Literature Review

Mortality, hospice use rates differ in assisted living communities depending on whether memory care is offeredMcKnights Senior Living, by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 4/4/24Assisted living communities that provide memory care services may attract residents closer to the end of life or promote hospice use at the end of life compared with assisted living communities without such services, according to the findings of a new study. ... Researchers from the Brown University School of Public Health, the University of Melbourne and the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing examined whether end-of-life outcomes — mortality and hospice use — differed between assisted living facilities with and without memory care services among 15,152 residents who moved into larger communities between 2016 and 2018.Editor's Note: Click here for the source article, "Do end-of-life outcomes differ by assisted living memory-care designation?"

RNs are moving away from home health and hospice, federal survey reveals McKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 4/2/24 Though the number of registered nurses continues to grow, fewer are working in home healthcare and hospice compared to years past, according to the latest national sample survey collected by the Health Resources & Services Administration. In 2018, there were 179,509 RNs working in home health and hospice, representing about 6% of the nursing workforce, according to an earlier national survey. HRSA’s latest count estimated that there were 173,808 RNs in home health and hospice in 2022, or only 5% of the workforce. 

Hospice, home health provider Charter Healthcare files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Hospice News, by Jim Parker; 4/2/24 Hospice and home health provider Charter Healthcare, a portfolio company of Pharos Capital, recently filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. No public announcement was made. The petition for bankruptcy was filed in the Federal District Court of Delaware in late January, according to documents obtained by Hospice News. A public record search showed Chapter 7 filings for Charter locations in at least eight states, which span the company’s entire footprint. 

Hospice facility “House of Goshen” opening in Flossmoor in April Crusader Staff; 3/29/24 House of Goshen has announced a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new 14-bed, 14,000-square-foot inpatient Hospice House, scheduled for Thursday, April 11, at 4 p.m. The facility broke ground at 19810 Governors Highway in March 2023. The upcoming April ceremony marks a milestone in the organization’s commitment to enhancing end-of-life care in the Village of Flossmoor, Illinois. ... The new facility will operate under the umbrella of Oasis Hospice.

Good Sam Center of Caring opens half of new home this week WFIR News Talk Radio and WDBJ 7 TV, Roanoke, VA; by Gene Marrano (text) and Aaron Housch (tv); 4/1/24Perhaps today or sometime in the next few days half of the new Good Sam Hospice Center for Caring on Cove Road northwest will be open for business; a wing dedicated to office staff and volunteers. An update from WFIR’s Gene Marrano: [audio]. See video tour of Center for caring here.

Glendale, California men sentenced for role in $9M hospice fraud scheme – owner of San Gabriel Hospice and Palliative Care Inc. and Broadway Hospice Inc.Sierra Sun Times; 3/31/24The owner of two California-based hospice companies, along with his biller and consultant, were sentenced last Thursday for their respective roles in a scheme that resulted in stealing over $9 million from Medicare in false and fraudulent claims for hospice services. ... According to court documents, ...  [Gayk] Akhsharumov concealed his ownership and control over the hospice entities from Medicare, inserted nominee owners, paid kickbacks to patient recruiters, and profited from the scheme. In April 2020, after San Gabriel had ceased operations, Akhsharumov used the company to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief funds.

CMS releases Hospice Payment rate update proposed rule [Industry voices] HomeCare News; 3/29/24... "While the proposed rule may appear to be fairly innocuous," said NAHC President William A. Dombi, in response to the rule announcement, "the hospice community should pay attention to the information request on high cost services as it may signal an emerging interest in payment model reform. What is missing is also notable, CMS has not proposed any program integrity measures to address continued concerns on the surge in hospice growth in certain parts of the country despite the warning signs presented." ...Editor's Note: Additional responses from "industry voices" include NACH Vice President Davis Baird; NAHC's Director of Home Health and Hospice Regulatory Affairs Katie Wehri; and CEO Leading Age Katie Smith Sloan.

Hospice providers serving assisted living residents: Association of higher volume with lower qualityJournal of American Geriatrics Society; by Wenhan Guo MS, MA, Helena Temkin-Greener Phd, Brian E. McGarry PT, PhD; 3/27/24Background: Assisted living (AL) community caregivers are known to report lower quality of hospice care. However, little is known about hospice providers serving AL residents and factors that may contribute to, and explain, differences in quality. We examined the association between hospice providers' AL patient-day volume and their quality ratings based on Hospice Item Set (HIS) and Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Hospice Surveys.

Hospice of the Chesapeake’s culinary event raises $100K for care in Calvert CountySouthern Maryland News Net; 3/28/24The Calvert County community came together to enjoy fine cuisine, local wines and spirited dancing, helping to raise more than $100,000 for Hospice of the Chesapeake at the 11th annual Culinary Event held March 22 at The Hall at Huntingtown. ... Funds from this year’s event will continue to benefit programs at the Burnett Center as well as hospice and supportive care for residents of Calvert County. 

5 C-suite roles talent leaders are watchingBecker's Hospital Review, by Alexis Kayser; 3/21/24Becker's recently connected with HR and talent executives to learn how their health systems are strengthening leadership pipelines. When asked which leadership roles they expect to focus hiring efforts on in the coming years, these C-suite titles emerged.

How sales and marketing compensation can get hospices into hot waterHospice News, by Holly Vossel; 3/27/24Regulators are taking a closer look at how hospices pay their marketing and outreach workforces to curb fraudulent activity tied to referral streams. Federal and state regulatory agencies have systems in place to detect fraud, waste and abuse in hospice, and some are honing on oversight of sales, marketing and outreach staff payment arrangements, according to Ellen Persons, shareholder at Polsinelli Law Firm. 

[Pediatrics] North Dakota Health and Human Services announces new pilot program CBS KX News, by Nathaniel House; 3/26/24 North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that family members who provide extraordinary care to either a child or adult enrolled in an eligible North Dakota (ND) Medicaid 1915(c) waiver may receive payments from the state through the new Family Paid Caregiver pilot program. State funding for the pilot program was approved from the passage of Senate Bill 2276 during the 2023 legislative session. Eligible ND Medicaid 1915(c) waivers include the Autism Spectrum Disorder Birth Through 17 Waiver, Children with Medically Fragile Needs Home and Community-Based Services Waiver, Children’s Hospice Home and Community-Based Services Waiver and the Traditional Individual with Intellectual Disabilities and Developmental Disabilities Home and Community-Based Services Waiver. 

Why California doesn't know how many people are dying while homelessKQED, by Vanessa Rancano; 3/25/24 The grants manager and his team at Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless knew people were dying on the streets, but they wanted more than anecdotal evidence; they wanted data that could show them the big picture and help them hone their strategies. ... Alameda County’s latest homeless mortality report is now prompting the team to focus on how to extend palliative care services to unhoused people with terminal illnesses. Garlin estimates almost one-fifth of those who died in 2022 would likely have been eligible for hospice care.