Literature Review

Health disparities across states: 6 new findings Becker's Clinical Leadership, by Kelly Gooch; 4/18/24 The Commonwealth Fund released a new report April 18 examining racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare access, quality and outcomes across the U.S. The report, titled "Advancing Racial Equity in U.S. Health Care: The Commonwealth Fund 2024 State Health Disparities Report," examined state health system performance for five racial and ethnic groups — (non-Hispanic) Black; white; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander; and Hispanic (any race). [Click on the title's link for (1) Six summary findings, and (2) To download the report. 

AI-generated draft replies integrated into health records and physicians’ electronic communication JAMA Network; by Ming Tai-Seale, PhD, MPH; Sally L. Baxter, MD, MSc; Florin Vaida, PhD; et al; 4/15/24Objective: To investigate the association between GenAI-drafted replies for patient messages and physician time spent on answering messages and the length of replies.Conclusions and Relevance: In this QI study, GenAI-drafted replies were associated with significantly increased read time, no change in reply time, significantly increased reply length, and some perceived benefits. 

Remote access technologies expose home care firms to cybersecurity vulnerabilities, experts sayMcKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 4/18/24 Some of the most commonly used technologies in home care are also among the easiest for criminals to exploit. ... Remote access systems include any technology that allows users to connect to and access a computer, server or network remotely. Within home care, this could be tools such as remote patient monitoring devices, secure messaging apps, telehealth platforms, cloud-based applications or systems that allow users to remotely access patient data, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. And while these technologies bring efficiency, they can also expose providers and their patients to risk.

Hospice handoffs may lower odds of Medicare denials Medscape, by Lara Salahi; 4/29/24Clearer communication between primary care clinicians and hospice providers may decrease the number of denied Medicare approvals for end-of-life treatment, according to a small study presented on April 18 at the American College of Physicians Internal Medicine Meeting 2024. Tyler Haussler, MD, acting medical director at  Brookestone Home Health & Hospice in Carney, Nebraska, said he conducted the study. ... CMS requires a "face-to-face encounter" between a physician and hospice caregiver to communicate clinical findings and determine the patient's terminal status. Missing or incomplete documentation of a patient's medical condition remains one of the main reasons the agency denies hospice coverage. 

[Sample] Letter: Hospice workers deserve thanks during Volunteer Appreciation Month Commonwealth Ripon Press (Ripon, WI), Letter to the Editor by Meredith Schluter; 4/18/24April is Volunteer Appreciation Month and I want to attest to the incredible impact that caring volunteers make in the lives of others in our community. Compassus Hospice in Neenah is an organization that cares for individuals experiencing life-limiting illnesses. ... From directly interacting with patients and families to working with care team members behind the scenes to help operations run smoothly, [volunteers] provide a vital service. The nationwide impact of hospice volunteers is just as significant. According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Association, volunteers care for more than 1.5 million hospice patients each year, totaling millions of hours of care annually.Editor's Note: How are you expressing appreciation for your volunteers? This "Letter to the Editor" creates community awareness and provides a call for new volunteers. You have 11 more days to continue April's Volunteer Appreciation Month. What have you done? What more can you do?

Care for Alzheimer's on Medicaid is unorganized, frustrating, inhumanThe Indianapolis Star, by Darcy Metcalfe; 4/14/24What it is like to die of Alzheimer’s in America? Without a doubt, it is nothing as it is portrayed on NBC’s hit series This is Us. At the end of this series, the character Rebecca dies from Alzheimer’s and falls peacefully asleep, snuggly tucked in her warm bed at home, surrounded by family and 24-hour skilled nursing care. Throughout the six seasons of This is Us, I simultaneously witnessed my father’s slow dying from Alzheimer’s in a reality that was worlds away from Rebecca’s. ...

CT Hospice says it can’t provide home care under bill to protect healthcare workersCT News Junkie, by John Ferraro; 4/16/24Connecticut Hospice has warned lawmakers it will be unable to care for gravely ill patients in their homes under a proposed law aimed at protecting home healthcare workers. At issue is Senate Bill 1, which would require organizations that care for people in their homes to conduct background checks on the clients and anyone in the location where care is being given. ... Barbara Pearce, the chief executive officer of Connecticut Hospice, urged lawmakers to remove Connecticut Hospice from entities that would be required to conduct those background checks, noting that the organization which provides end-of-life care is typically called into homes when a patient has days left to live. “Our national hospice organization could find no similar bill in any other state,” Pearce wrote in testimony to the Public Health Committee. “This bill is too broad, too unclear as to requirements, not guaranteed to achieve its aims, duplicative of other procedures required in hospice care, and contradictory to certain regulations of Medicare.” ...Editor's Note: See the previous article in our newsletter today, After death of nurses, CT lawmakers look for solutions: 'We just cannot ignore that risk'.

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. ...

NHPCO's CaringInfo program launches new consumer blog, insights NHPCO Press Release; 4/15/24 CaringInfo, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), has launched a new consumer blog, Insights, offering timely and practical content on serious-illness care and services from a variety of perspectives in both English and Spanish. ... CaringInfo also offers more information about advance directives and free advance directives and instructions for all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and Washington DC in both English and Spanish, downloadable as PDF files.

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.

McLeod Health will build $45 million hospital in Cheraw The Post and Courier Pee Dee, Florence, SC; by Chris Day; 4/10/24 McLeod Health will build a $45 million hospital in Cheraw, replacing the current building that was constructed in 1980. ... McLeod Health operates seven hospitals to serve residents in northeastern South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit organization has 988 licensed beds, including hospice and behavorial health care. 

AI in palliative and end-of-life care: "How new technology makes us feel is important" Marie Curie, by Dr. Ami Nwosu, Research Lead at the Marie Curie Hospice, Liverpool, UK; 4/11/24... People who require palliative and end of life care require specific physical, emotional, psychological and social needs, which requires holistic assessment and support. Although there are more opportunities to use AI technologies in palliative care, there may be concern from family caregivers that technology may be unable to provide the person-centered, human connection which may be desired when people are at their most vulnerable.

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.