Literature Review

Heart disease, cancer remain leading causes of death in US Becker's Hospital Review; by Elizabeth Gregerson; 8/9/24 Heart disease and cancer remained the leading causes of death in 2023, according to provisional data released Aug. 8 by the CDC. Mortality data is collected by the National Center for Health Statistics National Vital Statistics System from U.S. death certificates, according to an analysis published Aug. 8 in JAMA. After a sharp increase in the rate of deaths from heart disease during the pandemic, the 2023 rate (162.1) reportedly was closer to pre-pandemic levels (161.5). The rate of deaths from cancer decreased from 146.2 in 2019 to 141.8 in 2023. Cause of death data is based on the underlying cause of events leading to death. Death rate is recorded as the age adjusted death rate per 100,000 deaths, authors of the JAMA analysis said.

New hospital beds and over-bed tables enhance comfort at Wayne T. Patrick Hospice House thanks to Lutz & Chester Healthcare Foundations The News & Reporter, Lancaster, SC; News Release; 8/12/24 Hospice & Community Care is delighted to announce the successful installation of eight state-of-the-art hospital beds and eight over-bed tables at the Wayne T. Patrick Hospice House. This significant upgrade was made possible by a generous $25,000 grant from The Herbert and Anna Lutz Foundation and a $15,000 grant from the Chester Healthcare Foundation, marking the latest contributions in our long-standing partnerships with both organizations. The new beds, which replace the original equipment from 2008, offer enhanced comfort and versatility for patients. 

Hospice chaplain accused of sexually assaulting woman at Sacramento County care facilityKCRA (Sacramento, CA); by Lindsay Weber; 8/8/24A Placer County man was arrested on Thursday, accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a care facility he worked for as a hospice chaplain, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said. The sheriff's office said Arthur Apgar was arrested for four counts of sexual battery against a person who is seriously disabled or medically incapacitated. Apgar worked for a private company that contracts with hospice facilities, officials said. The assault happened within the past week and was captured on surveillance video.

Hospices face ‘hard roads’ in budgeting for sustainable growthHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 8/9/24Hospice budgeting practices hinge on several factors, according to Matt Chadwick, CFO of Well Care Health. Building a sustainable financial structure for end-of-life care delivery can be a challenging feat when navigating the impacts of patient care and staffing needs, referral streams, operational expenses, billing claim cycles and compliance factors, Chadwick said... Quality and compliance are also important pieces of a hospices’ budget and growth potential as providers experience. Case in point, hospices that fail to comply with new quality reporting requirements set forth in the 2025 payment rule face a 4% penalty... “The budget should not just be solely 100% of the financial person’s responsibility,” Rachael Feeback, revenue cycle senior product manager of home and hospice at MatrixCare by ResMed, said. “It should be a conversation with the clinical side, the operational side, so that you’re understanding your different measurements for hospice and how that translates to the budget and not solely focused on the pure dollars behind it.”

Hundreds participate in 13th annual Run in the SunThe Oskaloosa Herald (IA); by Jeff Wilford; 8/6/24When the starting whistle blew Saturday morning, more than 500 people crossed the starting line in the 13th annual Run in the Sun at William Penn Stadium. Abba's "Dancing Queen" blared over the mobile sound system's speakers. The run is a fundraiser for Mahaska Health Partnership's Hospice Serenity House. ... Participants in the event could chooses to register for either a 5k run or a 2k walk. Registration for either was $25. Donors who contribute $500 or more get their names included on the back of t-shirts made up for the event, said Amanda Doud, director of the Mahaska Foundation. There are 22 names. ... The size of donations varies. "We have a lot of families that donate $100, $200," Doud said. On the other end, Mahaska Rural Water donated $5,000 to the event, which was matched by CoBank, Doud said. Volunteers also took donations the day of the event — a first for them, Doud said. "We had a donor come forward, said all the funds raised the morning of the event, they will match," up to $20,000, Doud said. "We've never had a matching gift or anything like this before." How much money was raised isn't yet available, Doud said.

Scout crafts labyrinth for hospice[Scotland] The Laurinburg Exchange; by Deon Cranford III; 8/6/24Cullen Polk, a rising senior at Scotland Early College High School, recently left a lasting mark on Hospice of Scotland County by creating a beautiful labyrinth on the organization’s grounds. This remarkable project was undertaken as part of Polk’s Eagle Scout initiative, showcasing his dedication to service and his desire to make a positive impact on those in a time of need. Inspired by his brother’s Eagle Scout project in 2021 and his mother’s (Laura Adams) continued support as a community and fundraising volunteer for Hospice of Scotland County, when it came time for his own project, Polk reached out to Hospice of Scotland County volunteer coordinator Bunny Hasty for ideas.

