Literature Review

Alive names hospice industry veteran as CEONashville Post; 6/13/24Nonprofit adds leader one year after nixing would-be sale in face of public pressure. Hospice care and end-of-life services provider Alive announced Thursday that Kerry Hamilton will serve as president and chief executive officer.

Alive welcomes experienced hospice leader as new CEO: Middle Tennessee's only nonprofit hospice provider poised to build on industry-leading reputationAlive Hospice; 6/13/24Alive, Middle Tennessee’s only nonprofit provider of hospice and palliative care and end-of-life services, today announced Kerry Hamilton as the organization’s new president and chief executive officer. He will begin his new role on June 24. A highly accomplished health care leader, Hamilton joins Alive with more than 20 years of direct hospice management experience, including a decade as CEO of nonprofit Hospice of Central Ohio. ... Hamilton’s hiring comes one year after news broke that Alive was considering a sale to a for-profit entity. The news led to a tremendous outpouring of support from the community for Alive to remain nonprofit. Ultimately, the Board of Directors made the decision that Alive would remain an independent nonprofit organization. The Board then began the search for a new CEO who shared its vision for the future.

Tillery becomes 1st in NC certified as age-friendly care at homeThe Stanly News & Press; 6/10/24Tillery Compassionate Care has been officially named an Age-Friendly Care at Home organization by Community Health Accreditation Partner, Inc., (CHAP). Tillery Compassionate Care is the first hospice in North Carolina to achieve Age-Friendly Care at Home certification. “The 4Ms framework [what matters, medication, mentation and mobility] is evidence-based care and addresses the unique needs of older adults which leads to higher quality of life,” said Teresa Harbour, chief operating officer with CHAP.

Red River Valley expands services for dual-eligible populationsHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 6/11/24North Dakota-based Hospice of the Red River Valley is focused on expanding its home- and community-based services among dual-eligible Medicare and Medicaid populations in need of greater support. Serious and terminally ill patients in lower socioeconomic and underserved regions face several competing challenges in accessing health care, according to Tracee Capron, executive director at Hospice of the Red River Valley. Developing a sustainable care delivery model that better addresses unmet needs among patients and their families requires significant investment, Capron said. 

NPHI: Increase scrutiny of PE hospice transactions Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/11/24 Federal regulators should increase scrutiny of private equity activity in the hospice space, according to the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI). NPHI is a membership organization comprising more than 100 nonprofit, community-integrated hospice and palliative care providers from 38 states and the District of Columbia. The organization recently submitted comments in response to a Request for Information from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). 

Haven Hospice team members win three Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association awardsPress release; 6/5/24Gainesville, FL: Three Haven Hospice team members were awarded with Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association (FHPCA) Awards of Excellence at the 2024 FHPCA 39th Forum in Orlando, Florida.

New partnership aims to expand hospice services in EUP [Michigan]The Sault News; by Brendan Wiesner; 6/7/24 A new partnership between local and state organizations will help support hospice services for the Sault community. Several months ago, the Chippewa County Health Department decided to close its home health and hospice division. The division committed to providing hospice services until the end of 2024 or until a new program was made available for the community. The closing of the division did not affect the hospice services at the Hospice of the EUP, but it would have limited access to hospice services that are set up in people's homes. The division also provided some support to Hospice of the EUP through clinical support.Editor's Note: We posted a related article on 6/7/24, "Collaboration looks to fill void left by closure of Hiland Cottage Hospice." However, that article highlighted "Hiland Cottage Hospice" while this one focuses on "Hospice of the EUP."

Death with dignity: 50th anniversary of America’s first hospiceYankee Institute; by Andrew Fowler; 6/7/24 ... In the late 19th century, terminally ill patients faced undignified treatment or were even “refused admission to the hospital entirely” due to “availability of space and resources” or race and socio-economic class, according to Doctors, Death, and Denial: The Origins of Hospice Care in 20th Century America by Sarah E. Pajka. ... All of this shaped the outlook of Florence Wald — a former dean of the Yale University School of Nursing, and a Branford native. Growing up in the early 20th century, she recognized the flaws and inhumane nature of medical care toward terminal patients, telling the Associated Press (AP), on Nov. 26, 1971, that death is “a period of life that can have a lot of meaning. It can be content, full of joy, with lots of reminiscing.” But death needed to be “more human and meaningful,” as she stated in the same AP article. Throughout her career, Wald’s passion for palliative care revolutionized the medical profession, with her co-founding “The Connecticut Hospice,” the first in the United States, on June 11, 1974.  Since then, more than 5,200 hospices have been established in the country and millions have sought both in-patient and home care services. This is the story of how the first hospice was founded in Connecticut 50 years ago.  ... Editor's Note: This fascinating history of hospice's beginnnings illuminate core purposes, outcomes (are we measuring the right factors?), and current 21st century challenges. This article is published by the Yankee Institute, not Connecticut Hospice. This author frames this history as a stand against "euthanasia." Whatever one's ethical, political, or religious stand on today's MAiD issues (Medical Aid in Dying)--also referred to as physician assisted suicide--we invite you to find common ground in learning from our history and celebrating Florence Wald's co-founding of The Connecticut Hospice. For readers, what do you know about your hospice organization's history? What might you research and learn? Whom can you honor? Fifty years from now, what will be said of how your organization chose to address 2024's core hospice purposes, outcomes, and challenges?

Good Samaritan Hospice opens regions first freestanding hospice house CBS WDBJ TV - 7, Roanoke, VA; by Neesy Payne; 6/7/24 A grand opening celebration was held Friday, June 7, for the Sheila S. Strauss Hospice House. It’s the region’s first freestanding hospice house. It was a part of the original plans of Good Samaritan Hospice back in 1992, and 32 years later, it is now a reality. “Our primary focus will always be taking care of patients at home; but when that’s not possible, maybe someone has pain, or needs respite, or a situation just arises that they need a different level of care, then we will be able to provide that in a facility that looks and is designed to be as homelike as possible,” said President and CEO of Good Samaritan Hospice Aaron Housh. ... It includes 16 private rooms, a living room, dining room, a chapel, and a courtyard – all aimed to make residents and their families feel at home.

Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care grieves the death of hospice leaderThe Times Weekly; by Times Weekly Staff; 6/6/24 One of the former CEOs of Joliet Area Community Hospice, now known as Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care, has died. Duane Krieger was instrumental in the efforts to acquire land and build the first hospice residence in Illinois. Until this time, hospice care in this state was provided in patients’ homes and facilities. “Duane’s passion and dedication to building a free-standing hospice facility in Joliet was unwavering, said Mary Kay Sheehan, CEO of Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care. “Duane understood the need and knew who to talk to, in both the private and public sector, to secure funding and pass the regulations to build this hospice home and elevate the level of and access to hospice care. Duane always went above and beyond to ensure the residents of Joliet and the surrounding area had access to the care they needed. He was an inspiration and a true leader who will be missed.”

Forcura and HealthRev Partners announce Ecosystem Partnership Business Wire; 6/4/24 Forcura, a healthcare workflow management company, announces a strategic ecosystem partnership with HealthRev Partners, a prominent provider of revenue cycle management services for the home health, hospice, and palliative care sectors. This collaboration focuses on enhancing the referral process for agencies operating in these critical healthcare segments. 

Man killed elderly parents, partner and himself in murder-suicide at SW Miami-Dade home NBC 6 South Florida; by Laura Rodriguez; 6/3/24A man shot and killed his elderly parents and partner before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide at a home in southwest Miami-Dade Sunday, police and family members said. According to police, [Jesus] Regueira [Jr.] shot and killed his parents, 83-year-old Jesus Regueira Sr. and 84-year-old Mercedes Morato, 61-year-old Kyrsten Stahre, who police identified as his girlfriend but family members said was his wife, before turning the gun on himself. ... The bodies were first discovered by family friend Joanna Cruz, whose mother was bringing food to Morato, who was under hospice care. ... “I think the problem was his mom had a severe stroke and she was in hospice and his mom was his life. Because someone had said that he wasn’t handling it well. The mom was there, but she had hospice coming in. His mom was his favorite person in the world. I don't know about the dad but I just know that’s probably what happened," Carol Miloch said. Editor's Note: Workplace violence in healthcare settings continues to rise, and to be a leading cause for nurse unionization and strikes.

3 keys to hospice oversight preparation Hospice News; by Jack Silverstein; 6/4/24 When hospice providers are being investigated not just by CMS but the FBI, the stakes for compliance are higher than ever. In May of 2024, the federal law enforcement agency placed its spotlight on the rising number of complaints about hospice fraud, in which hospices participate in signing up seniors for care without the seniors’ knowledge. Integrity concerns are in four states: Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. The mechanics vary but the end result is the same: hospices getting paid for services they either did not provide, provided at a substandard level or had no authority to provide at all. ...