Literature Review

Wellsboro's hospice home closes Gazette, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania; 7/12/24 After 25 years of providing a home for the dying, The Samaritan House, a mission project of St. Peter’s Church in Wellsboro [PA], has closed. For the past two years, the steering committee has tried to increase its volunteer base, raise funds, complete clearances and maintain the house. Despite meeting many goals and continuing to receive referrals, Samaritan House can no longer welcome guests because it can’t sustain a schedule. The Samaritan House ministry has welcomed guests and families from diverse faiths and backgrounds and cared for them with compassion and dignity for 25 years. Many of the volunteers have made friends and memories that will last a lifetime.

20 massive physician group deals shaping the industry Becker's ASC Review; by Patsy Newitt; 7/12/24  Facing increasing obstacles to access economies of scale, including rising practice costs and decreasing reimbursement, physician groups are increasingly consolidating.  Here are [several of the] 20 physician group deals [listed that have been] shaping the industry since 2022:

Angela Hospice CEO to retire; successor named DBusiness; by Tim Keenan; 7/12/24 Angela Hospice President and CEO Marti Coplai has announced her plan to retire in December and Executive Director Jamie LaLonde has been named to succeed her in December.  Coplai joined Angela Hospice in 2015 as executive director and assumed the position of president and CEO in March 2019. Over the course of Coplai’s tenure, she has led the Angela Hospice team to accomplish a number of initiatives, propelling the organization to where it is today, and ensuring sustainability for the future. The most recent initiative Coplai led is the expansion of Angela Hospice services to north Oakland County. In addition to the 15-bed hospice residence at Lourdes Senior Community, expanded services will benefit the community through grief support groups and educational outreach.

Amorem receives $100,000 grant from The Cannon Foundation Ashe Post & Times, Boone, North Carolina; by Staff Reporter; 7/12/24 Amorem received a $100,000 grant from The Cannon Foundation for its Quality. Compassion. Support: A Patient Care Unit for the High Country campaign. The Cannon Foundation has joined Amorem’s vision to provide more quality, more compassion and more support to residents of the High Country with a $100k grant to assist with the purchase of non-medical equipment needed to operate the patient care unit and meet the needs of patients and their families while in Amorem’s care. “Amorem is honored that The Cannon Foundation has joined our vision,” says Director of Development, Ashley Edwards. “Through this partnership, Amorem is empowered to create a homelike environment for our patients who are facing the end of life and their families at the High Country patient care unit.” 

Hospice Action Network: MyHospice Ambassadors Roster Hospice Action Network - NHPCO; 7/12/24 MyHospice Ambassadors are volunteers who have the capacity and initiative to lead, network, and take action on hospice and palliative care advocacy efforts. Participants play a very important role in advancing our policy priorities by building relationships with legislative offices, educating fellow hospice and palliative care advocates about priority issues, and mobilizing our advocacy efforts within their communities and networks. Our program has representation from across the nation and from every form of hospice, big or small, nonprofit or for profit.

Erin and Travis Jean’s son, Felix, died in infancy from a rare skin disorder. Here’s what they’d like other families to know about losing a child. The Boston Globe; by Kara Baskin; 7/12/24 In March 2022, Erin and Travis Jean’s son, Felix, died at two-and-a-half months old from complications associated with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a rare genetic skin disorder that causes severe peeling and blisters. He was cared for in the NICU at Mass General Hospital before spending his final days at home. ...

Keeping staff members safe and sound by optimizing security technology Security; by Paul Sarnese; 7/12/24 Nobody wants to invest in technology, only to have it go the way of the stationary bike that sits unused in the corner of a room. That holds true for healthcare organization leaders who are looking to invest in staff safety alarm systems that can help avert potentially dangerous situations. With workplace violence against caregivers increasing 115% since 2021, many healthcare organizations are, indeed, looking to protect workers from harm — and to shield their organizations from resultant financial distress.Editor's Note: Workplace violence and staff safety continues to trend as a root cause for nursing and other healthcare strikes across the nation. Examine your organization's Incident Reports and QAPI initiatives. What needs to be addressed?

C-TAC: CMS’ ‘Palliative’ Definition in 2025 Proposed Hospice Rule ‘Misaligned, Problematic’ Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 7/12/24 Efforts to establish potential payment mechanisms for high-acuity palliative services within the Medicare Hospice Benefit will require greater clarity from regulators, according to the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC). The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) 2025 proposed hospice payment rule contained a request for information (RFI) on the potential implementation of reimbursement pathways for “high intensity palliative care services,” such as chemotherapy, blood transfusion and dialysis. CMS in its proposed rule indicated that, “Hospice care changes the focus of a patient’s illness to comfort care (palliative care) for pain relief and symptom management from a curative type of care.” C-TAC’s recommendations are as follows: [Click on the title's link to read more.]

Caring with compassion: VNA Health’s commitment to holistic home health care VNA Health Live Well; by VNA Health; 7/10/24 Santa Barbara County has a unique home health care organization that is focused on serving its patients and their families without worrying about turning a profit. “As a nonprofit, VNA Health is more invested in the overall care of the patient,” said registered nurse Jadona Collier, the director of home health. “We provide programs and services that cannot be billed to Medicare or insurance.” The organization offers holistic care, meaning that, regardless of the service being used — including home health care, palliative care, hospice, and bereavement care — its medical professionals care about patients.

Chevron deference derailed The Rowan Report; by Kristin Rowan; 7/12/24 ... Chevron Deference in Home Health: Since the advent of the PDGM model, CMS has calculated payment rates based on its interpretation of budget neutrality. The National Association for Home Care and Hospice [NAHC] has disputed the validity of both the interpretation of budget neutrality and the formulas used to calculate it. Last year’s 2024 CMS Proposed Rule cut payment rates even further with a 2.890% Budget Neutrality permanent payment rate adjustment and a temporary rate adjustment to account for alleged overpayments from 2020-2022. The lawsuit filed against CMS in response to the 2024 Final Rule was dismissed. NAHC began pursuing an administrative review with CMS. [Click on the title's link to continue reading the discourse between CMS and NAHC, specific to home health.]

Employment protection for assisted dying medics BBC, Isle of Man; by Ashlea Tracey; 7/9/24 The employment rights of healthcare staff on the Isle of Man[] who choose to be part of any potential assisted dying service will be protected under new proposed laws. Members of the House of Keys previously ensured similar rights for conscientious objectors during a previous debate on the Assisted Dying Bill 2023. The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Corwn Dependency in the Iris Sea, between Great Briatin and Ireland. 

Fewer deaths after serious illness in veterans treated with PARC Care Model U.S. Medicine; by LaTina Emerson; 7/11/24 After a serious illness, veterans who received medical care via the Post-Acute Recovery Center (PARC) model experienced fewer deaths and more days outside of the hospital compared to those not treated with PARC, according to a recent study. ...  Using telehealth, PARC is administered by nurse practitioners to address the complex needs of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors as they transition from hospital to home and improve access to post-ICU care for high-risk veterans, ... Each year, “more than 100,000 veterans transition from ICUs to their home after treatment for life-threatening illnesses, but this transition presents many challenges, including unresolved acute medical issues and the lingering effects of acute organ dysfunction,” according to the study authors. ...