Literature Review

The benefits of integrating palliative care into home-based care programs Home Health Care News, by Patrick Filbin; 3/18/24 Navigating new service lines can be daunting, especially when integrating palliative care into existing service lines. Yet, as some providers can attest, embracing change can also yield significant benefits. ... “It’s easier to remain in your own silo,” Tiffany Hughes, COO PalliCare Inc., said at the Hospice News/Palliative Care News Palliative Care Conference in Tampa, Florida. “I saw that [mindset] coming from hospice where it’s the perfect model of care because you control everything. When you start adding in different elements and add more hands into the pot, it gets more complicated.” Providers who are integrating more models of care into their operations are showing that – in general – the juice is worth the squeeze.

Palliative Care integration on the rise Hospice News, by Jim Parker; 3/13/24A range of medical specialties are incorporating palliative care principles into their care models. The trend points to ways that patients might receive palliative services through new avenues, such as geriatrics, primary care or home health care. 

The U.S. health system should focus on pre-acute care, not post-acuteForbes, by Howard Gleckman; 3/5/24The U.S. health system focuses an enormous amount of money and attention on post-acute care—the medical treatment patients receive after they have been discharged from a hospital. But it would more cost-effective, and far better for patients, to refocus on what you might call pre-acute care: what the U.S. can do to prevent those hospitalizations in the first place.

Revolutionizing Elderly Care: Palliative Care's growth and integration into Value-Based ModelsBNN, by Olalekan Adigun; 3/5/24Amid the rapidly evolving landscape of healthcare, palliative care is undergoing a significant transformation, marking a new era in the management and delivery of healthcare services to the elderly. Dr. Jason Black, a seasoned family medicine practitioner with a specialized fellowship in geriatrics, is at the forefront of this change. Working for Gilchrist, a hospice and palliative care organization in Baltimore and central Maryland, Dr. Black embodies the integration of palliative care into the broader healthcare framework, emphasizing value-based care models.

3 predictions for the future of post-acute careBecker's Hospital Review, by Mariah Taylor; 2/28/24Robust in-home care, advances in technology and seamless access to nursing facilities are some of the ways leaders anticipate post-acute care may change in the next 50 years. Here, three leaders give their predictions and hopes for the industry in the future.

Growing palliative care a key priority for Amedisys in 2024 Hospice News, by Jim Parker; 2/23/24Amedisys is pushing forward on palliative care growth in 2024 through its innovation arm, Contessa. The company acquired Contessa in 2021 for $250 million. ... The company has been making substantial investments in building out its palliative care services, particularly through risk-based contracts.

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, ...

Study shows 'alarming' sharp increase of colon cancer in younger AmericansThe National Desk, by Jamel Valencia; 1/17/24Colorectal cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and the second in women under the age of 50, according to the American Cancer Society's annual report on cancer facts and trends. It indicated that colon cancer moved up from being the fourth leading cause of cancer death in both younger men and women two decades ago to first in men and second in women. Breast cancer leads in women under 50 with 2,251 deaths in 2021.

A looming crisis: Millennials caring for aging parentsFalls Church News-Press, by Brian Reach; 1/11/24... Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, comprise roughly 73 million Americans. By 2030, all boomers, and over 70 million Americans in total, will be ages 65 and older. This represents an at least 25 percent increase in the number of senior citizens — in just over five years.

Home health agencies grapple with 'acuity creep' as patient needs become more complexHome Health Care News, by Patrick Filbin; 1/5/24As the demand for home-based care continues to rise, so does the need for more intensive care plans as patients continue to be sicker and more complex. Home health agencies are feeling this “acuity creep,” and they’re adjusting. But at times, it’s hard to keep up. “When I’m talking about acuity creep, I’m thinking about how much need do the patients in our care models require?” Michael Johnson, president of home health and hospice at Bayada Home Health Care, said. “It’s not just medical needs, either — there’s a social need as well."

Family Caregivers Far Prefer Hospital At Home Over Brick-And-Mortar AlternativeHome Health Care News, 12/22/23The hospital-at-home model can help alleviate caregiver stress, and that could be one of the model’s main selling points moving forward. The evidence behind that is from a new DispatchHealth case study, which explored caregiver fatigue within the hospital-at-home model by asking, “Does this innovative care model alleviate or exacerbate caregiver stress?” The results were encouraging, Kevin Riddleberger—the co-founder and chief strategy officer of DispatchHealth—told Home Health Care News. ... An overwhelming majority (95%) of respondents preferred in-home care over the traditional hospital setting, with 68% saying they had a strong preference for hospital-level care in the home. The other 5% selected hospital-based care as their preference. An almost identical number of caregivers—96%—found in-home care less stressful than a previous in-patient hospital experience.

‘Now is the time’ for hospital-at-home—Medically Home CEOModern HealthcareDecember 20, 2023Rami Karjian, co-founder and CEO of Medically Home, understood the possibilities of leveraging technology to deliver hospital-level care outside facilities when he helped launch the Boston-based company nearly a decade ago.

Fitch downgrades Butler Health System’s bond debtPittsburgh Post-GazetteDecember 12, 2023Butler Health System’s financial challenges continued Monday with a ratings downgrade of its bond debt. Fitch Ratings issued a one-notch downgrade to ‘BBB-,’ outlook negative, because of accelerating losses and a “weaker than budgeted operating loss” of $12.97 million for the three months ending Sept. 30, up from a $1.6 million loss posted for the same quarter in 2022. BHS, a subsidiary of Independence Health System, is seeking a waiver from a debt service coverage requirement from bondholders, which otherwise could lead to a default.