Literature Review

Grant helps launch paramedicine program for patients in need Westfair Business Journal, Sleepy Hollow, NY; by Westfair Online; 11/15/24 Northwell Phelps Hospital received a $125,000 grant from the Phelps Community Foundation to help launch the Westchester Community Paramedicine Program. ... They will utilize remote physiological monitoring to track blood pressure, oxygen saturation and cardiac rhythms, providing convenient and cost-effective care compared to emergency room visits. “This program is designed to address the gap in access to primary and nonemergency medical care for vulnerable populations,” said Barry Geller, M.D., chair of the emergency department and associate medical director at Phelps Hospital. ...  The initiative will first focus on patients served by Phelps’ palliative care, geriatric and emergency medicine programs with plans to expand service to cancer patients. It is expected to reach approximately 200 individuals during the first year, ...

New Health Equity Guide from Center to Advance Palliative Care provides a roadmap to transform care for black patients with serious illness Cision PRWeb; by Center to Advance Palliative Care; 11/13/24 Having medical concerns dismissed, not being believed when reporting pain, and facing multiple barriers to care are just three of the experiences reported to Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) in a focus group of Black patients with serious illness. In fact, when Black people in the United States are living with a serious illness like cancer, heart failure, or dementia, they experience disproportionately high suffering compared to white patients—often due to poor pain management, low-quality communication from their care teams, and high family caregiver burden. To address these inequities, CAPC has released a new, comprehensive guide, Advancing Equity for Black Patients with Serious Illness, to equip palliative care leaders and health equity change agents with practical tools to implement meaningful change. Drawn from research, examples of health equity initiatives from across the country, and the wisdom of health equity leaders, the guide provides a practical roadmap for transforming care for Black patients, and their families and caregivers.

National program helped 27 states develop background check processes for long-term care McKnights Senior Living; by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 11/11/24 A national background check program was so successful in helping states develop or enhance systems for conducting background checks of prospective long-term care employees that more than a quarter million prospective employees were disqualified from working in the sector, even after funding for the program ran out, according to a final report on the program. The US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General released a final analysis on Thursday of the National Background Check Program for long-term care providers. The agency reported that 29 states participated in the program between 2010 and 2024 and that the program helped 27 of them develop programs to identify efficient, effective and economical procedures for conducting background checks on prospective long-term care employees. During the National Background Check Program, states disqualified at least 106,000 individuals with criminal convictions from employment. Disqualifying criminal convictions included offenses of murder, assault, battery, robbery, theft, fraud and forgery. 

Long-term care market to grow by USD 394.8 billion from 2024-2028, as aging population drives demand with AI impact on market trends - Technavio Cision; by PR Newswire; 11/8/24 Report on how AI is redefining market landscape - The global long-term care (LTC) market size is estimated to grow by USD 394.8 billion from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of over 3.21% during the forecast period. Growing demand for long-term care from aging population is driving market growth, with a trend towards expansion and growth of several healthcare domain. However, lack of skilled nursing staff for long-term care  poses a challenge.Key market players include Abri Health Care Services LLC, Amedisys Inc., Brookdale Senior Living Inc., CareOne Management LLC, Diversicare Healthcare Services Inc., Extendicare Canada Inc, FCP Live In, Genesis Healthcare Inc., Honor Technology Inc., Illumifin Corp., Kindred Health Holdings LLC, Life Care Centers of America Inc., Revera Inc., SeniorLiving.org, Sonida Senior Living Inc., Sunrise Senior Living LLC, and Wickshire Senior Living.

Most heart failure patients miss out on guideline-recommended palliative care Cardiovascular Business; by Dave Fornell; 11/6/24 Over the past decade, the American Heart Association (AHA) and European Society of Cardiology have recommended integrating palliative care into heart failure management. Despite these recommendations, the use of palliative care for heart failure remains low in the United States. Racial and geographic variations in access and use of palliative care are also pronounced, highlighting health disparities. These were the findings of a recent study in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers at Saint Louis University led the study and said only one in eight patients with heart failure in the United States receive palliative care consultations within five years of diagnosis. Their study highlights the alarmingly low uptake of palliative care among adults with heart failure in the U.S., especially compared to patients with cancers that have the same mortality rates. The study also pointed out significant racial and geographic disparities. Black patients were 15% less likely to receive palliative care compared to their white counterparts. They said this disparity is particularly concerning given the higher cardiovascular risk and mortality rates in the Black population.

