Literature Review

The Alliance applauds Gerald’s Law passing through Congress National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance; formerly NAHC and NHPCO); Press Release; 11/19/24 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) celebrates the historic passage of H.R. 8371, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act in the U.S. House of Representatives last night with a bipartisan vote of 389-9. This landmark legislation includes Section 301, Gerald’s Law, which addresses a critical gap in benefits impacting seriously-ill veterans and their families receiving hospice care. The story of Gerald “Jerry” Elliott, a U.S. Army veteran, underscores the importance of this legislative achievement. Diagnosed with cancer, Jerry was admitted to his local Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital in 2019 before transitioning to VA hospice care at home to be surrounded by his family. After his passing, his family discovered they were ineligible for full burial and funeral financial support because Jerry died outside of a VA facility.

8 digital healthcare trends for 2025 Perficient; by Lysa Young-Bates; 11/15/24 Our experts are closely monitoring eight healthcare trends that are shaping industry leaders’ strategies in 2025. ... Let’s dive into the eight healthcare trends and pragmatic innovations that our experts are helping HCOs navigate in 2025.

EverHeart Hospice celebrates expanded care center Daily Advocate, Greenville, OH; 11/15/24 EverHeart Hospice is thrilled to announce the grand opening of their newly expanded Care Center, coinciding with the celebration of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. This significant milestone marks a new chapter in our commitment to providing compassionate care to patients and families experiencing life-limiting illnesses. The grand opening event ... was a resounding success, bringing together community members, healthcare professionals, and local dignitaries. Attendees had the opportunity to tour the new space, which featured enhanced patient rooms, advanced medical equipment, and comfortable family areas designed to create a serene and supportive environment, and to learn more about collaborative healthcare services. These events aim to educate the public about the comprehensive services offered by EverHeart Hospice and the positive impact they have on patients’ lives.

HomeCare & Hospice receives Renodin Grant Olean Times Herald, Allegany, NY; 11/14/24 HomeCare & Hospice announces it has received a generous grant from the Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation to support its comfort care basket initiative for hospice patients. This funding will enable HomeCare & Hospice to provide comfort care baskets filled with thoughtfully selected items that promote relaxation, comfort and dignity for those facing end-of-life care. Each basket is designed to offer a bit of respite, bringing a sense of warmth and care to patients during a vulnerable time. The Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation, affiliated with the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, is committed to supporting projects that uplift individuals experiencing poverty, homelessness, food insecurity and other vulnerabilities. “We are deeply grateful to the Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation for their support,” said Melissa Sullivan, CEO of HomeCare & Hospice. “This grant will allow us to provide meaningful and comforting items to our hospice patients, helping to ease their journey and providing support that reflects the compassion and respect at the heart of our mission.”

TCN Anatomy of Leadership: Caring for Others with David Levy - Every interaction is an opportunityTeleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast by Chris Comeaux; 9/11/24In this episode of the Anatomy of Leadership podcast, David Levy, Professor of Management at the United States Air Force Academy, explores the concept of leadership and the importance of every interaction as an opportunity. The dialogue delves into an array of intriguing subjects such as the Air Force Academy's unique design, the “Masters of the Air” series, and Malcolm Gladwell's book, The Bomber Mafia. David Levy also discusses the importance of belonging, agency, and efficacy in leadership and how these concepts can contribute to the well-being of individuals and organizations. The conversation explores the importance of competence and context in performance, as well as the critical need for belonging in organizations. It introduces the concept of the Lens X, which consists of the needs of belonging, agency, and efficacy, and the narratives that shape our experiences.Editor's note: Continuing to honor this week's Veterans Day awareness, we thank David Levy for his service and leadership. Teleios Collaborative Network is a sponsor for our newsletter. 

ACA's future in Trump's 2nd term: 17 things to know Becker's Hospital Review; by Laura Dyrda; 11/8/24 The Affordable Care Act has been through many iterations since being signed into law in 2010. Donald Trump's second presidential term could bring about more changes. The New York Times gathered perspective from experts across the political spectrum to outline what could happen next based on limited information from the campaign trail and Mr. Trump's historical view of the ACA. Here are 17 key points. 

