Literature Review

Diana Franchitto named Board Chair as the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation celebrates 10 years National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), Washington, DC; 1/14/25 The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) proudly announces Diana Franchitto, President & CEO of HopeHealth, as the new Chair of its Board of Directors. A visionary leader in hospice and advanced illness care, Diana steps into this role as NPHI celebrates a decade of driving high-quality nonprofit care and innovation. “As we celebrate a decade of impact, we are thrilled to welcome Diana as the new Chair of our Board of Directors,” said Tom Koutsoumpas, CEO of NPHI. “Her deep commitment to community-based, nonprofit care and her proven leadership make her uniquely qualified to help guide NPHI into this next phase of growth and innovation. I have tremendous respect for Tom and our members’ vision for NPHI, and I’m thrilled to work closely with Tom and our entire NPHI leadership team to bring that vision to life,” said Diana. “It’s an honor to serve as Board Chair during this pivotal moment as we celebrate our first decade of impact. I look forward to collaborating with our members and Board to advance the incredible work our nonprofit hospices deliver every day. Together, we will shape the next chapter of compassionate care and champion innovative, community-driven solutions that prioritize the needs of patients and families nationwide.”

CMS Call for Nominations: 2025 CMS Health Equity Award U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; by CMS Health Equity; via CMS email 1/13/25Nominations for the 2025 CMS Health Equity Award are now open to organizations working to advance health equity, showing others how to reduce disparities in health care access, quality, and outcomes. Nominations are due February 18 at 11:59 pm PT.  ... Health equity is defined by CMS as the attainment of the highest level of health for all people, where everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their optimal health regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, preferred language, and other factors that affect access to care and health outcomes. 

 6 behaviors you must unlearn to be a relevant leader in 2025 Forbes; by Glenn Llopis; 1/7/25 Leadership today isn’t what it used to be. Gone are the days when a title or a corner office automatically commanded respect. Today, business leaders need more than authority, they need relevance. But being a relevant leader is not just about adopting new behaviors; it’s about unlearning bad habits. Especially those that do more harm than good. ... Here are six behaviors you must unlearn that once felt relevant and now may be holding you back. I’ve also included the six behaviors you must relearn.

Best healthcare jobs in 2025: US NewsBecker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 1/14/25U.S. News & World Report released its 2025 best jobs rankings on Jan. 14, highlighting the best jobs across 17 categories, including healthcare. The media company examined data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify jobs with the greatest hiring demand. Jobs are then scored based on future prospects, wage potential, employment, safety and stability, and work-life balance. More information about the methodology is available here. For the second consecutive year, nurse practitioner took the No. 1 spot as the best job in the U.S. and also topped the healthcare list. These are the top 25 jobs in healthcare, according to U.S. News, listed alongside their median salary: 

Agrace expands hospice services into Milwaukee County Agrace.org; Press Release; 1/14/25 Residents of Milwaukee County who are in the final months of life have a new choice for high-quality, in-home hospice care. Agrace, the largest Wisconsin-based nonprofit hospice, has announced it is expanding its services into the county. For more than 45 years, Agrace Hospice Care has offered end-of-life care to people of all ages across southern Wisconsin. Milwaukee County residents can now enroll with Agrace to receive hospice care that comes to them where they live—in private homes, long-term care facilities or any other place they call home. In addition to a new regional office ... in Wauwatosa, Agrace has offices in Oconomowoc, Janesville, Dodgeville and Baraboo, and a hospice inpatient unit and residence in Madison. The Wauwatosa office is home base for an interdisciplinary care team that includes local hospice physician Andre Cernasov.

Friday is final deadline for McKnight’s Women of Distinction award nominations McKnights Senior Living; by Lois A. Bowers; 1/13/25 The final nomination deadline for the 2025 McKnight’s Women of Distinction awards program is Friday [1/17]. The annual program is presented by McKnight’s Senior Living, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Home Care ... Eligible for recognition in 2025 are women working as direct care providers, managers, executives, corporate executives and owners in independent living, assisted living, memory care and life plan communities, as well as those working in those capacities in skilled nursing facilities and in home care, home health, hospice and palliative care. ... Nominators for the Rising Star, Veteran VIP and Hall of Honor categories should be prepared to share detailed qualitative and quantitative information about nominees’ work histories, exceptional achievements and contributions or service, and anything else the judging panel should consider. [Click on the title's link for more information.] 

