Literature Review

New FTC regulations could create obstacles for hospice M&A Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/24/24 Changes to federal rules governing mergers and acquisitions could have sweeping effects on hospice and other health care transactions. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently finalized a rule that will implement changes to required pre-merger notification forms. Pursuant to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, parties to certain transactions must submit these documents to the FTC and other regulatory agencies to help identify and address potential antitrust concerns. The law requires that transactions exceeding $120 million must submit the form, which agencies will use to conduct a 30-day premerger assessment, according to Luke Smith, member at the law firm Bass, Berry and Sims. The final rule will likely complicate the closing of some hospice acquisitions.

SSM Health at Home joins Wisconsin Hospice & Palliative Care Collaborative Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/22/24 The home health and hospice provider SSM Health at Home has joined the Wisconsin Hospice & Palliative Care Collaborative (WHPCC). SSM Health at Home is part of the SSM Health System. Headquartered in Missouri, the system also services patients in Illinois, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. WHPCC was incorporated as a 501c3 organization in 2021. The collaborative includes members Agrace, Rainbow Hospice Care, Unity Hospice, Adoray Home Health & Hospice, Hospice Alliance and Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice. Their combined geographic footprint covers 80% of the state.

Funding approved for homeless hospice program SacCountyNews, Sacramento, CA; by Janna Haynes; 10/22/24 The Board approved, at its Oct. 22nd meeting, up to $1,137,788 in funding to complete construction on Joshua House, a facility that provides end-of-life comfort care for homeless individuals with terminal illnesses, after being discharged from an acute care hospital. Joshua’s House specifically provides a location for homeless patients to receive home-like hospice services when they, by definition, do not have a home to receive such care and may otherwise be unsheltered at the time of passing. Joshua’s House provides shelter, food, clothing and certain volunteer comfort services. In addition, YoloCares will provide licensed expert/specialized end-of-life care for individuals and families facing a life-limiting illness. Yolo Cares has provided high-quality hospice care across the six-county region for nearly 50 years. YoloCares also recently became an enhanced Care Management and Community Supports provider through CalAIM.

Dombi scholarship established HomeCare, Tampa, FL; 10/21/24The National Alliance for Care at Home and its legacy organization have established a scholarship fund in honor of retiring National Association for Homecare and Hospice (NAHC) President Bill Dombi, leaders announced Monday at the organization’s transitional conference in Tampa, Florida. ... The William A. Dombi Scholarship Fund at the University of Connecticut, Dombi’s alma mater, topped its initial fundraising goal of $50,000 and was on the way to $100,00, said Marcylle Combs, a NAHC board member who organized the gift. NAHC and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) merged this year to create the new Alliance, ... The scholarship announcement followed a moving video send-off to Dombi, who has been with NAHC since 1987, when he came aboard as lead counsel and helmed the landmark lawsuit that reformed the Medicare home health services benefit. (Read his retirement interview with HomeCare here.)

Southern Tier Health helps HomeCare & Hospice, Total Senior Care on USDA grant Olean Times Herald, Olean, NY; by Kellen M. Quigley; 10/22/24 A collaboration between three local agencies looking out for the health and well-being of their clients is getting a modern technological boost thanks to a federal grant. The Southern Tier Health Care System, Inc. (STHCS) was recently awarded nearly $140,000 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Rural Utilities Service Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program. This funding is meant to empower rural communities by leveraging advanced technology to connect residents and healthcare providers, overcoming the challenges of distance and low population density. Of the total grant, $114,606.80 was allocated to HomeCare & Hospice and Total Senior Care for state-of-the-art digital communication and remote learning tools, including high-definition displays, advanced cameras and integrated audio systems.

Leveraging sales strategies in hospice payment cap management Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/22/24 Errors or other inconsistencies with the payment cap can have significant consequences for providers, and sales and marketing staff can help hospices achieve a healthy balance. The cap is designed to prevent overuse of hospice, put controls on Medicare spending and foster greater access to care among patients. For Fiscal Year 2024, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services set the cap at $33,394. In 2025, this will rise to $34,465. If a hospice has a cap liability, they will have to repay that amount to Medicare. In some situations, a hospice might face additional monetary penalties, interest charges or referrals to the U.S. Treasury Department in severe cases.

