Literature Review

Care Guide Partners PACE Center secures $500,000 grantThe News-Enterprise; 2/14/24Care Guide Partners, an affiliate of Hosparus Health, recently was awarded a $500,000 lead grant from the Legacy Foundation of Kentuckiana. This contribution supports the launch of the Care Guide Partners PACE Center, at 109 Buffalo Creek Drive in Elizabethtown. Scheduled to open next quarter, the PACE Center will increase accessibility to comprehensive health care services for seniors in and around the region, a news release from the organization said.

Why some health systems say 'hospital at home' not 'worth it'Becker's IT, by Giles Bruce; 2/9/24Some health systems have decided that providing hospital-at-home care "might not be worth it," NBC News reported. While "hospital at home" has exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly since CMS started reimbursing for it, some systems have been reluctant to partake in the trend because the CMS waiver expires at the end of 2024, ...

8 C-suite roles to watchBecker's Hospital Review, by Alexis Kayser, 2/8/24In the past year, more than 40 health systems have taken a closer look at their leadership teams — adding, subtracting, redesigning and combining roles to position their C-suites for the future. [Click on the title's link for] eight evolving executive positions Becker's is tracking.

Atlanta’s health care system is strained by major hospital’s closing, doctors and patients sayNBC News, by Bracey Harris and J.J. McCorvey; 2/7/24At Emory University Hospital Midtown in downtown Atlanta, two mobile pods have been stationed outside the emergency room. Doctors have been called in during extra busy “surge” times, and an administrator described patients on stretchers lining the halls. ... Nearby, Grady Memorial Hospital is so packed that ambulance traffic is sometimes routed to facilities miles away. ... These are the aftershocks from the closing in 2022 of Atlanta Medical Center in a city that already struggled to meet demand for services and provide accessible care. 

Petersen Health Care in battle for $50 million share of massive nursing home portfolioMcKnight's Long-Term Care News, by Josh Henreckson; 2/6/24An operator of nearly 100 Midwest care facilities is now embroiled in a two-front legal battle over more than $50 million in loans. Two lenders say that Petersen Health Care has failed to make payments due at 17 nursing homes across Illinois, Iowa and Missouri and are seeking foreclosure. The Peoria, IL, company is among the largest care providers in the region, employing several thousand care workers at its facilities in suburban and rural Illinois.

Study highlights financial burden of dementia on older adults, familiesGeorgia State University - School of Public Health, by Sam Fahmy; 2/7/24A team of researchers from the Georgia State University School of Public Health, the University of Washington School of Pharmacy and the University of California San Francisco analyzed data from a national sample of more than 4,500 adults aged 70 and older to arrive at what are thought to be the first comparisons of out-of-pocket expenses by dementia status and care setting. The researchers found that the median adult with dementia in residential facilities such as assisted living centers spent 97% of their monthly income on long-term care. People with dementia in nursing homes spent nearly 83% of their monthly income on long-term care.

CMS notifies HCA Mission Hospital of immediate jeopardy statusBecker's Clinical Leadership, by Erica Carbajal; 2/6/24CMS has sent a letter to HCA's Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C., to notify leadership that the hospital is in immediate jeopardy and must take action to avert the loss of federal funding...

Amedisys rolls out in-home testing to reduce hospitalizationsModern Healthcare, by Diane Eastabrook; 2/8/24Home health provider Amedisys said Thursday it will begin offering in-home molecular testing to patients that will help quickly identify urine, respiratory and wound infection pathogens.

FTC sues to block proposed CHS-Novant hospital saleModern Healthcare, by Alex Kacik; 1/25/24The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday sued to block Novant Health’s planned $320 million acquisition of two North Carolina hospitals from Community Health Systems, alleging the deal could increase costs and reduce care quality. In February, CHS and Novant signed a definitive acquisition agreement involving Lake Norman Regional Medical Center in Mooresville and Davis Regional Medical Center in Statesville, which is transitioning from an acute-care hospital to an inpatient behavioral health facility.

Arizona legislators call for more transparency, improved safety in assisted livingMcKnight's Senior Living, by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 1/30/24Arizona has joined a growing list of states where governments are calling for more transparency from assisted living communities through legislation following local media reports questioning resident safety in the setting.

[Home Health] Agencies score high on professionalism, lower on patients’ likelihood to recommend to others: CAHPS reportMcKnight's Home Care, by Adam Healy; 1/30/24Home health agencies across the U.S. were graded highly on their professionalism, but many patients have indicated they might not be likely to recommend their services to others, according to the Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems program’s most recent report. A total of 998,092 HHCAHPS surveys spanning more than 7,000 agencies were completed between July 2022 and June 2023, according to the report released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Patient-centered focus is key to reducing hospitalizations, value-based success, experts sayMcKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 2/6/24To keep hospitalization rates low — and thereby produce better results within the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) model — providers need a good understanding of patients’ goals to tailor care to meet their unique wants and needs. ... Keeping these goals at the forefront of care can reduce their chances of being hospitalized, according to Cindy Campbell, senior director of advisory services at healthcare technology firm WellSky. But defining patients’ goals is not just a recommendation, she noted: It’s mandated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The first 8 hospitals to attain Joint Commission's equity certificationBecker's Clinical Leadership, by Ashleigh Hollowell; 2/2/24Eight hospitals have achieved The Joint Commission's new health equity certification, which the accrediting organization rolled out in July. Key components of the certification require hospitals to make "health care equity a strategic priority and are collaborating with patients, families, caregivers and external organizations to identify and address needs that help translate equitable health care into better health outcomes," Jonathan Perlin, MD, PhD, president and CEO of The Joint Commission Enterprise, said in a June 27 news release just days before the program launched.