Pennant’s home health, hospice growth ‘significantly ahead’ of prior expectationsHome Health Care News; by Audrie Martin; 8/7/24The Pennant Group Inc. (Nasdaq: PNTG) leaders highlighted the company’s significant home health growth Tuesday. They also teased continued expansion in the East Coast and elsewhere. “We are thrilled to report record-breaking second quarter results as we continue to experience momentum across all our service lines and create meaningful growth opportunities for local leaders and teams,” Pennant CEO Brent Guerisoli said during the company’s second-quarter earnings call. “Our financial performance and growth trajectory reflect the consistent efforts we have applied to every aspect of our business through our five key focus areas: leadership development, clinical excellence, employee engagement, margin and growth.” The Pennant Group is a holding company based in Eagle, Idaho, with independent operating subsidiaries that provide health care services through 117 home health and hospice agencies and 54 senior living communities across 13 states.

Hospice patient and wife renew marriage vows in special silver anniversary ceremony[MS] WDAM; By Charles Herrington; 8/3/24Buddy and Sonja Myers celebrated 25 years of marriage with a special ceremony at Life Church. The couple renewed their vows during that ceremony. The ceremony was arranged by caregivers at ComfortCare Hospice of Laurel. Buddy Myers has cancer and is a hospice patient. “We went to the Justice of the Peace and got married, and I still laugh at Buddy to this day because he was repeating the vows to the judge and the judge said, ‘You’re not marrying me, tell her,’” Sonja Myers said... The Myers were married on June 8, 2000. Sonja Myers wanted to wear a wedding dress as they planned to renew their vows. That’s when caregivers at ComfortCare Hospice stepped in. “After I got to talking with the family, it came to me that (Sonja) wanted to walk down an aisle next year, at their 25th (anniversary) and so, I started contemplating for a little while and thinking about it and was like, ‘We could make that happen a little early,’” said Raven Anderson, a registered nurse with ComfortCare Hospice.

How systems are changing compensation to attract executive talentModern Healthcare; by Caroline Hudson; 8/6/24Organizations are paying higher salaries, reassessing incentives, redefining leadership roles and investing more in key positions to optimize operations, according to SullivanCotter. The firm provides data from more than 2,100 health systems, hospitals, medical groups and health plans for Modern Healthcare’s 2024 Executive Compensation Survey. Here are five takeaways from the survey findings.

Empath Health, American Health Plans launch ISNP joint ventureHospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/6/24The nonprofit senior care provider Empath Health is partnering with the Medicare Advantage organization American Health Plans (AHP), a division of American Health Partners to serve patients who are enrolled in Institutional Special Needs Plans (ISNP). ISNPs are Medicare Advantage plans that are designed to serve beneficiaries who live in skilled nursing facilities. Through the Empath partnership, members of AHP’s American Health Advantage of Florida ISNP will receive interdisciplinary services from TruHealth of Florida, the clinical arm of the ISNP. TruHealth is a newly established joint venture between AHP and Empath. Patients will also have access to Empath Health’s “full-life care” model.Notable mentions: Jonathan Fleece, Empath Health CEO.

Bluegrass Care Navigators receives grant award from Disabled Veterans National FoundationAppalachian News-express; 8/5/24Bluegrass Care Navigators announced in a statement it has received a grant from the Disabled Veterans National Foundation for $18,000 which will allow BCN to focus its Integrative Medicine therapies on serving more of veteran patients.

Hospice advocate Judi Lund Person ... featured on Close Up Radio Western Slope Now, Ashburn, VA; by EIN Presswire; 7/26/24 (article) and 7/29/24 (recording)... Talking about where you’d like to be, who you’d like to be, and what you’d like to do is essential to entering this life-stage with confidence and grace. As the former Vice President of Regulatory and Compliance at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and a longtime advocate for hospice services under Medicare, Judi Lund Person has been working hard for more than 40 years to protect the definition of hospice care and to provide resources and guides for hospice providers to meet the Medicare requirements and provide high quality hospice care. ... Her passion for supporting patients and families during and after death began as a child. “When I was 12, my dad had a heart attack at night and passed when he was only 42. With two younger sisters, ages eight and ten, I was stunned that no one seemed to know what to do with us concerning our grief as children. We were left to try and figure it out on our own. I always thought that wasn’t quite right. Deep down, that experience was a driver for my career. I always knew families deserved more support during the grieving process,” shares Ms. Person. Editor's Note: Click here for the session's description. Click here for the recording. 

‘Sharpen your game:’ Dombi tells hospices to step up in face of stricter government oversight McKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 7/22/24The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has hospice on its radar, and providers’ best safeguard against unwanted attention is to take oversight measures into their own hands, according to William Dombi, president of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. “Sharpen your game before somebody knocks on your door,” Dombi said Monday during a press conference at the 2024 NAHC Financial Management Conference in Las Vegas. He recommended that hospice providers look internally to identify problems that could raise regulators’ alarms. An independent audit, he noted, could be helpful for spotting potential noncompliance... He later noted, “Hospices believe they’re compliant when they’re probably not.”