Literature Review

Hospice of WF surpasses $300,000 goal in Tree of Lights campaignKAUZ-TV (Wichita Falls, TX)December 15, 2023Wichita Falls, TX—Since November 21, the Texoma community has worked hard to help the Hospice of Wichita Falls reach their goal, which this year was $300,000. Alisa Echols, Executive Director at the hospice said with the amount of support that is shown throughout the year, she’s never surprised to see the amount they hoped for is met. ... At the last check on Friday, $315,000 was the amount raised.

Southern Utah man admits to trying to kill wife in hospice to ease her suffering, charges sayKTVX-TV (Salt Lake City, UT)December 14, 2023Washington County, UT—A southern Utah man is facing an attempted murder charge after he allegedly admitted to investigators that he tried to kill his wife two years ago to ease her suffering from terminal cancer.

Home Health & Hospice Care Reopens Renovated Inpatient CenterHospice NewsDecember 13, 2023fMerrimack, NH—Home Health & Hospice Care has reopened its inpatient facility in New Hampshire after expanding with a new addition. The Community Hospice House opened in November and serves patients in Merrimack, New Hampshire. ... All told, the hospice anticipates serving more than 600 patients annually at the center going forward, HHHC President and CEO Barbara Lafrance told local news.

Gentiva Opens De Novo in TennesseeHospice NewsDecember 13, 2023Gentiva has opened a new hospice in Greeneville, Tennessee, the latest move in the company’s growth trajectory. The de novo opened earlier this month, and will serve patients, families and facilities across both Greene and Cooke counties in eastern Tennessee. ... Gentiva is a portfolio company of the private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice. 

Kaiser Permanente lays off 115 IT employeesModern HealthcareDecember 12, 2023Kaiser Permanente has joined a growing list of health systems cutting back their IT teams. The Oakland, California-based health system confirmed it eliminated 115 workers from IT positions last month. Kaiser declined to specify how many IT employees were retained or provide detail about the roles and locations affected. Overall, Kaiser has about 220,000 employees. 

Compassus Looking For More AI Use Cases, Risk-Bearing Partners In Near-Term FutureHome Health Care NewsDecember 12, 2023As artificial intelligence becomes more applicable in health care, home-based care providers are finally diving into use cases that may work for them. The Brentwood, Tennessee-based Compassus is a prime example of that. A forward-thinking provider, it has been utilizing RPM and telehealth for years, even prior to COVID-19. Now, it’s looking at ways it can fit AI into its operations. 

‘Hospice is more about living better’ transitional care director says of misunderstood programTribune-Review (Pittsburgh, PA)December 11, 2023... There is an assumption a patient entering hospice care is not expected to live beyond six months, a guideline that is tied to Medicare coverage. But the experience of individual patients can vary widely, as evidenced by [senior living residents] the Pattersons [Robert, 97, and Joyce, 90,] and by former president Jimmy Carter and his late wife, Rosalynn. Like many who elect to receive hospice care, Rosalynn Carter entered the program toward the very end of her life—just days before her death Nov. 19, at 96. But it’s also possible for patients to beat the odds and have hospice care extended. Jimmy Carter was 98 when he entered hospice in February and continues to endure. 

Children in hospice care gifted Christmas presents in Virginia BeachWVEC-TV (Norfolk, VA)December 10, 2023Virginia Beach, VA—It’s the season of giving and Edmarc and Dominion Energy are teaming up to give back to families who need it most. Sunday morning, Santa Claus and a team of helpers from Dominion Energy and Edmarc delivered Christmas gifts to families with children facing life-threatening, terminal illnesses. Edmarc, a nonprofit that helps children in hospice care, organized the effort. The organization’s assistant director, Dorothy Jenson, said it’s about taking the stress off families who need a reason to smile. “The holidays are especially hard for some families... This puts everybody into the spirit,” she said. “We treat the whole family, not just the child who’s sick.” She said her team wanted to lift spirits and make sure families with sick children can make the most of the holidays.

Hospice of Michigan Receives $10,000 Grant from the Fund for the Community of the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community FoundationNews ReleaseDecember 5, 2023Petoskey, MI—Hospice of Michigan recently received a $10,000 grant from the Fund for the Community of the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation in support of its grief support services. The grant will help individuals in Emmet County, both adults and children, who are coping with the loss of a loved one.

How Health Equity Payment Models Are Impacting Hospice Staff DiversityHospice NewsDecember 8, 2023Recent health equity initiatives in hospice reimbursement may reverberate impacts into providers’ staff recruitment and retention strategies, particularly when it comes to leadership roles. ... While equity-focused reimbursement channels like ACO REACH hold promise in helping to reduce disparities, unknowns exist around how providers should shape their care delivery approaches and where to pour operational and financial resources, according to Hospice of Acadiana CEO Keith Everett. ... A key for hospices to understand about health equity payment programs is that strategies to improve disparities can come in a variety of ways, which can be both a challenge and opportunity for providers, Everett said. ... One area of focus is to grow a more diverse employee base—not just in terms of interdisciplinary staff who interact with patients and families, but also among leadership teams, according to André Lee, co-founder and administrator of Heart ‘n Soul Hospice. ... Community collaborations are key to knowing where to search for hospice professionals from diverse backgrounds, according to Agrace Hospice & Supportive Care CEO Lynne Sexten.

Teleios Collaborative Network Announces Teleios University GraduatesNews ReleaseDecember 7, 2023Hendersonville, NC—Teleios Collaborative Network announced its 2023 Teleios University graduates. Eleven individuals successfully completed the year-long program, earning their certificates in leadership excellence. TU’s Leadership Excellence program is unlike any other. This one-year course is provided through monthly webinars, experiential monthly activities, quarterly challenges and more. It culminates with a capstone project and earns each participant who completes the assignments a certification in leadership excellence. This year’s graduates include the following leaders in the Hospice and Serious Illness Sector:

South Arkansas Regional Hospital announces new inpatient hospice servicesBanner News (Magnolia, AR)December 8, 2023Magnolia, AR—South Arkansas Regional Hospital in El Dorado now offers general inpatient hospice services in partnership with Arkansas Hospice, the state’s largest non-profit provider of hospice care. The new service, which went into effect Dec. 1, demonstrates both organizations’ commitment to meeting the comprehensive healthcare needs of the community and ensuring compassionate care for patients and their families. ... With this GIP partnership, Arkansas Hospice will augment the direct patient care provided by South Arkansas Regional Hospital with an interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers and chaplains to support patients and families during this challenging time. In addition, GIP patients will have access to dedicated family rooms designed to create a welcoming environment and ensure the comfort and privacy of patients and their loved ones, according to a press release issued by SARH. 

Holly Ball 2023 Raises Over $850,000 for Three Central Minnesota StaplesKNSI-AM (St. Cloud, MN)December 7, 2023St. Cloud, MN—The CentraCare Foundation says the Hollyball Gala Saturday night saw 1,200 people raising over $850,000 for three important central Minnesota staples. The proceeds will benefit the Central Minnesota Child Advocacy Center, CentraCare Hospice, and the Coborn Cancer Center. Living up to this year’s theme, “Be The Good,” the money will help the hospice center purchase the Empathy app which provides real-time support, day or night, for families of hospice patients during the grieving process.