Literature Review

Pacs Group CEO calls for caution when dealing with private equityModern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 5/30/24Do you think private equity is becoming a problem for nursing homes? [Pacs Group Chair and CEO Jason Murray replies] I’m not saying that all private equity is inherently bad, but I do think that if providers are not careful about how the capital is aligned with their mission as a company, then you can get into some dangerous situations. As the company tries to perform, they might not be at the level where the capital partner would like them to be, so the business plan changes. Whenever that business plan changes from patient care to a return on capital, it’s a losing scenario.

Improving nursing home care goes beyond helping nursesMcKnight's Long-Term Care News; by Kristen Fischer; 5/30/24An editorial published Monday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society [Quality of care for older adults in nursing homes: It begins with registered nurses but does not end there!] points out flaws in moves to improve nursing home care outlined in a report published in March. Authors of the March report [RNs in nursing homes—It is not always about the numbers] shared a method to move beyond staffing numbers and optimize the workload of registered nurses. The model detailed nurse accountability, decision making, continuity of information and continuity of care. The authors shared the differences between RN work in the nursing home compared with acute care hospitals, and they also emphasized the importance of geriatric nursing knowledge.

Record numbers of nursing homes are shutting down in New EnglandBoston.com; by Beth Treffeisen; 5/30/24[Personal story about multiple moves, due to shutdowns:] ... Her dad had to spend his entire life savings on care, about $400,000. “And now he’s being treated like this,” Jones said. “He gets moved around, shuffled around like an object.” The nursing home closures affect not only the patients, like Jones’s father, but also the larger health care system and local communities they serve. Experts in the field say the loss of long-term care facility beds has led to backups in emergency rooms, and family members are leaving the workforce to care for the elderly or sick. ... According to a Boston Federal Reserve report, there were 150 less nursing facilities in New England at the end of fiscal year 2023 than there were at the beginning of 2010, a 15 percent decrease.

Kaiser physicians vote to unionizeBecker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 5/24/24Resident and fellow physicians employed by Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California voted to join the Committee of Interns and Residents, a local chapter of the Service Employees International Union. Nearly all participating voters (99%) cast ballots in favor of unionization, according to a May 23 CIR/SEIU news release. The National Labor Relations Board has not yet certified the results. Pending certification, the total percentage of residents represented by CIR/SEIU in California will reach 82%, according to the union.

US News adds Medicare Advantage data to rankingsBecker's Hospital Review; by Laura Dyrda; 5/22/24U.S. News & World Report is now including Medicare Advantage data in the rankings for Best Hospitals, according to a U.S. News blog post. The publication previously relied on Medicare data, but as more beneficiaries opt for commercial Medicare Advantage plans, U.S. News decided to expand its scope. The next set of rankings, scheduled for publication on July 16, will include risk-adjusted mortality rates for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries in 11 adult specialties. U.S. News weighted mortality scores at 36% of the overall ratings with traditional Medicare data. The weight will shift with the combined mortality score from both Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans.

Tuesday Health launches revolutionary Supportive Care solution with $60 million of strategic investment from healthcare leadersInvestors Observier; by PR Newswire; 5/21/24Tuesday Health, a pioneer in value-based care dedicated to transforming serious illness, has launched its innovative supportive care solution in partnership with Valtruis, Blue Venture Fund, Mass General Brigham Ventures , and CareSource. This alliance brings a $60 million strategic investment to Tuesday Health, fueling its mission to redefine supportive care for patients and caregivers facing serious illnesses. "Leveraging clinical expertise, advanced data solutions, and cutting-edge technology, while partnering with Ohio's largest Medicaid plan, its largest hospice provider and the unmatched palliative care experience of Mass General, Tuesday Health is dedicated to tackling one of healthcare's biggest challenges-providing support and care in the right setting, at the right time, for those facing serious illness", said Jim Wieland, CEO of Tuesday Health.Editor's Note: What is the difference between supportive care and palliative care? Click here for a description from ASCO, the American Society of Clinical Oncology. 

Home health, hospice veterans behind BoldAge PACE’s nationwide expansion Home Health Care News; by Andrew Donlan; 5/20/24 BoldAge PACE – a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) operator – is expanding, led by a leadership team filled with multiple home health and hospice veterans. In May, the company opened two new locations in Kentucky and Indiana, and the plan is to open up more locations in short order. As of right now, it has 14 locations spanning coast to coast, located in California, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, South Carolina, Florida and New Jersey. ... “I think there’s a lot of similarities [between PACE] and where hospice was in the ‘80s,” Russell Hilliard, the chief growth officer of BoldAge PACE, told Home Health Care News’ sister site Hospice News. ... Currently, there are 163 PACE organizations operating more than 300 centers, according to the National PACE Association. There are nearly 76,000 PACE participants across the country.

Breaking down walls: The other care models marking their territory in home-based careHome Health News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 5/17/24Traditional home-based care companies aren’t the only ones serving seniors, while helping shift care away from brick-and-mortar settings. Adult day, PACE and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) without walls are a few of the care models working to meet the needs of seniors that want to age in place. In many ways, these care models are natural allies to home-based care providers.

Hospital-at-home grows despite regulatory uncertaintyModern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 5/17/24Health systems and technology companies are betting big on home-based hospital care, despite regulatory uncertainty about the program’s future. Hospitals are bullish on at-home acute care because it can save money and make more beds available in their facilities for sicker patients. Medicare also pays health systems the same rate as it would for an inpatient admission. Since January, two health systems and 16 hospitals launched hospital-at-home programs under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver, bringing the total number of programs to 336 across 37 states, according to the agency’s website. More programs are slated to launch this year as Congress considers whether to extend the waiver beyond its Dec. 31 expiration date. Hospital-at-home allows certain patients to receive acute-level care where they live through telehealth and in-person visits, supplemented with remote patient monitoring. The concept gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic when CMS approved a waiver in 2020 to alleviate overcrowding in hospitals. Large health systems, including Mass General Brigham, Geisinger and the Cleveland Clinic have invested heavily in home-based acute care. Many smaller hospital systems are doing the same by leveraging in-home care technology.

PE Sponsors Of Comfort Keepers, New Day Healthcare Are In Home-Based Care For The Long HaulHome Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 5/13/24While some private equity investors have been sidelined by macro and micro headwinds, there are still plenty of PE firms invested in home-based care that like where they are.

Long-term care workers grapple with twice the ‘toxic stress’ as others, study showsMcKnight's Long-Term Care News; by Josh Henreckson; 5/14/24Nurses and nurse aides in long term care report rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) double that of the general population - results that should lead providers to more aggressively support and communicate with their workforce, authors of a new research study said Tuesday. The study suggests that providers should invest in mental health initiatives for their workers to address and prevent the effects of toxic stress. Nearly 60% of those surveyed had never sought mental health support for these traumatic experiences.

UnitedHealth Group's Optum to close Ohio location, lay off 129Modern Healthcare; by Lauren Berryman; 5/17/24UnitedHealth Group’s Optum will lay off 129 employees and close a Toledo, Ohio, facility, according to a notice filed with the state's job and family services department. The separations are expected to take place in three waves, from July 15 to September 6, and will affect employees in Ohio and remote locations, Optum said in the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice filed Thursday. The affected employees include senior software engineers, senior technology product managers, associate business systems analysts and associate business operations coordinators, the notice said.