Literature Review

More than 45,000 Kaiser Permanente workers strike in 4 states Modern Healthcare; by Hayley DeSilva; 10/14/25 An estimated 46,000 Kaiser Permanente staff members began a five-day strike Tuesday across multiple states over staffing, pay and benefit concerns. Employees on strike include registered nurses, lab professionals, pharmacists and other skilled healthcare workers from 23 different unions, a spokesperson for Kaiser Permanente said. The unions are part of the Alliance of Health Care Unions, which represents an estimated 62,000 Kaiser employees. ... "[They] are demanding significantly higher increases than our 21.5% offer,“ the Kaiser spokesperson said.

Behavioral scientist breaks down what makes a great leader CBS Mornings / YouTube; interview with Jon Levy; 10/6/25 Behavioral scientist and New York Times bestselling author Jon Levy spent the last 15 years meeting with different types of leaders. In his new book, "Team Intelligence: How Brilliant Leaders Unlock Collective Genius," he talks about the preconceived notions of leadership.

Sought-after physician specialty roles are taking longer to fill Modern Healthcare; by Tim Broderick; 9/24/25 The time it took to fill open positions for the most sought-after physician specialties increased to almost five months in 2024, according to new research. The nonprofit Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment, with research firm Industry Insights, examined 2024 data from more than 15,000 searches of the association’s site, 61% of which were related to physician searches. ... The analysis found the estimated median days to fill the selected jobs increased by 11.5%, to 145 days in 2024 from 130 days in 2023. Oncology positions were the hardest to fill, at an estimated median of 332 days. Cardiology positions followed with an estimated median of 248 days to fill. [Access to the full article might be limited per a paywall.] Editor's Note: Oncology and cardiology are now the two hardest physician specialties to fill. This matters for hospice care because, according to NHPCO’s Facts and Figures 2024, cancer and circulatory diseases join Alzheimer’s and other nervous system disorders as the top three hospice diagnoses—together representing nearly three-fourths of all admissions. Delays in recruiting oncologists and cardiologists risk postponing timely palliative and hospice referrals. Newly hired specialists in these fields also need focused training—and intentional relationship-building with hospice teams—to ensure patients and families receive seamless, compassionate care.

Home health industry welcomes CMS’ repeal of nursing home staffing mandate Home Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 9/20/25 Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) drafted a rule that would repeal the federal staffing mandate for nursing homes – a move that would send ripple effects through the home health industry. The rule was controversial among nursing home operators, but it also received pushback from home health providers who were concerned that the mandate would lead to further staffing scarcity. “The repeal is positive for home health agencies,” Katy Barnett, director of home care and hospice operations and policy at LeadingAge, told HHCN in an email. 

Your leadership sets the emotional tone for your team. ~ Allison Dunn

Winning at work and home with Randy Gravitt Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); host Chris Comeaux with Randy Gravitt; 9/10/25 Join us in this insightful episode of "The Anatomy of Leadership" as we explore the challenge of winning at work and family life with Randy Gravitt, CEO of Lead Every Day. When was the last time you examined the connection between your leadership at work and your life at home?  In this eye-opening conversation, Randy Gravitt, CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of Lead Every Day, reveals that our greatest superpower isn't talent or expertise—it's our ability to choose.

Understanding trauma in the context of direct care work in nursing homesJournal of Applied Gerontology; by Alfred Boakye, Jennifer Craft Morgan, Candace L. Kemp, Antonius D. Skipper; 8/25Direct care workers (DCWs) experience job quality challenges such as heavy workload, low pay, and few benefits. Layered risks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and systemic racism have impacted DCWs, made them more vulnerable, and increased turnover and the precarity of the long-term care system and residents’ care. Findings suggest that DCWs are often crippled with challenges stemming from the impact of COVID-19, work-related factors, and personal factors. Understanding the intersection of trauma provides a detailed contextual description of care work, which is important for developing practical coping strategies, either at the personal or organizational levels, and developing more refined trauma-informed initiatives to build resilience and support DCWs.

