Literature Review

7 hospitals closing departments or ending services Becker's Healthcare; by Andrew Cass; 7/12/24 A number of healthcare organizations have recently closed medical departments or ended services at facilities to shore up finances, focus on more in-demand services or address staffing shortages. Here are seven department closures or services that are ending or have been announced, advanced or finalized that Becker's reported since June 1: 

Cherokee nation: Closing gap in health care disparities Native News Online; by Churck Hoskin, Jr.; 7/14/24 ... American Indians in Oklahoma die on average 17 years earlier than their non-Indigenous neighbors. While this finding is alarming, it comes as no surprise to the Cherokee Nation or to the nearly 40 other tribal nations in Oklahoma. ... Even as we continue our advocacy efforts, we cannot afford to wait for the federal government to fulfill its responsibilities. That's why the Cherokee Nation, which operates the largest Native American health care system in the country, is taking unprecedented steps to address this crisis head-on. ... [We] are confident our historic investments in health care and wellness are improving health outcomes for our Cherokee citizens. Construction continues on the Cherokee Nation’s new $400 million, 400,000-square-foot state-of-the-art hospital being built in the capital city of Tahlequah. The new hospital will include an ER, surgery, ICU, imaging, pharmacy and lab, neo-natal ICU, hospice, dietary and acute care, and many other services. 

A ‘Culture of Caring’: Calvary Hospital’s 125 year legacy in hospice and palliative care Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/11/24 Calvary Hospital in New York City is a progenitor of the hospice and palliative care models, but it has its eyes on the future nevertheless. The only hospital in the nation that is specifically devoted to hospice and palliative care, Calvary is celebrating the 125th anniversary of its founding this year. The faith-based organization was established in 1899 by a group of Catholic widows who called themselves the Women of Calvary. Its initial mission was to care for dying women who had been abandoned by the health care system, often with nowhere to live and no one to care for them.

A Hospice Transitions Program for patients in the Emergency Department JAMA Network Open; by Christopher W. Baugh, MD, MBA; Kei Ouchi, MD, MPH; Jason K. Bowman, MD; Ayal A. Aizer, MD; Alexander W. Zirulnik, MD, MPH; Martha Wadleigh, MD; Angela Wise, MHA; Paula Remón Baranda, MEM; Richard E. Leiter, MD, MA; Bradley J. Molyneaux, MD, PhD; Andrea McCabe, RN; Panupong Hansrivijit, MD; Kate Lally, MD; Melissa Littlefield, MBA; Alexei M. Wagner, MD, MBA; Katherine H. Walker, MD, MSc; Hojjat Salmasian, MD, MPH, PhD; Kourosh Ravvaz, MD, PhD; Jada A. Devlin, BSN; Karen Lewis Brownell, RN, BSN, CEN; Matthew P. Vitale, MD; Frantzie C. Firmin, MS, RN; Nelia Jain, MD; Jane deLima Thomas, MD; James A. Tulsky, MD; Soumi Ray, PhD; Lynne M. O’Mara, MPAS, PA-C; Elizabeth M. Rickerson, MD; Mallika L. Mendu, MD, MBA; 7/8/24Patients often visit the emergency department (ED) near the end of life. Their common disposition is inpatient hospital admission, which can result in a delayed transition to hospice care and, ultimately, an inpatient hospital death that may be misaligned with their goals of care. Conclusions and relevance: In this quality improvement study, a multidisciplinary program to facilitate ED patient transitions was associated with hospice use. Further investigation is needed to examine the generalizability and sustainability of the program.Editor's Note: We posted an article on 7/10/24 that describes the significance of this research,"Study finds new program streamlined hospice transitions from the emergency department." 

A professional’s perspective: Ageism within the healthcare system; does it exist? Northern Kentucky Tribune; by Jeff Rubin; 7/6/24 A friend of mine named Dee recently shared with me a particularly unpleasant experience she had with a young hospital discharge planner regarding her 97-year-old mom in California. It appears Dee had a heck of a time trying to get her mom discharged to home health care rather than hospice, even though the particular care she needed could have been better delivered at home. A geriatrician by training, Dee ... recognized the invaluable role of hospice in providing end-of-life care. However, the situation she found herself in was less a question of end-of-life and more of palliative care. ...  A recent study in the US sampling 2,035 individuals between 50 and 80 years of age revealed that 93.4% experienced ageism firsthand. Their perception extended to professionals like doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers, and psychologists whose services included working with older people. [Click on the title's link for significant data, descriptions, and resources.]

Former Kentucky hospital nurse charged with patient credit card fraud Becker's Hospital Review; by Alan Condon; 7/2/24 A nurse previously employed by Baptist Hospital East in Louisville, Ky., was arrested July 1 for allegedly using patients' stolen credit cards, according to ABC affiliate WHAS. Kentucky State Police charged Lauren Miller with stealing two or more patients' credit cards and fraudulently using those cards, according to the report. Ms. Miller allegedly used the credit cards for purchases totaling more than $1,000 between Nov. 27 and Dec. 7. ... "She is not employed by Baptist Health. In accordance with federal privacy laws, we are unable to share any additional information," a spokesperson for the hospital told Becker's. 

Why one hospital merger stands out among the rest Becker's Hospital Review; by Andrew Cass; 7/3/24 Two rival hospitals in Terre Haute, Ind., seeking to merge are the first to test the state's certificate of public advantage (COPA) law, The Washington Post reported July 3. Five things to know:

16 hospital M&A moves to know in the 1st half of 2024 Becker's Hospital Review; by Andrew Cass; 6/28/24 From a Tenet selling spree to Risant Health's acquisition of Geisinger, here are 16 hospital merger and acquisition moves to know from the first six months of 2024. 

Grief care efforts should include settings outside of hospice, provider group say McKnights Senior Living; by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 7/3/24 If standards are developed for high-quality bereavement and grief care, they must apply to settings outside of traditional hospice care, such as affordable senior housing, where there is a “critical lack” of mental health services. That’s according to LeadingAge, which submitted comments last week to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality on a draft report from a research project that will inform an independent panel that will develop standards for high-quality bereavement and grief care. Katy Barnett, LeadingAge director of home care and hospice operations and policy, highlighted the need for cross-continuum grief and bereavement assessments, interventions and resources, including in settings outside of traditional hospice care, such as affordable senior housing.

Apply now for AHA’s 2025 Circle of Life Award recognizing end-of-life and hospice care providersAmerican Hospital Association press release; 5/30/24Applications are open through July 24 for AHA’s 2025 Circle of Life Award, which recognizes hospitals and health systems that advance end-of-life and hospice care that is safe, timely, efficient, effective and equitable. There will be up to three recipients of the award, and Citations of Honor may also be presented to other noteworthy programs.

AMA Advocacy 2024 efforts American Medical Association; by AMA; Updated June 2024, 6/27/24 There are far too many everyday practice challenges interfering with patient care. That’s why the American Medical Association is advocating to keep physicians at the head of the health care team, reform the Medicare physician payment system, relieve the burdens of overused prior authorizations and so much more. [Key advocacy efforts include:]

Patient experiences of specialty palliative care in the perioperative period for cancer surgery Journal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Laura M Holdsworth, Rachel Siden, Anna Sophia Lessios, Mae Verano, Elizabeth Rickerson, Bridget Fahy, Fabian M Johnston, Brittany Waterman, Rebecca Aslakson; 6/19/24 online ahead of print  Context: Though patients undergoing treatment for upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancers frequently experience a range of sequelae and disease recurrence, patients often do not receive specialty palliative care soon after diagnosis and it is unknown in what ways they may benefit.  Results: We found five themes that characterized patient experiences and perceptions of specialty palliative care. Patients typically had limited prior awareness of palliative care (theme 1), but during the study, came to understand it as a "talking" intervention (theme 2). Patients whose concerns aligned with palliative care described it as being impactful on their care (theme 3). However, most patients expressed a focus on cure from their cancer and less perceived relevance for integration of palliative care (theme 4). Integrating specialist palliative care practitioners with surgical teams made it difficult for some patients to identify how palliative care practitioners differed from other members of their care team (theme 5).