Literature Review

Oregon reviews UnitedHealth deal for Amedisys home health, hospice The Lund Report; by Nick Budnick; 6/4/24State officials are asking members of the public to weigh on the proposed acquisition of Amedisys — a hospice and home health and company that operates in Roseburg, Salem and Portland — by an increasingly controversial health care giant called UnitedHealth Group. Inc.  UnitedHealth operates Optum, a subsidiary whose takeover of a clinic chain in the Eugene area has sparked numerous complaints. The state recently approved the company's acquisition of  The Corvallis Clinic, an 11-clinic company operating in three counties. Now, it proposes to take over the Oregon offices of a Amedisys, a publicly traded firm, and the transaction has federal officials contemplating a lawsuit to block it. UnitedHealth and Optum are under increasing scrutiny for their market dominance and allegations of anticompetitive conduct.

What health system CEOs need to tackle conflict, change Becker's Hospital Review; by Laura Dyrda; 5/31/24  Health system CEOs are leaving behind ego-driven, top down leadership in favor of a trusting and a supportive culture to guide their organizations and transform healthcare delivery. Change is hard, but necessary, to grow. "One of my greatest realizations is the importance of fostering a culture where every individual genuinely feels valued and supported," K. Craig Kent, MD, CEO of Charlottesville, VA.-based UVA Health and executive vice president of health affairs at the University of Virginia told Becker's. ... Change is happening on many fronts. More care is exiting the hospital to be delivered at outpatient sites, in the home and through virtual connections. Patients are more actively participating in decision-making about their care, and digital technology makes it possible to personalize care more than ever before. ...

The state of the hospice nursing workforceHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 5/28/24Honing clinical scheduling and onboarding models is key to sustaining the hospice nurse workforce as demand for these clinicians rises and wages lag compared to those in other settings. Future generations of health care clinicians may be woefully unprepared to address both the quantity and and the complexity of emotional, physical and spiritual needs among a swelling aging population nearing the end of life.

Providence Hospice-Community Healthcare of Texas and Ascension Providence Hospital collaborate to enhance inpatient hospice care Community Healthcare of Texas; 5/28/24 Providence Hospice-Community Healthcare of Texas, the state’s largest not-for-profit hospice and palliative care provider since 1996, has partnered with Ascension Providence Hospital in Waco to provide inpatient hospice care for qualified patients. The new designated hospice wing will open on June 1 and feature five private rooms located on the fourth floor of Ascension Providence Hospital.

BetterRX and Hospice Dynamix announce strategic partnership to reduce pharmacy costs for hospice agencies NBC News Channel 8, Salt Lake City, UT; by EIN Presswire; 5/31/24 BetterRX, a leading hospice pharmacy services and technology provider, and Hospice Dynamix, a revolutionary time-on-service predictive analytics platform, today announced a strategic integration partnership. This collaboration will leverage Hospice Dynamix's proprietary Predicted Length of Stay (PLOS) technology to enhance BetterRX's proprietary medication ordering and management platform, enabling hospice providers to make ordering decisions based on the individual patient, creating immediate savings for the hospice.

Tech solutions for better patient care: How modern tools are transforming hospice management NerdBot; by Nerd Voices; 5/30/24 Hospice care, fundamentally centered on providing comfort and support to terminally ill patients, has traditionally been a deeply personal and human-centric field. However, as technology advances, it is clear that modern tools can significantly enhance the quality of care. Integrating technology into hospice revenue management allows caregivers to streamline operations, reduce errors, and focus more on delivering compassionate care.

Manassas Park teens complete inaugural nurse aide course while earning high school diploma ABC News 7 Washington DC; by Victoria Sanchez; 5/30/24 Ten Manassas Park seniors completed their high school nurse aide program and are on their way to being certified by the Virginia Board of Nursing, all while earning their diploma. The inaugural Nurse Aide Pathway class is a competitive, five-day-a-week program that teaches the teens 22 skills they need to become a CNA. They also learned outside the classroom during 40 hours of clinical rotations at a local hospice center. ... “This is the best opportunity I could ever have in high school and will forever be one of the best opportunities I ever have in my life,” said student Javi Sedeno Cisneros. He has an eye on earning an MD after becoming a CNA. ... During their time at the hospice center, the 17-year-olds experienced life lessons most of their peers won’t learn for years.... [Read more for this inspiring, innovative solution.]

The Foundation of Community Hospice & Palliative Care raises $328,000 at C.A.R.S. Benefit Event JaxChamber - Jacksonville News (FL); 5/29/24The Foundation of Community Hospice & Palliative Care is pleased to announce that the recent Children are Rock Stars (C.A.R.S) benefit event, presented by Ring Power and held at The Brumos Collection, raised an impressive $328,000. “We extend our heartfelt thanks to Ring Power and the dedicated C.A.R.S. committee for their incredible effort and unwavering support, which were instrumental in making this event a success,” said Annie Tuttle, Executive Director of The Foundation of Community Hospice & Palliative Care. “Their commitment to our cause and the generous contributions from our donors and sponsors have made a significant impact.”

Early talks about governance essential for nonprofit hospice affiliations Hospice News, by Jim Parker; 5/28/24 Nonprofit hospices can combine their businesses in a number of ways, including traditional acquisitions, board member substitutions and other types of affiliations. However, member substitutions are becoming more common, according to Meg Pekarske, partner at the law firm Husch Blackwell. While this model offers benefits it can also become a political minefield that can sink an affiliation. ...

Publicly traded hospice companies poised for dealsHospice News; by Jim Parker; 5/24/24The nation’s publicly traded hospice companies are primed for more acquisitions after a 2023 slump, fueled by census and growth. Transaction volume declined in the hospice and home-based care space in 2023, following the two record-breaking prior years. [Examples include:]

Would an 'unbossed' culture work in healthcare? Becker's Hospital Review; by Madeline Ashley; 5/24/24 The workforce has seen an influx of changes and trends come and go in a post-pandemic world, with more employees taking the reins and standing up for new, flexible ways to get their jobs done. One such trend catching on lately is the "unbossed culture." The term describes a work environment wherein management assumes more of a leadership role than a supervisor role. The hands-off approach makes for fewer check-ins, allowing employees to have more ownership over how they tackle and complete their tasks. While this new workforce trend spreads across multiple industries, the glaring question remains, "Would an unbossed culture work in healthcare?" 

Data paramount in hospice-payer, referral partner negotiationsHospice News; by Jim Parker; 5/23/24As hospice and palliative care providers move further into value-based care, data is becoming paramount to building payer and referral partner relationships. In this climate, hospices that can demonstrate their value — and their ability to financially and operationally weather changes in an evolving reimbursement landscape — will have a leg up on competitors. Key data points include performance on the Hospice Item Set, the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys and other quality measures.

Opinion: I care for people in their final days. Here’s what I’ve learned about hospice.San Diego Union-Tribune; by Kim Ann Dang; 5/23/24[Commentary] Dang, M.D., is a physician specializing in hospice and palliative medicine with Sharp HospiceCare, as well as family medicine with SharpCare, and lives in San Diego. As a doctor specializing in the care of older adults, I have witnessed firsthand the profound impact that timely, compassionate hospice care can have on patients and their families. Hospice isn’t just a service, but a philosophy of care that focuses on enhancing the quality of life for those facing end-stage diseases. It supports people in their final months and weeks, ensuring comfort, dignity and respect. ... Hospice is not about hastening death; it’s about enriching the quality of the time that remains. I urge health care providers, patients and families to consider hospice care not as a last resort but as an integral part of compassionate, dignified end-of-life care.