, as someone coming from a different part of the U.S., ingraining yourself and getting to know the people and the culture of the organization that you’re in, that’s important to determine the change readiness of an organization. ... The second lesson is that change is exciting. There's a lot of trepidation with change, and part of being effective with change management and transformation is really garnering excitement. ... The third lesson that continues to be pervasive in my career is that health equity is poorly understood. ... You have to start with the basic foundation and concepts of health equity before you can make initiatives, otherwise people won't understand what you're doing, and they might have a visceral response to what you're doing because of the misinformation around health equity.
Thanksgiving reflections: Gratitude and grieving in hospice care
12/01/24 at 03:50 AMThanksgiving reflections: Gratitude and grieving in hospice care Faith Hope Hospice & Palliative Care, Pasadena, CA; 11/20/24Thanksgiving is traditionally a time for joy and gratitude, but it can bring mixed emotions for families with a loved one in hospice care. In the diverse communities of Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and Hollywood, Faith and Hope Hospice provides compassionate guidance on how to balance grief with gratitude, helping families find moments of peace and connection during this reflective time. ... Gratitude can be a healing force, offering comfort to those grappling with loss. In hospice care, where families confront profound challenges, finding space for gratitude can significantly impact emotional and psychological well-being, fostering resilience and a sense of peace.
Keeping referral partners happy after dropping contracts with Medicare Advantage plans
12/01/24 at 03:45 AMKeeping referral partners happy after dropping contracts with Medicare Advantage plans Home Health News; by Audire Martin; 11/25/24 Home health providers may walk away from specific health plans due to financial feasibility, administrative burdens, or misalignment with their patient care values and priorities. However, this decision can create short-term challenges with referral partners and health systems, as they may have patients enrolled in those plans. “If a health plan consistently under-reimburses for services or requires excessive administrative hurdles, it may compromise the ability to deliver quality care efficiently,” Preston Lucas, chief financial officer at Interim HealthCare Great Lakes, told Home Health Care News. “Additionally, if the plan’s policies restrict access to necessary treatments or fail to support the level of care required for patients, it becomes difficult to sustain the partnership.” ... Maintaining open lines of communication and emphasizing the shared goal of providing high-quality care helps mitigate the short-term consequences of leaving a health system, according to Lucas.
OIG issues nursing facility industry segment-specific Compliance Program Guidance; first in a series in Furtherance of its Modernization Initiative
12/01/24 at 03:40 AMOIG issues nursing facility industry segment-specific Compliance Program Guidance; first in a series in Furtherance of its Modernization Initiative Butzel - Attorneys and Counselors Client Alerts; 11/22/24 On November 20, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) issued the first Industry Segment-Specific Compliance Program Guidance (“ICPG”), which applies to the Nursing Facility Industry. This follows from the OIG’s Modernization Initiative to update publicly available resources for the healthcare industry first announced in September 20211 and finalized in April 2023. This ICPG comes just over a year after the OIG issued the General Compliance Program Guidance (“GCPG”) that kicked off the OIG’s efforts to modernize and consolidate numerous Compliance Program Guidance documents issued between 1998 and 2008. Editor's note: Click here to download the U.S. HHS OIG's 59-page November 2024 "NURSING FACILITY Industry Segment-Specific Complicance Program Guidance." A word search finds 30 references to "hospice."
United Hospice celebrates success with “A Night in the Catskills" [$215,000]
12/01/24 at 03:35 AMUnited Hospice celebrates success with “A Night in the Catskills" [$215,000] MidHudson News, Hudson Valley, NY; by News Staff; 11/24/24 In late October United Hospice held its annual gala, “A Night in the Catskills” and a silent auction at the Hilton Pearl River which drew more than 300 attendees and was the most successful gala in the organization’s history, raising more than $215,000. During the event, CEO Cara Pace recalled all of United Hospice’s achievements this past year, including the successful start of a new and innovative program, Living Well New York, in which palliative physicians make recommendations to patients’ primary care teams that will ultimately improve the quality of life for every patient and their families who participate in the program.
If my dying daughter could face her mortality, why couldn’t the rest of us?