CareTrust, JV partner to acquire 31 skilled nursing facilities in $500 million deal Skilled Nursing News; by Tim Mullaney; 10/29/24 CareTrust REIT (NYSE: CTRE) and a joint venture partner have reached an agreement to acquire a portfolio of 31 skilled nursing facilities for approximately $500 million, the company’s largest acquisition to date. San Clemente, California-based CareTrust anticipates that most of the facilities will be operated by existing partners of the REIT, including The Ensign Group (Nasdaq: ENSG), PACS Group (NYSE: PACS) and Links Healthcare Group, the company announced Tuesday. The portfolio being acquired totals 3,290 licensed beds, with 30 of the locations in Tennessee and one in Alabama. CareTrust anticipates that the deal will close in the fourth quarter of 2024. ... PACS will be adding 12 of the 31 properties to its ranks, all 12 are in Tennessee; PACS currently operates 276 post-acute care and senior living facilities across 15 states. This is a new state for the Utah-based operator. PACS may purchase the real estate on six of the facilities between years four and seven of the lease with CareTrust, PACS said in a statement.

Medicare Part D paid millions for drugs for which payment was available under the Medicare Part A Skilled Nursing Facility Benefit HHS Office of Inspector General; Report Highlights; 10/27/24 What OIG Found: ... On the basis of our sample results, for 2018 through 2020, we estimated that up to the entire Part D total cost of $465.1 million was improperly paid for drugs for which payment was available under the Part A SNF benefit. Of that amount, we estimated that approximately $245.4 million was for drugs that the medical records showed were administered to Part D enrollees during their Part A SNF stays.What OIG Recommends: We made five recommendations, including that CMS work with its plan sponsors to adjust or delete PDEs, as necessary, and determine the impact to the Federal Government related to the Part D total costs of $953,370 for drugs associated with our sample items for which payment was available under the Part A SNF benefit; work with its plan sponsors to identify similar instances of noncompliance that occurred during our audit period and determine the impact to the Federal Government, which could have amounted up to an estimated $465.1 million in Part D total cost; and provide plan sponsors with timely and accurate information, such as dates of covered Part A SNF stays, to reduce instances of inappropriate Part D payment for drugs for which payment is available under the Part A SNF benefit. ... CMS concurred with all five recommendations.

Louisiana partners with Elizabeth Dole Foundation's Hidden Heroes Campaign Audacy.com; by Laine Griffin; 10/24/24 Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry announced last week his support for the more than 100,000 military and veteran caregivers in the state by joining the Elizabeth Dole Foundation’s Hidden Heroes Campaign. The campaign’s goal is to raise awareness and bring critical resources to military and veteran caregivers, who are referred to as hidden heroes and care for wounded, ill or injured service members and veterans. ... Currently, there are 2.3 military and veteran caregiver children and 14.3 million military and veteran caregivers who care for America’s wounded, ill, or injured veterans or service members, according to the foundation’s website. ... The 14.3 million military and veteran caregivers provide care valued at a minimum of $119 billion.

New hospice special focus programAmerican Health Association / National Center for Assisted Living; by Amy Miller; 10/22/23 ​​As required under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, CMS has established a hospice special focus program (SFP) in the Calendar Year (CY) 2024 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) final rule (88 FR 77676). Through increased regulatory oversight and enforcement of the selected poor performing hospice programs, the SFP will address issues that could place hospice beneficiaries at risk of receiving poor quality of care. The hospice SFP is like the current Special Focus Facility (SFF) program in place for nursing homes. As many nursing homes refer residents to hospice programs and may receive questions from residents or their families, it will be important to keep informed if there are noted quality of care issues. 

Healthcare trends & transactions Q3 2024 Bass, Berry & Sims; by Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC; 10/21/24 In the healthcare mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market, while deal volumes varied across different sectors, by and large the sure and steady pace of deal volume in Q2 continued into Q3. Moreover, several positive developments in Q3—namely, the Federal Reserve (finally) cutting interest rates, the courts striking down the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) national ban on non-competes, and California Governor Newsom’s vetoing Assembly Bill 3129—may serve as the catalysts needed to boost activity as we head into the final stretch of 2024.

Communication gaps among clinicians may limit conversations about prognosis, hospice Healio - HemOncToday; by Jennifer Byrne; 10/16/24 Clinicians in acute or post-acute care settings may delay or avoid serious illness conversations with patients whose cancer prognoses are worsening out of deference to the patient’s oncologist, according to study findings. Researchers conducted 37 semi-structured interviews with physicians and leaders in hospital medicine, oncology, palliative care, home health care and hospice. Investigators coded and analyzed the interviews using thematic content analysis. Evaluation of the responses yielded insights into how care silos, lack of clear clinical roles and other factors may affect communication between oncologists and other clinicians. ... "We know that the 3-month window after an older adult with cancer is discharged to a skilled nursing facility can be comprised of complex medical decision making and changing preferences of care. Lack of appropriate serious illness communication during this time can result in unwanted hospitalizations and unwanted, aggressive care at the end of life."

A compassionate guide to caring for someone with dementia: 5 essential tips NBC-4 Washington, DC; 10/14/24 According to the World Health Organization, more than 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia, with over 10 million new cases each year. Dementia encompasses a range of brain conditions that lead to a decline in cognitive function, affecting a person's ability to manage everyday tasks. While the disease can present unique challenges for both medical professionals and caregivers, there is hope in the growing understanding of how to best support those affected. ...