Literature Review

Hospital CEO turnover up 36% in FebruaryBecker's Hospital Review, by Kelly Gooch; 3/29/24Hospitals reported 15 CEO changes last month, marking a 36% increase from January. Hospitals announced 26 CEO changes total in the first two months of 2024, according to a March 29 report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an executive coaching firm that examines CEO turnover in the U.S. ... Across the 29 industries and sectors measured by the firm, there were 248 CEO changes in February, up 28% from the 194 CEO exits recorded the month prior. Last month's total marked the highest monthly total on record, according to the firm. Challenger, Gray & Christmas began tracking CEO exits 22 years ago. 

Vermont bill would address violence against home health workers CBS TV 3 WCAX, by Laura Ullman; 4/3/24 The increase in violence against health care workers in recent years is also happening behind closed doors. Vermont’s hospice and home health care workers say they’re facing sexual violence, threats, and assault. Now, Vermont lawmakers are considering a bill to provide further protections. “Home health nurses go into homes, unknown homes, by themselves all the time. So, we really need to be able to protect them,” said Jill Mazza Olson with the Vermont Visiting Nurse Association.

The operational advantages of hiring seniors to provide home care Home Health Care News, by Joyce Famakinwa; 4/1/24Seniors Helping Seniors has long distinguished itself from other home care companies by hiring active seniors to serve as caregivers. Josh Obeiter — an owner of one of the company’s franchise locations — has seen even more added value from this strategy as the industry at large combats labor shortages. At Seniors Helping Seniors, the average age of an employee is around 70 years old, and 80% of caregivers are in their 60s and 70s, according to Obeiter.

Palliative care could be a game changer for public health Harvard Public Health, by Meredith Lidard Kleeman; 4/4/24California and Hawaii are pioneering ways to expand access. ... California is one of the first states in the country to require insurance companies that administer Medicaid benefits to fully cover palliative care services for eligible residents. ... Palliative care is poised to be a game changer for public health. Nearly 50 percent of states now include palliative care services for eligible Medicaid recipients, according to C-TAC. And in California and Hawaii, two paths are being forged toward wider palliative care access. ... 

Neuropsychiatric effects associated with opioid-based management for palliative care patients

CMS provides first look at shorter, Risk-Based Survey process McKnights Long-Term Care News, by Kimberly Marselas; 4/4/24 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Wednesday revealed initial information about a potential “Risk-Based Survey” option that could be available to some of the nation’s best performing nursing homes. ... CMS said in an update to its nursing home provider enrollment page Wednesday that it is working with states to test this process over the next several months. ... CMS said the proposed risk-based survey, or RBS, approach would allow “consistently higher-quality facilities” to receive a more focused survey, while still ensuring compliance with health and safety standards. 

Fostering respect and appreciation seen as keys to retaining direct care workersMcKnights Online Forum, by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 3/27/24 Expressions of appreciation and respect can go a long way in addressing senior living’s direct care workforce crisis, according to a panel of direct workers and employers who addressed what makes employees want to stay — or go. ... Nate Hamme, president and executive director of the Ceca Foundation, ... said that the most important part of employee recognition is listening to people. ... He added that there is a science to recognition backed by research into what motivates people and implementing programs around that. ... Recognition programs, Hamme added, should focus on IMPACT: inclusive, mission-aligned, public, authentic, consistent and timely. 

PACS Group could raise $400 million in IPOMcKnights Long-Term Care News, by Kimberly Marselas;   4/3/24PACS Group, one of the nation’s largest nursing home operators, could raise about $400 million in an initial public offering, according to a fresh round of documents filed this week. Utah-based PACS plans to offer 19.05 million shares of common stock when it goes public, with an estimated price of $20 to $22 per share. At the top of that range, the move to the New York Stock Exchange could net the company $429 million in value.

Bereaved Parent Support Study: Seeking Participants Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center/University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Cancer, St. Jude Children's Hospital, and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; 4/2/24This program is offered as a research study examining three types of support for bereaved parents who have lost a child to cancer. The study is jointly sponsored by Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center/University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Cancer, St. Jude Children's Hospital, and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; however, families need not have received care from one of these institutions. ...The counseling will be provided through videoconferencing and all activities for this study can be completed in [the participant's] home. ... There will be no charge for any support offered through the study. [Click on the title's link for more information.] 

Estate gift boosts Hospice of the Foothills’ mission of compassionate careYubaNet.com, by Hospice of the Foothills; 3/27/24 Nonprofit Hospice of the Foothills is pleased to announce the receipt of a transformative estate gift generously bequeathed by Templeton Family Trust. This significant contribution underscores the enduring commitment of community members to support our mission of providing compassionate palliative, hospice, and bereavement services to those in need. John and Lucile Templeton, Hospice of the Foothills supporters, have exemplified the spirit of generosity and philanthropy. 

What home health providers need to know about the Medicare TPE Audit ProcessHome Health Care News, by Joyce Famakinwa;  4/2/24... TPE is a medical review program that began for the home health and hospice settings in December 2017. The goal of the program is to weed out improper payments by zeroing-in on providers with high claims denial rates or unusual billing practices. ... TPE has three pillars. Target refers to errors or mistakes that are identified through data in comparison to providers or peers. Probe is the examination of 20 to 40 claims. ... Education means helping providers reduce claim denials and appeals through one-on-one individualized education.

Art exhibit in Sandy centers experiences of grief OPB, by Sheraz Sadiq; 4/3/24 Art and writing prompts were used during grief support groups offered by Mt. Hood Hospice to help participants process their experience with grief. Dozens of pieces of artwork, poems and other forms of writing created during those sessions are featured in "Grief Made Visible," an exhibit now in its second year that will open on April 5 at AntFarm Café and Bakery in Sandy, OR.

9 health systems join digital startup venture with Northwell HealthBecker's Health IT, by Giles Bruces, 4/2/24 Nine health systems are partnering with a venture studio aiming to launch digital health startups. The systems will work with Aegis Ventures, a startup incubator that has built four companies over the past three years with New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health. John Noseworthy, MD, emeritus president and CEO of Rochester, MN-based Mayo Clinic, will serve as chair of the new Digital Consortium. The group says its goal is to develop solutions "built for health systems by health systems." The nine founding members of Aegis Ventures' Digital Consortium are: