Literature Review

Estate gift boosts Hospice of the Foothills’ mission of compassionate careYubaNet.com, by Hospice of the Foothills; 3/27/24 Nonprofit Hospice of the Foothills is pleased to announce the receipt of a transformative estate gift generously bequeathed by Templeton Family Trust. This significant contribution underscores the enduring commitment of community members to support our mission of providing compassionate palliative, hospice, and bereavement services to those in need. John and Lucile Templeton, Hospice of the Foothills supporters, have exemplified the spirit of generosity and philanthropy. 

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.

WhidbeyHealth Hospice - $600,000 donation toward new buildingSouth Whidbey Record, WA; by Jessie Stensland; 3/26/24Thanks to an anonymous donation, the staff members of WhidbeyHealth Hospice will soon have their own space outside of the hospital in Coupeville. The board of Whidbey Island’s public hospital district voted last week to purchase a 3,100-square-foot building at 101 Northeast Birch Street in Coupeville. ... The [hospice] staff currently works out of an awkward space inside the hospital that’s not always easy for families to find. The office space acts as a hub for the employees and a place to store supplies. It’s also the site of volunteer training, patient care meetings and bereavement support. ... The hospital’s palliative services will also share the building.

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.

Enhancing interoperability in home health and hospice careMcKnights Home Care, by Tim Smokoff; 3/26/24In the dynamic realm of home health and hospice care, the seamless flow of information across care settings stands as a crucial element for ensuring quality patient outcomes and efficient workflows. Recent advancements in electronic health record (EHR) solutions within this sector have not only fostered enhanced care-team collaboration, but have also addressed challenges posed by evolving reimbursement models and workforce shortages.

[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. 

Full-time Las Vegas hospice employees working 32-hours a week. How does the nation compare? Fox 5 KVVU-TV, by Miles Friess and Nkiruka Azuka; 3/25/24Working four days a week, but getting paid for five. ... “This is a true four day work week,” said Owen Lawrie, one of the owners of Uplift Hospice.” It’s four [eight hour days], not four [ten hour days]. So it really is an extra 52 days off a year.” Uplift Hospice is a company that provides at-home hospice care. He says the schedule is not only beneficial to employees, but to their patients as well. “Because they are so appreciative of that extra day, the teamwork’s even better and then the quality of care just continues to be excellent,” he said.

Partners In Care sets sights on service diversification, hospice-pharmacy partnership Hospice News, by Jim Parker; 3/22/24 Hospice providers need to evolve with their changing patient populations and the larger health care system, according to Greg Hagfors, CEO of Partners In Care. The Oregon-based hospice, palliative care and home health provider recently celebrated the 45th anniversary of its founding, which preceded the establishment of the Medicare Hospice Benefit. ... Hospice News recently spoke with Hagfors about the ways the industry has changed since Partners In Care came on the scene — and how it is moving towards the future.

15 top health system workplaces, per USA Today Becker's Hospital Review, by Giles Bruce; 3/21/24 Fifteen health systems were named top workplaces in the U.S. by USA Today and human resources technology company Energage. Released March 20, the Top Workplaces USA 2024 list was determined using Energage's confidential employee engagement surveys and participating company benchmarks that take into account years of workplace culture research. [Click on the title's link to view these 15 health systems]Editor's Note: Each of these health systems has a hospice and/or palliative program. We honor your commitments and innovations to ensure "top workplace cultures" for your employees.