Literature Review

Hospital nurse turnover, vacancy rates by year Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Mackenzie Bean; 9/24/24 Nurse turnover and vacancy rates have declined since their pandemic-era peaks but remain elevated, according to data from the "2024 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report." The report, released in April, includes survey findings from 400 hospitals in 36 states on registered nurse turnover, retention, vacancy rates, recruitment metrics and staffing strategies. Survey data covers more than 194,000 nurses and was collected in 2023. ... Below are the average rates of registered nurse turnover and vacancy in hospitals between 2019 and 2024, according to the report. The data suggests hospitals have made progress in reducing nurse turnover and vacancy rates since their peak during the pandemic. However, sustained efforts to stabilize the workforce, improve working conditions and address burnout are needed to fully recover.

2 years after its rebrand, CenterWell Home Health is set on tackling big goals Home Health Care News; by Andrew Donlan; 9/24/24 Kirk Allen, the president of home solutions at Humana Inc., is living a home health veteran’s dream. Right now, he is heads down on helping create a value-based home health model within CenterWell, Humana’s provider services arm. Home health leaders have always touted the extraordinary health and monetary value that can be derived from their services. Not many have had the opportunity to prove that out, however. Allen does. Humana owns CenterWell Home Health, which is one of the largest providers in the country. CenterWell also includes CenterWell Pharmacy and CenterWell Primary Care. Eventually, CenterWell Home Health wants to have 80,000 home health patients under its value-based model. ... After Humana fully acquired Kindred at Home, it divested the home care and hospice assets. With the large and remaining home health footprint, Humana created CenterWell Home Health.

Epic hit with antitrust suit by Particle Health Modern Healthcare; by Brock E.W. Turner; 9/23/24 A startup’s dispute with electronic health record giant Epic Systems has escalated to court. Particle Health, a startup that helps providers and health technology companies aggregate and share data, filed a suit Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York alleging Epic is using its market power to prevent products that would compete with the EHR company's payer platform.  ... Particle also alleges Epic used its influence to obtain a favorable ruling from Carequality, the national interoperability framework used by more than 50,000 organizations including clinics, hospitals and health tech companies. An Epic spokesperson said Particle’s claims are “baseless” and the lawsuit is an attempt to divert attention from Particle’s “unlawful actions” on the Carequality health information exchange network. The spokesperson said the company would defend itself against the claims.

Building a clinic-based palliative care program Hospice News; by Jennifer Murtoff; 9/25/24 Palliative care is often delivered in the hospital setting or in the home, but a number of organizations have set up clinics to deliver those services. These locations often assist patients by offering a variety of services beyond symptom management. While they offer an alternative to home-based services, they present their own unique benefits and challenges. One of the agencies that uses the clinic model is Hospice of Northwest Ohio, which serves both Ohio and Michigan. Their palliative care subsidiary, Sincera — Supportive Care and Symptom Relief, launched in 2008 and recently opened a location in Oregon City, Ohio. At Sincera clinics, patients of any age who have chronic, serious illnesses can receive expert palliative care services. Creating the clinic-based model was a challenge, according to Richard Russell, president and CEO of Hospice of Northwest Ohio.

The power of collaboration: Pharmacists and nurses partner to enhance patient care American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) News Center; by Karen Blum; 9/23/24 Pharmacists and nurses work together on today's most pressing health challenges - from managing heart failure to deprescribing in palliative care to tackling obesity in pre-transplant patients. The Collaborative Care Grant for Nurses and Pharmacists from the ASHP Foundation and American Nurses Foundation recognizes the potential impact of this interdisciplinary teamwork on improving healthcare outcomes. At UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, the grant program helped fund the creation of a medication optimization clinic (MOC) for those with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. “It made a lot of sense to bring together our collective expertise to manage these patients to get them on more optimal medications,” said James Coons, a clinical pharmacist in cardiology at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. Coons, an ASHP member and professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, worked with nurse practitioner and longtime collaborator, Jennifer Kliner, on the project.

Hospital mergers and health care price increases: A primer for reporters Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCG); by AHCG Staff; 9/24/24 Hospital mergers — market consolidation — can lead to health care price increases of anywhere from 3% to 65%, according to a 2022 RAND Corporation review. The FTC’s director of the Bureau of Economics has said hospitals that merge may charge 40% to 50% more than if they hadn’t merged. Mergers can also result in layoffs and lower tax revenues and have a negative impact on patient care by reducing access to some health care services. With so much research confirming negative effects and as health care prices continue to rise, what — if anything — can be done to slow market consolidation and/or reduce the harms to patients and local economies?

Pay cuts, layoffs hit the C-suite Becker's Hospital CFO Report; by Alan Condon; 9/25/24 Health systems are increasingly trimming executive positions and pay to stabilize their financial footing amid rising operational costs, workforce shortages and inflationary pressures. Springfield, Mass.-based Baystate Health will see three top leaders depart, effective Oct. 23, including Chief Quality Officer Doug Salvador, MD, Chief Information and Digital Officer Kevin Conway and Chief Human Resources Officer Kristin Morales-Lemieux. ... Similarly, Providence, R.I.-based Lifespan has cut 20% of its executive roles as part of a broader restructuring effort aimed at reducing overhead costs and directing more resources to patient care. The restructuring has led to the departure of key figures, including Crista Durand, who served as president of Newport (R.I.) Hospital since 2014. ... Corvallis, Ore.-based Samaritan Health Services recently laid off 1% of its workforce and temporarily reduced executive pay to counteract financial losses. ... For hospital executives across the country, these cuts serve as a stark reminder that restructuring may be inevitable to maintain operational viability. As the healthcare landscape evolves, systems will continue to seek ways to reduce overhead, streamline decision-making, and focus on financial sustainability.

A night with the stars: Soldout event raises nearly $100,000 for Richmond County Hospice Richmond County Daily Journal, Richmond County, NC; by Jimmy Potts; 9/24/24 Last Saturday’s Dancing with the Stars fundraiser generated nearly $100,000 for Richmond County Hospice during the gala event hosted by the Cole Auditorium. The $95,000 raised last Saturday eclipsed the $83,000 raised last year, which Richmond County Commission President Jeff Smart attributed to growing support for the event year after year. “I couldn’t be more proud of that. Did y’all hear sold out? In Richmond County, that doesn’t happen folks. I had people calling me today wanting tickets, and I couldn’t sneak them through the back door,” Smart said. “… Last year, we topped around $83,000. The good news is we had more sponsors. We sold out, which is the most ticket sales you can have. We had a record number of sales from our dancers.” Along with performances from the dancers, the event also featured a slew of restaurants putting their confections to the test as part of a contest. The event also featured performances multiple area dances troupes as well as more than 18 contestants performing in the competition.

Fairhope Hospice and Palliative Care announces Grand Opening of Advanced Illness Management (AIM) Clinic Fairhope Hospice & Palliative Care; by Julie Theado; 9/24/24Fairhope Hospice & Palliative Care celebrated the grand opening of their Advanced Illness Management (AIM) Clinic through a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 23, hosted by the Lancaster-Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce alongside community leaders. The AIM clinic ... is designed to meet the growing needs of the community by providing a convenient setting where patients can receive care from nurse practitioners for routine visits and urgent, non-emergency care. Physician support will also be available to help patients better manage symptoms and stress associated with their conditions, ultimately aiming to reduce frequent hospitalizations. ... Kristin Glasure, President and CEO of Fairhope Hospice and Palliative Care, shared her thoughts on this expansion: “... By offering more specialized services in a dedicated setting, we’re ensuring that patients with advanced illnesses receive the best possible care while staying close to home."

The evolving landscape of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A fatal disease!  Delveinsight; 9/24/24 Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive degeneration of motor neurons, leading to muscle weakness, paralysis, and ultimately, death. ... Despite ALS being relatively rare, affecting 2-5 per 100,000 people worldwide, the question Is ALS on the rise? is gaining attention. While global prevalence has not significantly increased, improved diagnostic techniques, earlier detection, and greater awareness have led to a more accurate identification of ALS cases. Many researchers believe that enhanced surveillance and better tools for genetic testing are uncovering more cases than previously recognized, rather than a true rise in the disease’s incidence. However, with an aging global population, the burden of ALS may grow, as age is a major risk factor. Editor's note: Do you provide disease-specific training for your staff? ALS patients' and families' needs are unique. A significant disease comparison is between ALZ (Alzheimer's) and ALS. With ALZ (Alzheimer's), the brain decreases its abilities to function while the body can remain strong; the person is mobile with cognitive limitations. In contrast, with ALS, the body decreases its abilities to function while the brain/mind/emotions can remain strong. The person is immobile with cognitive awareness, but extreme physical limitations in communicating one's thoughts, emotions, and needs. ALS-specific communication tools provide crucial help for all. For more information in your location, visit The ALS Association's USA map.

FTC sues big 3 Pharmacy Benefit Managers PlanSponsor; by Remy Samuels; 9/20/24 The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against the largest PBMs, following its July report exposing the ‘opaque’ business practices of the ‘powerful middlemen.’ ... The Federal Trade Commission filed an administrative lawsuit Friday against the three largest pharmacy benefit managers—Caremark Rx, Express Scripts and Optum Rx—and their affiliated group purchasing organizations. The regulator argued the firms are responsible for inflating the cost of prescription drugs, such as insulin, and preventing patients’ access to lower-cost products. The FTC’s complaint, filed under its administrative process, not a federal court, alleges that the big three PBMs, which the FTC stated administer about 80% of all prescriptions in the U.S., have “abused their economic power by rigging pharmaceutical supply chain competition in their favor, forcing patients to pay more for life-saving medication.” 

Family caregivers need greater support from Medicare, advocates say McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 9/20/24 Though federal agencies have made substantial progress on initiatives supporting family caregivers, more can be done to assist people providing unpaid care for older loved ones, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving. “While we’ve made strides, the urgent needs of family caregivers demand more ambitious action,” Jason Resendez, president and chief executive officer of NAC, said Thursday in a statement. “The time for bold action is now.” NAC specifically urged Congress to boost federal funding for national and state-level grants that support family caregivers, and recommended policies that help caregivers access paid family and medical leave, tax credits and Medicare- and Medicaid-sponsored support programs.