Literature Review

More older adults becoming comfortable with using technology to help them age in placeMcKnight's Senior Living; by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 5/28/24Although fewer older adults say their homes are equipped to allow them to age in place in 2024 compared with 2023, more of them are getting comfortable with the idea of using assistive or health-related technologies to keep them living where they are, according to the results of a US News & World Report survey. ... The majority of survey participants (95%) agreed that aging in place was an important goal, up from 93% in 2023. The 2024 report took a deeper look at why older adults are — or are not — using assistive and health-related technologies, which technologies they use the most and their experiences with that technology.

The lonely Americans paying $3,000 for 'death doulas' to hold their hand while they dieDailyMail; by Alexa Lardieri; 6/1/24When it became clear that 88 year-old John Binder was dying, his daughter started making preparations to quit her job and travel nearly 1,000 miles across the country to take care of her elderly dad. The retired mechanic, who suffered kidney failure as a result of diabetes, couldn't be looked after by his wife, as she was also elderly and had recently undergone cancer treatment, and he refused to go to a hospice center. But then, a church leader recommended the family contact a death doula.Publisher's Note: Opportunities (missed opportunities?) hospices might consider.

Improving nursing home care goes beyond helping nursesMcKnight's Long-Term Care News; by Kristen Fischer; 5/30/24An editorial published Monday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society [Quality of care for older adults in nursing homes: It begins with registered nurses but does not end there!] points out flaws in moves to improve nursing home care outlined in a report published in March. Authors of the March report [RNs in nursing homes—It is not always about the numbers] shared a method to move beyond staffing numbers and optimize the workload of registered nurses. The model detailed nurse accountability, decision making, continuity of information and continuity of care. The authors shared the differences between RN work in the nursing home compared with acute care hospitals, and they also emphasized the importance of geriatric nursing knowledge.

ASCO updates Guidelines on Palliative Care Hematology Adviosor; by Jen Smith; 5/30/24 The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has released an update to its guidelines on palliative care for cancer patients. The guidelines and related information were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and JCO Oncology Practice. To develop updated recommendations for integrating palliative care into cancer care, an expert panel reviewed randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses published during 2015-2023. Based on their findings, the experts recommend that patients with advanced cancer be referred to specialized interdisciplinary palliative care teams soon after diagnosis, while the patients are still receiving active cancer treatment.

Palliative care for cancer patients is found to be as effective given virtually as in personSTAT; by Angus Chen; 6/2/24Comfort can be delivered to patients with advanced cancer virtually just as well as in person, according to a new study presented on Sunday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago. That’s welcome news to palliative care experts who have, in many cases, preferred the convenience and efficacy of telehealth sessions for both themselves and their patients since the Covid-19 pandemic forced virtual visits. ... Palliative care experts are also looking at other ways to help more patients get seen. In another abstract presented at ASCO in Chicago and published in JAMA by MGH’s Temel, she showed the frequency of palliative care visits could be stepped down for patients with fewer physical or emotional symptoms — also without any loss in palliative care efficacy.

St. Vincent Hospital nurses and the MNA file fifth in series of complaints with state and federal agencies about dangerous patient care conditions that continue to compromise the care and safety of patients admitted to the Worcester-based facility Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA); 5/29/24 As patient care conditions continue to deteriorate at St. Vincent Hospital, the registered nurses and the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) have filed yet another round of complaints to state and federal agencies seeking immediate intervention to protect patients and staff, a situation so dire the complaints include a direct appeal to the Department of Public Health to assign onsite inspectors on a daily basis to ensure hospital administration is providing the resources needed to ensure the safety of all concerned. In fact, the nurses report that DPH has recently been at the hospital investigating yet another serious patient safety incident. Editor's Note: As reported in numerous articles in our newsletter, patient safety and workplace violence/safety issues continue to be key causes for healthcare professional resignations, unionizations, and strikes (ie., nurses and/or physicians). It's time to review your organization's patient safety and workplace violence Policies and Procedures, staff and volunteer trainings, caregiver resources to ensure patient safety in the home, topics like "Abuse and Neglect," and your community's data on workplace safety concerns and community response resources.

Hospice [of the Sacred Heart Inpatient Unit]] receives $5,000 donationThe Citizens' Voice; 5/30/24 Sherry Cross recently delivered a $5,000 check to the Hospice of the Sacred Heart Inpatient Unit in Dunmore [PA]. The check represents proceeds from the 2nd annual 'Night to Remember' fundraiser in memory of Sherry's sister, Tracy Gototweski. ... "Please accept this donation of $5,000 as a token of our gratitude for all you do. It is an honor to have the opportunity to give back to your wonderful organization. We hope that our efforts will support patients and their families and keep Tracy's star shining bright," Cross said. 

IntellaTriage and CommonSpirit Health at Home deepen partnership with Homecare Homebase integration KMLK; Press Release; 5/30/24 IntellaTriage, the nation's leading provider of nurse-first hospice and home health triage solutions, and CommonSpirit Health at Home (CSHaH), one of the nation's largest nonprofit healthcare systems, went live with a secure integration between Homecare Homebase and IntellaTriage's triage platform, IntellaHub. Partners since 2022, the companies recognized that a deeper integration of their systems could greatly enhance their shared mission of improving patient and caregiver experiences. Home health and hospice electronic medical records (EMR) often lack interoperability, hindering efficient information exchange and patient care in the field. By breaking down these silos, both companies anticipate improved workflows, eliminated redundancies, and enhanced experiences for patients and field nurses. Editor's Note: This description emphasizes "field nurses." What about field psychosocial team members? Many hospice EMR systems are replicated from medical-centric documentation systems, without relevant fields and practice standards that are user-friendly for your social workers, spiritual care/chaplains, grief counselors, expressive therapists, and more. This editor's statement is not a assessment of this article's deepened partnership and its technology; rather, it is simply an observation and question for hospice leaders, whatever your EMR system.

How businesses should (and should not) use AI: A strategic blueprint Forbes; by Bernard Marr; 5/31/24 Businesses often find themselves at a crossroads in the race to leverage artificial intelligence (AI). The lure of AI's promise is undeniable—from enhancing customer experiences to automating routine tasks. Yet, how a company approaches AI can spell the difference between mere technological flirtation and achieving real, transformative outcomes. Here, I offer a strategic blueprint for businesses keen on not just piloting AI but also scaling it effectively.

BetterRX and Hospice Dynamix announce strategic partnership to reduce pharmacy costs for hospice agencies NBC News Channel 8, Salt Lake City, UT; by EIN Presswire; 5/31/24 BetterRX, a leading hospice pharmacy services and technology provider, and Hospice Dynamix, a revolutionary time-on-service predictive analytics platform, today announced a strategic integration partnership. This collaboration will leverage Hospice Dynamix's proprietary Predicted Length of Stay (PLOS) technology to enhance BetterRX's proprietary medication ordering and management platform, enabling hospice providers to make ordering decisions based on the individual patient, creating immediate savings for the hospice.

Tech solutions for better patient care: How modern tools are transforming hospice management NerdBot; by Nerd Voices; 5/30/24 Hospice care, fundamentally centered on providing comfort and support to terminally ill patients, has traditionally been a deeply personal and human-centric field. However, as technology advances, it is clear that modern tools can significantly enhance the quality of care. Integrating technology into hospice revenue management allows caregivers to streamline operations, reduce errors, and focus more on delivering compassionate care.

What AccentCare’s clinicians wanted from the company’s AI implementationHome Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 5/23/24Like many others, AccentCare has embraced artificial intelligence. However, the company wasn’t satisfied with implementing generative AI and looping in its clinicians afterwards. Instead, the company made its nurses a part of this process from the start. “It’s our philosophy at AccentCare that we don’t make changes to clinical practice without having a conversation with the people who are delivering clinical care,” Tracy Dent, vice president of clinical operations at AccentCare, told Home Health Care News. “They’re the people who are delivering care at the bedside. We want to make sure they have a voice in decisions that are going to impact their ability to do so.”Editor's Note: Pair this with another article in today's newsletter, "Three ways to communicate with Gen-Z—and why it’s important."

National Hospice Locator updatedBlog; by Cordt T. Kassner; 5/27/24The National Hospice Locator (NHL) is a free and publicly available online directory of every known hospice location in the US, and default search results have been sorted by a quality matrix for over a year. On 5/22/24, CMS released updated Hospice Care Compare files. Part of the NHL's quality matrix includes Hospice Care Compare information, and the NHL has now been updated. Search your state or city to see how your hospice is listed. For the first time ever, two hospices achieved 100% of possible ranking points - congratulations: