Literature Review

Maxwell Healthcare Associates, Hospice Dynamix, and Medalogix announce partnershipPR Newswire; 2/20/24Maxwell Healthcare Associates (MHA), a leading provider in the post-acute space with an average of 20 years of experience, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Hospice Dynamix, and Medalogix. This collaboration aims to revolutionize hospice care delivery through cutting-edge innovation.

Medicare home health patients more likely to eventually receive hospice care, study finds McKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 2/20/24Patients who use home health later in life tend to be more likely to enter hospice for end-of-life care — particularly those without dementia. This underscores the need for better home health staff training and enhanced care continuity for Medicare patients, according to a recent study. ... Those beneficiaries who received home healthcare were more likely to enter hospice during their last year of life compared to those who did not have any home health, the study published Feb. 15 in the Journal of Palliative Medicine found.

How New Day Healthcare plans to be the face of a changing home health landscapeHome Health Care News; 2/12/24New Day Healthcare has been one of the most active acquirers in home health care over the last year. As it grows, it’s looking to set itself apart from the home health company archetype of yesteryear.

4 recent advancements in Alzheimer's disease careBecker's Hospital Review, by Ashleigh Hollowell; 2/6/24Alzheimer's disease research in the last year has expanded, promising clinicians in the field and patients experiencing the condition more accurate detection tests, new treatment possibilities and research to fuel further advancements in care. ... For four of the most recent updates in care and detention, [click on the title's link, above].

Senior living providers can tap into $25 million grant to develop dementia-specific respite servicesMcKnights Senior Living, by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 2/7/24Senior living operators who provide, or are considering providing, respite services for family caregivers of people living with dementia can apply for a piece of $20 million in grant funding. The Alzheimer’s Association will use a $25 million, five-year grant award from the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living to establish a new Center for Dementia Respite Innovation tasked with making respite services and service providers more dementia-capable. 

Alzheimer's: Watch for signs it's time to start hospice careThe Advocate, by Dana Territo; 2/5/24When is someone with dementia ready for hospice care? ... Some of the characteristics the affected individual may be exhibiting include the lack of ability to ambulate without assistance, incontinence of bowel and bladder, inability to dress and bathe properly, and speech limited to approximately a half dozen or fewer intelligible and different words. There are also intercurrent illnesses associated with advanced dementia in which hospice services would be a benefit. 

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.

Predicting private equity’s involvement in home health care in 2024Home Health Care News, by Patrick Filbin; 2/2/24Health care’s share of global private-equity (PE) deal count peaked at 13.7% in 2020. Three years later, that number fell to 10.8% — its lowest level since 2015. Compared to the bustling activity of 2021, home-based care dealmaking was mostly sluggish in 2023 and has followed that same trend.

 Where do we end our lives? American Council on Science and Health, by Chuck Dinerstein, MD, MBA; 2/5/24The concept of an elephant's graveyard, where old elephantes supposedly go to die, is more of a myth than a scientifically supported phenomenon. Humans do not have a specific location where we gather to die, but a study looks into the matter nevertheless.

Alabama agencies get new resources for dementia care amid 'great void' in servicesAlabama Reflector, by Alander Rocha; 1/31/24In a meeting of the Interagency Council for the Prevention of Elder Abuse on Tuesday, Alabama Department of Senior Services (ADSS) Commissioner Jean W. Brown said the department is “awash in money to just go where we’ve never gone before in dementia services and dementia care.” ... According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Alabama in 2021 had the second highest mortality rate from Alzheimer’s disease, behind only Mississippi, at 46.8 per 100,000 people. 

Odds for dementia nearly triple in the year after a strokeHealth Day, by Ernie Mundell; 2/1/24A person's odds for a dementia diagnosis nearly triple in the first year after a stroke, new research shows. This post-stroke spike in dementia risk does subside with time, but it never returns to pre-stroke levels, the same report found. "Our findings reinforce the importance of monitoring people with stroke for cognitive decline," said lead researcher Dr. Raed Joundi. 

Hospice and home health survey perspectives: A conversation with Kim Skehan, VP of Accreditation at CHAPHospice Insights: The Law and Beyond, podcast by Meg Pekarske; 1/31/24In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske is joined by friend and industry veteran Kim Skehan. In this wide-ranging conversation, they explore not only the recent survey reforms but the ways in which Kim’s decades of work as a survey consultant to hospices and home health agencies shape how she approaches her new role leading accreditation at CHAP.

Hospice fraud back in the spotlight, with new data also raising questions about home health careHome Health Care News, by Robert Holly; 1/30/24The number of hospice providers enrolled in the Medicare program in four states has skyrocketed over the past few years. The jaw-dropping spike, in turn, has triggered increased oversight efforts – some of which may not be having the desired effect. A similar trend could be happening in home health care in one major county, U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data suggests. In hospice, the surge of new providers and potentially fraudulent activities has been concentrated in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. In home health care, it’s Los Angeles County.