Enhabit Home Health & Hospice Becomes Age-Friendly Health Systems participant HomeCare, Dallas, TX; 10/21/24 Enhabit Inc., a home health and hospice provider, announced it has been recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) as an Age-Friendly Health Systems participant. The Age-Friendly Health Systems is an initiative of the John A. Hartford Foundation and the IHI, in partnership with the American Hospital Association and the Catholic Health Association of the United States. The Age-Friendly Health Systems aims to follow a set of evidence-based practices, cause no harm and align with what matters to the older adult and their family caregivers. Age-Friendly Health Systems participants are recognized for aiming to become an Age-Friendly Health System and have submitted examples of how they put four elements of care—the “4Ms”—into practice with older patients. ...

The powerful companies driving local drugstores out of business DNYUZ; 10/19/24 The small-town drugstore closed for the last time on a clear and chilly afternoon in February. Jon Jacobs, who owned Yough Valley Pharmacy, hugged his employees goodbye. He cleared the shelves and packed pill bottles into plastic bins. Mr. Jacobs, a 70-year-old pharmacist, had spent more than half his life building his drugstore into a bedrock of Confluence, Pa., a rural community of roughly 1,000 people. Now the town was losing its only health care provider. Obscure but powerful health care middlemen — companies known as pharmacy benefit managers, or P.B.M.s — had destroyed his business. This has been happening all over the country, a New York Times investigation found. P.B.M.s, which employers and government programs hire to oversee prescription drug benefits, have been systematically underpaying small pharmacies, helping to drive hundreds out of business.

Best Places to Work in Healthcare - 2024Modern Healthcare; 10/16/24Transparency, compassion and trust are the hallmarks of any good relationship — including those between employers and employees. The winning companies of this year’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare awards keep their staffs engaged by offering expansive benefits, flexible schedules and the chance to give back to their communities. The honorees also set high standards of integrity and accountability, while providing opportunities for growth. [Congratulations to all award winners, including:]

5 Reasons you should work with people who think differentlyForbes; by Kate Vitasek; 10/17/24One of the most common pitfalls we see in the business world is when organizations exclusively work with people who think like they do. While at first glance, this could seem like it would help the organization become more unified; in the long run, it can actually do more harm than good. Instead, you should seek to work with people who think differently from you. By bringing in people with unique perspectives and backgrounds, you can unlock a host of valuable benefits that will serve you well in the short and long term.

Training the next generation of hospice leadersHospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/18/24As hospice providers scramble to hire new clinical staff, they also need to consider who will be their next generation of leaders... To prepare the next generation to take the helm, providers need to think now about leadership development, Lisa Novak, CEO of Northern Illinois Hospice, said at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s (NHPCO) Annual Leadership Conference in Denver. “It’s an intentional choice for all of us as leaders to provide our staff some time to nurture their skills, some time to sit with them …,” Novak said at the conference. “Hospice is interdisciplinary. We know how to bring different voices to the table. We know how to bring different styles to the table. Where we fall short is we’re sometimes resource light, and we don’t carve out the time, the intentionality to do it.”Notable mentions: Demetress Harrell, Hospice of the Pines; Phil Ward, Community Hospice & Palliative Care.

How quality, compliance, technology factor into hospice recruitment Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 10/17/24 Quality, compliance and technology investments are becoming increasingly crucial when it comes to hospices’ recruitment and retention strategies as they seek to gain an advantage in the health care labor market. Finding and keeping quality employees who are able to keep up with the fast pace of today’s hospice compliance landscape has become a challenging feat, according to SilverStone Health CEO Alfonso Montiel. The Dallas, Texas-based health system provides palliative, home health and hospice, among other services. ... More than half of hospices nationwide underwent multiple audits simultaneously during 2023, according to survey findings from LeadingAge, the National Alliance for Care at Home and the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI). ...

The future of healthcare systems with Richard Church Podcast by Teleios Collaborative Network; by Chris Comeaux; 10/15/24 In this conversation, Chris Comeaux interviews Rich Church, the Chief Growth and Strategy Officer of Parkview Health in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.  Chris and Rich discuss the future of nonprofit healthcare systems.  Rich explains that nonprofit systems need to think like for-profit organizations in the future in terms of managing their finances, but the difference lies in how they use their margins to invest back into their communities. Nonprofits use their margins to provide care to those who may not have access otherwise, while for-profits distribute their margins to stockholders.  Rich also emphasizes the importance of innovation and simplification in healthcare, as well as the need for a cultural shift that encourages risk-taking and learning from mistakes.  The conversation explores the importance of preventing high acuity care and keeping patients healthier to bend the cost curve in the long run.