Prospect Home Health and Hospice, LLC bankruptcy filing BankruptcyObserver.com; Case Number 25-80011; 1/13/25 The bankruptcy petition for Prospect Home Health and Hospice, LLC [Northern District of Texas bankruptcy cour] showed assets in the range of more than $1B with liabilities in the range of more than $1B. Prospect Home Health and Hospice, LLC reports that the number of creditors is in the range of more than 100,000.

[UK] Volunteers collecting Christmas trees for charityBBC News, West of England; by Harcombe; 1/10/25Volunteers are collecting thousands of Christmas trees to raise money for a hospice. The team from Dorothy House Hospice offers the collection service across Somerset and Wiltshire and will be collecting trees from doorsteps until Sunday. Since the service was launched eight years ago, they have raised £370,000 for the hospice, raising more than £118,000 so far this year. Dan Varley, from the hospice's fundraising team, said: "We do it as a way to support the community, but also to raise funds for the hospice which is so, so vital for us." 

New inpatient centers unveiled as other hospice programs consider closure Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 1/9/25 Hospice providers across the country have recently launched new inpatient facilities as 2025 unfolds. The new year may also bring closures of certain hospice programs

Health systems: It's time to break up with short-termism Becker's Hospital Review; by Molly Gamble; 1/10/25Health systems begin 2025 emerging from a half-decade of crisis management. Now is the time for executive teams to lift their heads from quarterly survival and make bets on their long-term future. ... In recent years, a number of leaders, including those within health systems, openly declared their departure from 10-year strategic plans. Even five-year outlooks are considered ambitious, some argued. Agility and short-term performance is sometimes hailed as the hallmark of savvy leaders, while long-term vision risks being dismissed as impractical or naive. This mindset may have served its purpose during the stop-and-go nature of the pandemic, but risks leaving organizations flat-footed and without a defined strategy for what could come next. Teams may feel the shift. The return of competitive, distinct and long-term plans will require systems' executive teams and boards to revive organizational muscles that may have lain dormant through years of crisis response. 

No place like home: Oscar the pug reunites with owner in hospice KOAT 7 Action News, Albuquerque, NM; by Cristiana Ramos; 1/8/25 It was all smiles and licks Wednesday at Veteran Affairs in Albuquerque. Bob Knevitt, a Marine veteran and his pup, Oscar, reunited after Knevitt suffered a brain bleed during Christmas. Knevitt has been in hospice ever since. He recently had to do the unimaginable and put Oscar up for adoption. "It's hard to lose a dog, but in my situation, I had no choice, and I'm glad he's going to a good family," he said. ... It was a friendship too strong to break. Although Oscar has a new family now, he still comes to visit his dad ...

When drugstores disappear: Why nearly 15,000 Bostonians live in ‘pharmacy deserts’Boston Globe; by Diti Kohli, Tiana Woodard, Daigo Fujiwara-Smith, Thomas Lee; 7/25/24Many of these dead zones overlap with vulnerable communities — already poorer, sicker, and less well-resourced than the rest of the state. Where do patients go? ... Since 2017, at least 26 pharmacies have closed in Boston, and about 200 shuttered statewide, according to data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. State estimates show that a comparable number have since opened, though they rarely serve the same communities. Often left behind are so-called pharmacy deserts, pockets of the city where the majority of residents live at least a half-mile from the nearest drugstore, and lack cars to make the trip. A Globe analysis found that almost 15,000 people in Boston live in such deserts, without a reliable place to go for prescriptions, over-the-counter treatments, and medical advice. Many of these dead zones overlap with vulnerable communities — already poorer, sicker, and less well resourced than the rest of the state.Publisher's note: While a little dated, this article recently came across my desk and reinforced "new year's discussions" of pharmacy deserts - and hospice deserts. More to follow on this in 2025...

Hospice Insights Podcast [The Law and Beyond] - A year in review: Reflections and hopes for the future JD Supra; by Husch Blackwell LLP; 1/8/25 It’s our first podcast of 2025 and we wanted to start the year out with some reflections. Join Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske and Bryan Nowicki as they each share their biggest surprises and victories of 2024 and what is on their wish list for 2025.