Reps. Van Duyne, Panetta introduce bill to reform hospice Special Focus Program Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 11/6/24 Reps. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) and Jimmy Panetta (D-California) have introduced a bill that would reform aspects of the hospice Special Focus Program (SFP). If enacted, the Enhancing Hospice Oversight and Transparency Act also would increase the penalty for hospices that do not report quality measure data to 10% by 2027, up from 4% currently. The SFP has the authority to impose enforcement remedies against hospices with poor performance based on its algorithm. Hospices flagged by the SFP also will be surveyed every six months rather than the current three-year cycle and could face monetary penalties or expulsion from the Medicare program. 

The Pennant Group to seek more hospice, home health deals in 2025 Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 11/7/24 The Pennant Group (Nasdaq: PNTG) has a “robust pipeline” of potential acquisitions in the wings for 2025 across its home health and hospice and senior living business segments. For prospective deals, Pennant scouts for agencies that show strong promise for organic growth that have “talented” local leaders or entrepreneurs in place, according to CEO Brent Guerisoli. Pennant then leverages the resources in its platform to foster growth. “Developing local leaders remains at the heart of our operating model,” Guerisoli said in a Q3 earnings call. “As the talent and experience operations and clusters deepens with strong portfolio companies, our efforts throughout our footprint, we are able to more quickly improve new acquisitions and grow seasoned operations, thus the significant investment we have made in our leadership and development programs is the catalyst for enduring momentum.” Pennant is the holding company for a cluster of independent hospice, home health and senior living providers located across 13 states. Year to date, the company has added more than 60 CEOs to its portfolio agencies as well as 40 internal clinical leaders.

How Zoom is expanding its role in healthcare Modern Healthcare; by Hayley Desilva; 11/1/24 Zoom, a company that rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, is looking to expand its presence in healthcare through artificial intelligence.  The company recently announced plans to incorporate ambient AI documentation technology from digital health company Suki in its clinical platform. Zoom plans to use the ambient AI technology, which turns a recording of a doctor-patient conversation into usable clinical notes in the electronic health record, for virtual and in-person visits.  ... Here's a closer look at Zoom's history in healthcare and where it plans to go next.

Longer hospice stays among dementia patients save Medicare dollars Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 11/4/24 Hospice utilization has tripled among patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) during the past two decades. The trend has ignited concerns about these patients’ lengths of stay, as well as praise for hospices’ cost-savings potential. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers analyzed Medicare fee-for-service claims spanning between 1999 and 2019, including data on hospice billing, patient enrollment, hospitalizations, health costs and chronic condition indicators. Roughly 14.7% of ADRD patients utilized hospices services in 2019, nearly triple the 4.4% of patients who received this care in 1999, according to the research, which was published in the National Bureau of Economic Research. The research compared billing claims among nonprofit and for-profit providers to explore spending associated with longer hospice stays among dementia patients. ...

See photos from Ohio's Hospice facility in New PhiladelphiaTimesReporter; by Andrew Dolph; 10/31/2024[The Ohio Hospice Truman House was renamed the Dr. Leslie Harrod Campus.]

Top 10 Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) tool eSecurity Planet; by Claire dela Luna; 10/28/24 In today’s global economy, even small businesses operate across multiple regions and markets, each with its own regulatory landscape. Without effective GRC tools, organizations can quickly fall out of compliance, exposing themselves to security risks and operational disruptions. GRC software solutions enable businesses to manage these risks by automating policies, tracking controls, and providing real-time compliance monitoring across international borders. .. Here’s a guide to help you make the best choice.

Study: Hospice care provides major Medicare savings Medical Xpress; by Peter Dizikes, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; 10/24/24 Hospice care aims to provide a health care alternative for people nearing the end of life, by sparing them unwanted medical procedures and focusing on the patient's comfort. A new study co-authored by MIT scholars shows hospice also has a clear fiscal benefit: It generates substantial savings for the U.S. Medicare system. ... In recent decades, hospice care has grown substantially. That growth has been accompanied by concerns that for-profit hospice organizations, in particular, might be overly aggressive in pursuing patients. There have also been instances of fraud by organizations in the field. Yet, the study shows that the overall dynamics of hospice are the intended ones: People are indeed receiving palliative-type care, based around comfort rather than elaborate medical procedures, at less cost.Editor's note: This study limited its data to for profit hospice agencies. That said, its results cannot be miscontrued to provide any type of comparison between for profits and non profits, in that data from non profits was (apparently) not examined.