Literature Review

'Speak Up & Speak Out,' LeadingAge members head to the Hill on Lobby Day 2024 HomeCare; 4/18/24 Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) joined Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, and hundreds of the association’s nonprofit and mission-driven members for the kick-off of annual Lobby Day activities. More than 225 LeadingAge members, who serve older adults and families nationwide in a range of care settings and community types, ... headed to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, April 17 ...  [Leading Age members] visited their elected officials in the House and Senate to discuss critical aging services issues to ensure older adults and families can access the care and services they need to age with dignity, including [but not limited to]: 

Home care sees largest price jump in history, BLS report finds McKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 4/15/24The cost of home care rose faster than ever in the last year, far outpacing inflation across every other healthcare spending category, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest Consumer Price Index report. Home care costs rose 14.2% between March 2023 and March 2024 — its most rapid growth since BLS began tracking data for the segment in 2005, according to the CPI. ... During the same period, standard inflation for all medical care services was 2.1%. The costs of hospital services — outpatient hospital services (8.3%), general hospital services (7.5%) and inpatient hospital services (6.9%) — saw the next-highest inflation rates since March 2023, eclipsed only by home care services. Meanwhile, prices for nursing home and adult day service rose by about 3.9%.Editor's Note: This article did not report cost changes for hospice care.  

To stand pat or not: When home health providers should expand service offerings Home Health Care News, by Joyce Famakinwa; 4/12/24 When it comes to expanding their business portfolios, home health leaders can continue to do what they know best, or they can decide to branch out. Leaders at companies like Choice Health at Home and The LTM Group have found themselves in this exact position. As a result, they have created a framework for determining when to diversify their business portfolios versus when to focus on developing their core care services. ...

Pilot program leads to 42 percent reduction in resident falls McKnights Senior Living, by John O'Connor; 4/15/24 A tech-based pilot program has helped Allegro Senior Living reduce resident falls by 42%, the company announced Thursday. As a result, the Grayslake, IL-based firm plans to expand the program to more of its 16 communities. For the pilot, Allegro partnered with SafelyYou. The tech-based firm uses a blend of AI video technology and around-the-clock remote clinical support. The combination helps  detect falls and identify underlying causes.

Home Healthcare Market worth $383.0 billion by 2028 Iowanews Headlines; 4/11/24 [The] Home Healthcare Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $250.0 billion in 2023 and is poised to reach $383.0 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 8.9% from 2023 to 2028 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets™. The primary drivers propelling the growth of this market are the aging population, rising healthcare expenditures, and the increased need for home care due to technological advancements in home healthcare.

New study calls home health star ratings into question McKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy, 4/11/24A comparison of agency-reported functional measures and claims-based hospitalization measures raises doubts about the value of star ratings as a means of evaluating home health agency (HHA) quality. The study, published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open, analyzed differences between claims-based and agency-reported outcomes for nearly 23 million patient episodes before and after the introduction of the star ratings system to compare changes over time. 

5 things to know about the Waud capital-backed Senior Helpers Home Health Care News, by Andrew Donlan; 4/8/24 One of the biggest home-based care deals of the year thus far was Waud Capital’s acquisition of Senior Helpers. The Maryland-based franchise – which was previously owned by the health system Advocate Health – will be the foundation of Waud Capital’s home care platform moving forward. Overseeing that platform will be Steve Jakubcanin, the home-based care veteran and former CEO of Cornerstone Healthcare Group. Here are five important things to know about Senior Helpers as it takes a different direction under new ownership.

Living to 100: Making Maryland a ‘Blue Zone’ The Baltimore Sun, commentary by Raya Elfadel Kheirbek; 4/5/24 In a bold stride toward redefining the approach to aging, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed an executive order in January aimed at expanding access to critical care and services for older Marylanders. ... At the heart of this initiative, dubbed Longevity Ready Maryland, is a comprehensive plan that transcends traditional state efforts focused solely on eldercare. Instead, it adopts a holistic, multisector approach that promises a transformative impact and enrichment in every dimension — health, financial security, social connectivity and purposeful living, irrespective of a Marylander’s socioeconomic status.

Blue Shield's Palliative Care Program wins national recognition for improving lives Blue Shield California; 3/28/24 During the first quarter of this year, the Journal of Palliative Medicine published results of a study entitled “Cost and Utilization Implications of a Health Plan’s Home-Based Palliative Care Program” from leaders at Blue Shield and researchers from West Health Research Institute that garnered attention from industry publications. ...  Major findings from the study were that home-based palliative care delivered to people not yet eligible for hospice reduced their hospital and emergency room use, showed trends towards an increased length of life, and extended the continuum of care for people with serious illness and their caregivers.

Home care providers hail bill establishing standard classification for direct support workers McKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 4/3/24 The Senate last week passed legislation that would address the dire shortage of direct support workers with the establishment of a classification to help stakeholders collect workforce data. Specifically, if signed into law, the Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act would require the Office of Management and Budget to consider establishing a standard occupational classification (SOC) for direct support professionals (DSPs). This classification would make it easier for policymakers to gather useful data about these workers and help them better address critical workforce challenges.

After Empath Health, Trustbridge complete affiliation, ‘Home Health is high on priority list’ Home Health Care News, by Andrew Donlan; 4/1/24 Last September, the post-acute providers Empath Health and Trustbridge signed a memorandum of understanding to begin an affiliation process. On Monday, that affiliation process was completed, forming the largest nonprofit post-acute provider organization in the state of Florida. Together, the organization will care for 5,000 patients daily and employ more than 5,000 staff members and 3,000 volunteers.

14 Joint Commission patient safety goals for post-acute facilities Becker's Hospital Review, by Mariah Taylor; 3/21/24 The Joint Commission released a breakdown of patient safety goals for post-acute care facilities in 2024. The organization published an easy-to-read resource outlining goals for nine sectors of healthcare, including nursing facilities, surgery, hospitals and behavioral care. For post-acute facilities, the goals mostly revolved around identifying patients correctly, using medicines safely, and preventing infections and falls. Here are the patient safety goals for post-acute facilities: ...