12/01/24 at 03:30 AMIf my dying daughter could face her mortality, why couldn’t the rest of us? DNYUZ, appearing first in The New York Times; Ms. Wildman; 11/25/24 The first week of March 2022, I flew to Miami with my 13-year-old daughter, Orli; her 8-year-old sister, Hana; and my partner, Ian. We were, by all appearances, healthy. Robust, even. In reality, we were at the end of a reprieve. Orli’s liver cancer had by then been assaulted by two years of treatments — chemotherapy, a liver transplant, more chemotherapy, seven surgeries. Now new metastases lit up a corner of one lung on scans, asymptomatic but foreboding. We asked her medical team if we might show her a bit of the world before more procedures. Our oncologist balked. Hence, this brief weekend away. When we arrived at the beach Orli ran directly to the water, then came back and stretched out on a lounge chair. She turned to me and asked, “What if this is the best I ever feel again?” Three hundred and seventy-six days later, she was dead. In the time since she left us, I have thought often of Orli’s question. All that spring, Orli asked, pointedly, why did we think a cure was still possible, that cancer would not continue to return? Left unspoken: Was she going to die from her disease? It was a conversation she wanted to have. And yet what we found over the wild course of her illness was that such conversations are often discouraged, in the doctor’s office and outside it. ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading this profound story.]Editor's note: While families are gathered for Thanksgiving, many health changes will be observed since this time last Thanksgiving, with countless unknowns to unfold until Thanksgiving next year. Tune into the wide scope of conversations that people do want to have, don't want to have, and--perhaps--that your own family needs to have, with grace and care for all.
Differences in drug shortages in the US and Canada
12/01/24 at 03:25 AMDifferences in drug shortages in the US and CanadaJAMA; Mina Tadrous, PharmD, PhD; Katherine Callaway Kim, MPH; Inmaculada Hernandez, PharmD, PhD; Scott D. Rothenberger, PhD; Joshua W. Devine, PharmD, PhD; Tina B. Hershey, JD, MPH; Lisa M. Maillart, PhD; Walid F. Gellad, MD, MPH; Katie J. Suda, PharmD, MS; 10/24There are persistent global drug shortages, in part because drug-related supply chains are increasingly globalized; these drug shortages are associated with delayed or missed treatment and adverse outcomes. In addition, pandemics and natural disasters disrupt global drug production, further affecting supply chains. [In this study from the years 2017-2021] drug-related reports of supply chain issues were 40% less likely to result in meaningful drug shortages in Canada compared with the US. These findings highlight the need for international cooperation between countries to curb the effects of drug shortages and improve resiliency of the supply chain for drugs.
Dialysis facility staffing ratios and kidney transplant access among adolescents and young adults
12/01/24 at 03:20 AMDialysis facility staffing ratios and kidney transplant access among adolescents and young adultsJAMA; Alexandra C. Bicki, MD, MPH; Barbara Grimes, PhD; Charles E. McCulloch, PhD; Timothy P. Copeland, MPP, PhD; Elaine Ku, MD, MAS; 10/24In this study of adolescents and young adults treated at US dialysis facilities, patients at facilities with higher patient to staff ratios had lower incidence of waitlisting and kidney transplant compared with those receiving care at facilities with lower patient to staff ratios. The effect size for the incidence of transplant was similar with respect to both patient to nurse and patient to social worker staffing ratios, but patient to nurse ratio was not statistically significantly associated with the incidence of waitlisting.
Elevate Podcast: Marianne Muzic-Lucenti, LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, Palliative Care Program Manager, St. Mary’s Healthcare System
12/01/24 at 03:15 AMElevate Podcast: Marianne Muzic-Lucenti, LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, Palliative Care Program Manager, St. Mary’s Healthcare System Hospice News; by Mick Stahlberg; 11/25/24 In this episode, Hospice News Senior Editor Jim Parker speaks with Marianne Muzic-Lucenti, manager of one of the oldest pediatric palliative care programs in the nation, at St. Mary’s Healthcare System in Queens, New York City. The discussion profiles the program and looks at the outlook for palliative care for 2025.