Literature Review

Veterans guest house to open a hospice home: Serving veterans through their final journey ABC 8 KOLO, Reno, Nevada; by Rebecca Kitchen; 11/11/24 For the last 30 years, the Veterans Guest House has made a commitment to serve veterans and their families as they seek medical care in our area. And over those 30 years, the need has grown tremendously. In fact, the Guest House has regularly been at capacity this year. To accommodate the increased need, the Veterans Guest House has also expanded on the services it offers. ... Every day, veterans and their families are confronted with end-of-life decisions. Some, have the resources to live out those days in comfort. But others face those last moments with uncertainty. “So, our solution is providing a home so they can get the hospice care and the 24-hour care that they need when they can’t get that where they live,” said Froslie. The current home and mission remain the same. This is a second home that will offer a cost-free, private residence for veterans in their final days. It is not a medical facility. Veterans will enroll with a hospice provider of their choice, who will oversee their medical needs. 

$1M state grant awarded to fund Erie’s first residential hospice center WJET Erie, Erie, PA; by Nicole Lee; 11/7/24 A state grant injects new life into a plan to build Erie County’s first residential hospice center. The palliative care clinic, which will be built in McKean Township, just received a $1 million state grant. Now, its planners are looking for community support to bring the plan to the finish line. “On Friday we got a call from Representative Banta saying that we got a $1 million RACP grant,” said Julia Strzalka, executive director of the Julia Hospice & Palliative Care. [Click here for Julia Hospice & Palliative Care.]

Cynder Sinclair: Calling nonprofits and donors to prepare for Giving Tuesday [Dec 3] Noozhawk, Santa Barbara, CA; by Cynder Sinclair; 11/7/24 Giving Tuesday, the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving and the internationally recognized day to contribute to charity, is upon us. It’s time for all nonprofits and donors to get ready. Unlike Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday invites us to improve our community by donating to causes that resonate with us. ... Preparing for Giving Tuesday can significantly boost a nonprofit’s fundraising efforts. Here are some key steps to get ready:

Column: Norbert Peiker, architect and marathon runner finishes his life’s raceRichland Source; by Carl Hunnell; 11/7/24Norbert Peiker was never a cancer survivor. He was a cancer thriver. And when he left this earth Oct. 28 at the age of 84, it wasn’t because he finally lost a heroic 28-year battle with bone cancer. Losing was never in his mentality during his long and accomplished life. Nor was it a part of his death. Cancer took his body. It never touched his mind. Or his heart. I first met Norbert Peiker during his brilliant tenure as a long-distance runner when I came to Mansfield in 1990 as a reporter at the Mansfield News Journal. ... Norbert then called me each evening to tell me how many miles he had run that day. ... He covered the distance in 12 days, averaging 38 miles a day, and raising $50,000 along the way. [Through the years he] completed 47 marathons, including five Boston Marathons. [That] would merely scratch the surface of Norbert Peiker, the man. ... In September, however, he told me, “My Friend, fighting pain, immobility and mental stress for years, my focus deserves to be reconnection with quality of life; therefore, I have decided on joining hospice home care. With a strong loving family on my mind I’m truly blessed.” [Click on the title's link to read this inspiring story.]

Why Judy Faulkner believes in 'yin-yang' leadership Becker's Health IT; by Giles Bruce; 11/4/24 Epic founder and CEO Judy Faulkner says effective leadership teams typically consist of people who balance each other out. She pointed to the definition of "yin and yang" as "complementary and at the same time opposing forces that interact to form a dynamic system in which the whole is greater than the assembled parts and the parts are important for cohesion of the whole," she wrote in a Nov. 4 blog post. Ms. Faulkner has often noticed that two people in leadership roles have great success together because they're so different.

How hospices can leverage palliative care to ‘stay relevant’ in value-based care Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 11/6/24 U.S. health care is moving steadily towards value-based reimbursement, and having a robust palliative care program can help hospices ensure they are not left behind. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working to ensure that 100% of Medicare beneficiaries are aligned with a risk-based payment model by 2030. This can include Medicare Advantage (MA) and Accountable Care Organization (ACO) programs. With hospice reimbursement confined to the traditional Medicare benefit, a palliative care program is a likely entry point for those providers to access value-based reimbursement, Sue Lynn Schramm, a partner of the hospice and palliative care consulting company Confidis LLC, said in a presentation at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization Annual Leadership Conference. This may be even more the case now that the hospice component of the value-based insurance design model (VBID), often called the Medicare Advantage Hospice Carve-In, is ending on Dec. 31, Schramm said.

Arden Home Health and Hospice partners with ADP to formally announce opening of Hattiesburg offices Accesswire; by Arden Home Health & Hospice; 11/4/24 Arden Home Health and Hospice is excited to announce the formal opening of its new corporate headquarters in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. This marks a key milestone in the company's growth and success. The celebration, held on Friday, November 1, 2024, featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony in partnership with the Area Development Partnership (ADP). Under the leadership of Founder and CEO Abb Payne, Arden has experienced tremendous growth, having doubled the size of its workforce in just 11 short months. Payne emphasized the importance of this expansion, particularly for South Mississippi: "The opening of our Hattiesburg headquarters is more than just a brick-and-mortar event; it symbolizes a year of incredible growth and success. Our family's goal has always been to keep jobs in South Mississippi, and this new office represents our commitment to this region."

VITAS touts significant Q3 success, projects future growth McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 10/31/24 VITAS, the home care and hospice subsidiary of Chemed, achieved robust financial results in the third quarter of 2024 and is poised for continued growth, company leadership said Wednesday during an earnings-related conference call. “We are excited about the continued strong results of VITAS,” Kevin McNamara, president and chief executive officer of Chemed, said, according to a transcript. “We are very bullish on the prospects for VITAS for the remainder of 2024 and beyond.” In the quarter ended Sept. 31, VITAS generated $53.4 million in profits, a 20.6% increase compared with the prior year quarter. Revenues rose 17.2% to $391.4 million. Chemed as a whole produced $75.7 million in net profit, a 1% increase year-over-year, behind revenues that increased nearly 7.4% to $606.1 million, according to an earnings report.

Why home health deserts are spreading across rural states Modern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 11/1/24 Home health deserts are increasing at an alarming rate across some rural states as home health companies close or reduce services due to financial challenges. Home health companies in Maine, Nebraska and Minnesota say a proposed Medicare rate cut, low Medicare Advantage reimbursements and workforce shortages are forcing them to make difficult business decisions — leaving many communities with limited access or no access to post-acute care in the home. ...  Approximately 800 home health providers have closed over the past five years, according to the National Alliance for Care at Home, a trade group that represents the industry. Alliance CEO Dr. Steve Landers mostly blames a Medicare home health payment model that went into effect in 2020 for reducing Medicare reimbursements and causing financial stress for providers. “While closures are significant, we are also getting reports that providers are restricting the territory they serve as a first step to addressing their financial stresses,” Landers said in an email. “This appears to be especially concerning in rural areas where no other provider is available to step in.”

Longer hospice stays among dementia patients save Medicare dollars Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 11/4/24 Hospice utilization has tripled among patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) during the past two decades. The trend has ignited concerns about these patients’ lengths of stay, as well as praise for hospices’ cost-savings potential. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers analyzed Medicare fee-for-service claims spanning between 1999 and 2019, including data on hospice billing, patient enrollment, hospitalizations, health costs and chronic condition indicators. Roughly 14.7% of ADRD patients utilized hospices services in 2019, nearly triple the 4.4% of patients who received this care in 1999, according to the research, which was published in the National Bureau of Economic Research. The research compared billing claims among nonprofit and for-profit providers to explore spending associated with longer hospice stays among dementia patients. ...

St. John makes donation to hospice The Fayette County Record, LaGrange, TX; by News Staff; 11/4/24 St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Fayetteville, dedicated a percentage of this year’s annual feast proceeds to Hospice Brazos Valley. A check in the amount of $9,000 was presented by Father Steve Sauser at the Sunday morning Mass. Receiving the check for Hospice Brazos Valley were nurses, Liz Jones and Kelly Muzny. [Full article may require a subscription.] 

Local hospice care offers services The Tribune, Seymour, IN; by Chey Smith; 11/1/24 St. Croix Hospice has recently expanded its reach locally to those in the community who need the resources they provide, ... The firm provides hospice care throughout the Midwest including three other branches in Indiana — Jeffersonville, Newburgh and Indianapolis. While in Seymour, they are able to serve Jackson County as well as those residents from Bartholomew, Brown, Jennings, Lawrence, Monroe, Scott and Washington counties. Caregivers at each hospice location live in the communities they serve, allowing in-person care for patients whenever they need it. Services are available nights, weekends and holidays. Chris Thomas, regional director of clinical operations at St. Croix’s Indiana locations, talked about the importance of this closeness and flexibility. “We wanted to move to this location because we wanted to service the local community,” Thomas said. “Try to stay closer to the community for faster response time.” This phase of someone’s life can be scary, but Thomas says that it doesn’t have to be that way. “People are scared when they hear the word hospice. We just want to let the community know that it’s okay. It doesn’t mean you’re giving up,” he said. “We really want to focus on the time they have left.”

Future-proofing healthcare: Upskilling the workforce to meet tomorrow’s challenges Healthcare Business Today; by Chris Trout; 11/4/24 A surgical technician recently told me, “We’re constantly helping people.” This simple yet powerful sentiment captures the essence of what healthcare workers ... focus on every day. However, the healthcare industry is undergoing profound changes that will shape its future over the next decade and beyond. These changes, driven by workforce shortages, AI and technological advancements, and shifting skill demands, have the potential to either enhance or burden healthcare systems. ... One of the most significant forces driving change is the shortage of healthcare workers, especially in critical areas like nursing. ...  The replacement cost for a nurse is estimated to be between $40,000 and $60,000, covering recruitment, temporary staffing and lost productivity. But these numbers don’t account for the consequences of staffing shortages: diminished patient care, declining morale and increasing mental health challenges among overworked staff. Despite these challenges, healthcare organizations have a remarkable opportunity to develop talent, especially in entry-level and middle-skill roles. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]