Literature Review

‘Much-needed hospice … vital to our community:’ Mayor Elizabeth Roy salutes Whitby Hospice breaking ground after 8-year effort, millions raised and tireless efforts by volunteers DurhamRegion.com, Durham, NC: by Tim Kelly; 9/29/24 After many years of hard work and fundraising by dedicated volunteers, Hospice Whitby — Roger Anderson House is about to break ground. For the chief organizers on the committee Hospice Whitby committee, it was time to really enjoy the moment and they made a video to celebrate it. With the building of Whitby’s hospice, the region will have gone from no hospice beds at all to 29 in under five years. 

BREAKING NEWS 10/1/2024, 12:30pm - Medicare Program; FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update, Hospice Conditions of Participation Updates, and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements; Correction Federal Register - The Daily Journal of the United States Government; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services  (CMS), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); 10/1/24 This document corrects technical and typographical errors in the final rule that appeared in the August 6, 2024 Federal Register titled “Medicare Program; FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update, Hospice Conditions of Participation Updates, and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements”.I. Background: In FR Doc. 2024-16910 of August 6, 2024 (89 FR 64202), there were a number of technical and typographical errors that are identified and corrected in this correcting document. The provisions in this correction document are effective as if they had been included in the final rule that appeared in the August 6, 2024 Federal Register . Accordingly, the corrections are effective October 1, 2024.II. Summary of Errors: ...Given these errors, we are republishing the FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index file accordingly on the CMS website at: https://www.cms.gov/​medicare/​payment/​fee-for-service-providers/​hospice/​hospice-wage-index effective October 1, 2024.

Vitas Healthcare introduces premier hospice care in Bakersfield and Fresno GlobeNewswire; by Vitas Healthcare; 10/1/24 To meet the growing need for quality end-of-life care in California’s Central Valley, Vitas Healthcare hospice services are now available for residents of Bakersfield and Fresno. With local interdisciplinary teams based in each city, Vitas now offers expert clinical, emotional and spiritual care for seriously ill patients in their homes, nursing homes, assisted living communities and inpatient care settings. 

Mercy House of the Southern Tier breaks grounds for $2 million expansion to enhance end of life care WNBF News Radio; by Traci Taylor; 10/1/24Mercy House of the Southern Tier recently celebrated the groundbreaking of its highly-anticipated $2 million expansion project, marking a significant milestone in its mission to provide compassionate care for terminally ill patients and their families during life's most challenging moments. ... Linda Cerra, the Executive Director of Mercy House of the Southern Tier, expressed gratitude towards their hospice partner, Guthrie Hospice of Vestal, along with the Guthrie and UHS Palliative Care teams, Broome Oncology, BGH PCU, and Endwell Family Physicians. Their unwavering support ensures that residents receive the utmost compassionate end-of-life care, embodying the core values of Mercy House.

SNF, home health [and hospice] CEOs could be jailed over cybersecurity issues under new billMcKnight's Senior Living; by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 9/30/24New legislation aimed at improving cybersecurity in healthcare could see leaders at skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies and hospices jailed if they lie about their cybersecurity precautions, according to one of its sponsors. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) announced the Health Infrastructure Security and Accountability Act on Thursday. The bill also covers other types of healthcare businesses. “The healthcare industry has some of the worst cybersecurity practices in the nation despite its critical importance to Americans’ well-being and privacy,” Wyden said. “These commonsense reforms, which include jail time for CEOs that lie to the government about their cybersecurity, will set a course to beef up cybersecurity among healthcare companies across the nation and stem the tide of cyberattacks that threaten to cripple the American healthcare system.”

CMS finalizes rule to curtail major DME fraud concernsMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 9/26/24The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services finalized a rule this week that will help it better track anomalous and highly suspicious billing activity for durable medical equipment. The rule allows CMS to more closely monitor two Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) billing codes for urinary catheters: A4352, an intermittent urinary catheter with a curved tip, and A4353, an intermittent urinary catheter with insertion supplies. These two billing codes were behind what may be the largest case of Medicare fraud in the program’s history. In February, the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) uncovered evidence that fraudsters had used the two codes to loot as much as $3 billion or more from government health programs.

Palliative care in kidney cancer more than just relieving symptoms Cure; by Ashley Chan; 9/26/24 Patients with kidney cancer who want more support during treatment can consider palliative care, whether it’s for symptoms or discussing goals and values. ... For patients with kidney cancer, understanding how palliative care can help is essential throughout the treatment process. Palliative care, according to the Mayo Clinic, is medical care that specializes in relieving pain and symptoms associated with an illness. This type of care can also help patients cope with treatment-related side effects. However, there’s more to palliative care than just relieving symptoms. It also “aims to help patients and families in one of three major categories,” Dr. Pallavi Kumar explained during an interview with CURE®. Kumar is the director of Oncology Palliative Care and assistant professor of Clinical Medicine in the hematology-oncology division at the University of Pennsylvania. She noted that the three categories of palliative care include:

City of Hope’s horizon: City of Hope gets $20M for pancreatic disease breakthroughs The Clinical Trial Vanguard; by Ferry Darma; 9/26/24 City of Hope, a leading cancer research and treatment institution, has received a $20 million donation from philanthropists Norman and Melinda Payson. This significant gift will establish a dedicated pancreas center to accelerate groundbreaking research and treatments for pancreatic cancer and diabetes. Inspired by the personal impact of pancreatic cancer on his mother, Norman Payson, a noted healthcare executive and City of Hope board director, expressed confidence in the organization’s capabilities. “City of Hope possesses the unique expertise to drive innovative cures for pancreatic cancer and diabetes,” he stated. “We are committed to advancing this research and bringing hope to countless individuals.”  ... The Paysons’ gift follows a historic $150 million donation from A. Emmet Stephenson Jr. and Tessa Stephenson Brand to fund pancreatic cancer research.

Community Crisis and Grief: Public service video for communities, healthcare orgs, and persons whose "normal" hospice bereavement can be amplified and/or disenfranchised Composing Life Out of Loss; by Joy Berger; originally 5/30/22 in response to Uvalde's shootings, updated 9/29/24 in response to Hurricane/Storm Helene September 29, 2024 – We send support to the many communities, families, and individuals affected by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Helene’s devastation and loss. This public service education video defines different kinds of community crises; different groups of persons impacted with basic roles and tasks before and during a community crisis; community grief; and potential effects of community crisis/grief for persons who are already experiencing the “normal” bereavement of a loved one. Editor's note: Disclosure, I am the author/producer of this video; Composing Life Out of Loss is a sponsor for this newsletter. To immediately share with this free, public service video, click here for the link. To embed this video on your website (and thus eliminate any Composing Life branding), click here and complete this contact form. Be sure to leave a phone number for faster turnaround. 

[Florida] 12,200 miles of roads cleared as thousands contribute to recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene CBS-10 Tampa Bay, FL; by Haley Williams; 9/28/24 As damage assessments continued after Hurricane Helene slammed the Florida coast, thousands of state officials and law enforcement officers quickly began working to clear roads and check in with storm victims in rural areas. More than 12,000 miles of roads have been cleared by more than 800 Florida Department of Transportation crews. ... The Agency for Health Care Administration reports more than a hundred healthcare facilities have been evacuated or are running solely on generator power. Saturday morning, 55 healthcare facilities reported evacuations, which included:

Polk County home health aide accused of sleeping on the job arrested in man’s death: ‘He was old anyway' Fox 13, Winter Haven, FL; by Fox 13 News Staff; 9/30/24 A home health aide in Polk County is being held without bond after investigators say she fell asleep, and an 86-year-old man died in her care. ... The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says the victim’s family hired around the clock care from Assisting Hands, which consisted of two 12-hour shifts during the day and night. The victim had recently been hospitalized and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He was also receiving services from Good Shepherd Hospice. ... After the day shift nurse left, investigators say Taylor fell asleep on the couch in the living room, which is against company policy that states she should not have been sleeping. Deputies say Taylor woke up around 1 a.m. on August 16 and heard a thump coming from the victim’s bedroom. According to PCSO, Taylor went into the bedroom and saw the victim lying on his right side, on the floor, with his head wedged in between the nightstand and the bed. She told detectives that she tried to help him back into bed but that he told her not to touch him, so she left him on the floor and did not call anyone, including 911 or her employer, which is against company policy. ... According to the Medical Examiner, had Taylor called 911 when she first found the victim, as required by her own company’s policy, the victim would not have died. The Medical Examiner ruled the victim’s cause of death positional asphyxia with a contributory cause of pre-existing health issues.

Comfort home in Scottsville reopens after four-year hiatus NBC News 10, Rochester, NY; by Eriketa Cost; 9/27/24 A local hospice home in Scottsville re-opened, after four years of rebuilding from the inside out. You may recall how much of an effect COVID-19 had on these services. The home, Patrick Place, was unable to hold fundraisers. Dozens of volunteers stepped down out of fear for the virus, and it took time to bring them back. The emails and phone calls didn’t stop during the downtime, though, said Cissy Leblanc, secretary on the board for Patrick Place. Organizers were eager to open again, but it took hard work. Along the way, the team built a new deck and furnished the basement, adding a conference room and special area for training volunteers. These, are all projects that couldn’t have happened with someone living there, said chairman Patrick Hanley. The home opened in early September with 55 volunteers. The goal is to reach 75. ...

Podcast: Melissa Aldridge on Private Equity Acquisitions Of HospicesHealth Affairs; 9/24/24Health Affairs' Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Melissa Aldridge of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and James J. Peters Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center about her recent paper exploring the increasing trend of private equity acquisitions of hospices and how ownership structures still remain complex and opaque.