New Mexico nurse assistant charged with hospice fraud, misconduct Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 8/29/25 A federal grand jury in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, has indicted a certified nurse assistant for their alleged involvement in a hospice fraud scheme. Potential sentencing includes more than two decades of imprisonment. April Guadalupe Hernandez, 27, was an employee of Luna Del Valle Hospice, LilyCare of New Mexico and Hospice De La Luz. She allegedly assumed the identities of hospice nurses and illegally provided care to patients, according to a statement the New Mexico Department of Justice (NMDOJ) released on Wednesday. Hernandez is charged with 19 counts of misconduct including allegations of identity theft, elder abuse, nursing without a license and Medicaid fraud, among other charges.  

The new state of HR: Pressures, systems and skills IBM Corporation; by Molly Hayes; 8/18/25 To prepare for the workforce of the future, HR leaders should face these challenges-head on. Recently, I spoke to Kimberly Morick, Global Technology Practice Leader at IBM, about how HR can create new paradigms within their organizations.

Over half of older employees plan to work 'indefinitely' and never retire Money Magazine; by Amd Hardy; 8/11/25 Many retirement-age Americans are planning to continue working — forever. Some 51% of employed Americans 65 or older say they expect to work “indefinitely,” according to a recent report from Asset Preservation, a financial advisory firm. Meanwhile, about 6 in 10 respondents say they plan to work “at least five more years” before retiring, putting the earliest age they would consider retiring at 70. ... Why older Americans are working so late in life seems to be a fairly even split between necessity and choice. About one half works to cover basic living expenses, like food, health care and housing, while the other half chooses to work to stay mentally and physically active. Guest Editor’s Note, Mark Cohen: As many hospices are still trying to rebuild the ranks of their volunteers to pre-pandemic levels, this report indicates the challenges may continue to grow. It’s worth noting that half of the Boomers who say they will continue working past normal retirement age would do so out of choice and not economic necessity. That opens the door to demonstrating the value and rewards of volunteer service. And for those volunteer managers younger than Boomers, it’s important to keep in mind that, more than any other generation, Boomers define themselves and measure their success in life in large part by their work.

Long COVID and returning to work: A hard and frustrating road Medscape; by Sara Novak; 8/5/25 ... Around 16 million workers have been affected nationwide by long COVID. Many who initially contracted the virus as a result of their jobs are left with the additional burden of proving that they acquired the condition in the workplace. Without it, they may be unable to file a claim for workers’ compensation insurance, which provides benefits to employees who are injured or become ill on the job.

A WNC assisted living facility stopped paying its staff. Two remained to save 27 residents BlueRidgeNow Times-News; by Will Hofmann; 8/6/25By the time the sun rose on Aug. 2, Macie Vance knew nobody was coming to replace her. Vance had just finished the night shift at The Heritage of Sugar Mountain, a 40-bed assisted living facility in her hometown of Newland, where she worked as a resident care aide. The 20-year-old was at the "bottom of the food chain" in terms of office hierarchy, she said, but after weeks of staff resignations, Vance was one of just two remaining employees caring for Heritage’s 27 residents, some of whom were in hospice.

Immigration policies threaten post-acute care access Modern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 7/23/25 Nursing homes and home care operators are scrambling to find replacements for foreign-born workers no longer eligible to work in the U.S. due to changes in immigration policy. Providers in Boston, Atlanta and other cities with large populations of immigrants, and Haitians in particular, say the loss of foreign-born workers in an already tight job market is making it increasingly difficult to meet the growing demand for care — and will likely drive up care costs. Last month the Homeland Security Department began notifying more than 500,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans that it terminated a Biden-era program that allowed them to live and work in the U.S. It said those who have not attained legal status to remain in the U.S. outside of the program must leave immediately.