Literature Review

Embracing the platinum rule in palliative care: Treating patients the way they want to be treated Anschutz, by Tari Advani, MD; 2/26/24 One of the first take aways from this journey, for me, in a mid-career directional change from emergency medicine to palliative care was a move away from the golden rule and towards the platinum rule. Treat patients the way they want to be treated, not the way we want to be treated. It is so simple, it allows people to exist in their own context, with their own histories and their own wishes. And, we, as caretakers, take the kind of care of them that they want. Where had that idea been during the past 20 years of my career? How many situations had I judged, wrongly, based on my own preferences, not the preferences of the patient.

Value-based care now driving home-based primary care growth, experts sayMcKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 2/27/24When Independence at Home (IAH), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ home-based primary care initiative, concluded at the end of 2023, after more than a decade, it marked the end of an era. Over the period of the model, the rise of value-based care has given providers a wealth of opportunities to bring primary care into patients’ homes.

What to expect from your language services provider during CMS test call seasonMedCity News, by Kristin Quinlan; 2/26/24 Part of the CMS Star Ratings program, the Accuracy & Accessibility Study includes test calls designed to measure the accuracy of the information provided to a prospective beneficiary as well as the accessibility of interpreters in French, Spanish, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Tagalog. The test callers ask a series of questions related to the plan’s policy; success depends, in part, on accuracy of the information provided and availability of interpreters.

5 cost-effective home care marketing tipsMcKnights Home Care, by Catherine Malloy; 2/22/24Are you running a home care business and looking for affordable ways to get the word out? You’re in the right place! In this blog, we’re going to walk you through five practical, budget-friendly marketing strategies to boost your business’s visibility. 

Why long-term hospice care might be goodNBC KPRC TV, interview with Joseph Rotella, MD MBA HMDC FAAHPM, Chief Medical Director American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; 2/21/24Most people receiving hospice care don't live for more than a few weeks. Doctor explains why receiving hospice care earlier can be beneficial.

How one hospice owner got convicted of healthcare fraud and how you can avoid that fateHospice Insights: The Law and Beyond, by Husch Blackwell; 2/21/24The owner of a Louisiana hospice was indicted and then convicted of healthcare fraud. How did that happen? In this [podcast] episode, Husch Blackwell's Meg Pekarske and Jonathan Porter talk about how a routine audit led to a whistleblower complaint by a hospice employee, which then led to the hospice owner’s criminal conviction following trial in November 2023. Most importantly, the pair discuss how other hospices can avoid that fate.

Vanderbilt latest system to adopt patient code of conductBecker's Hospital Review, by Ashleigh Hollowell, 2/16/24Nashville, TN-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center is the latest system to adopt a patient code of conduct amid a national increase of violence against healthcare workers, the system announced Feb. 16. According to a Feb. 5 report from National Nurses United, 81.6% of nurses reported that they have experienced workplace violence, with half also noting they have seen instances of violence increase in the last year.Editor's Note: Applying this hospice inpatient units and residential facilities, ask your staff. Examine data from Incident Reports. Yes, incidents from family members and friends can easily erupt of escalated conflicts and potential violence. What Policies and Procedures, safety trainings, security measures, and emergency resources do you have in place? When did you last assess new gaps? Does Vanderbilt's system offer insights for your hospice?

Top home health & hospice investors of 2023Levin Associates; 2/20/24The most active Home Health & Hospice investor during 2023 was The Pennant Group, which completed the year with five deal announcements across the home hospice, home health and multi-service specialties. The company made acquisitions in Arizona, Idaho, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado. [Click on the title's link for more investors and extensive details.]

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.

Hospices see growth opportunities with physician offices, memory careHospice News, by Holly Vossel; 2/16/24Hospice providers are increasingly focused on memory care settings and physician offices as referral sources. ... Physician offices were identified among the most significant referral growth opportunities in 2024 by about 6% of 143 respondents to Hospice News’ 2024 Outlook Survey, conducted with Homecare Homebase. Meanwhile, 7% reported that their hospice organizations saw memory care settings as a significant referral source.

Inclusive hospice care: Gilchrist’s efforts to ensure equal end-of-life care accessAfro News - The Black Media Authority; 2/16/24Despite concerted efforts to address disparities, Black Americans continue to be underrepresented in hospice and palliative care services, a trend Gilchrist, a leading provider of end-of-life care for 30 years, is actively working to change. “We’re creating a paradigm shift around how hospitals communicate with communities of color. We’re going into communities and humbly asking what we can do to better serve their needs,” Wayman Scott, Associate Director of DEI and Community Relations, said.

Healthcare's Oppenheimer moment Becker's Health IT, by Laura Dyrda; 2/16/224The thing that makes C-suite executives most excited about the future is also making them incredibly nervous: artificial intelligence. AI exploded in healthcare over the last 18 months as ChatGPT ushered in a new era of capabilities to automate repetitive tasks, analyze data and generate sophisticated chatbot communications. But there are risks with AI, including trained biases, information security and accuracy.

Chapters CEO Andrew Molosky: Building an ecosystem of care around the seriously illHospice News, by Jim Parker; 2/13/24Going forward, hospice and other post-acute providers are preparing to operate within a value-based ecosystem, and Florida-based nonprofit Chapters Health System is no exception. ... The organization has been hard at work in recent years to position itself for risk-based relationships and build out a continuum of care for chronically and terminally ill patients, while maintaining positive employee engagement.