Literature Review

[Canada] First reading: Hundreds seeking death due to loneliness — inside Canada’s new MAID figures National Post, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; by Tristin Hopper; 12/13/24 [Health Canada has] released the official figures on medical assistance in dying (MAID) deaths in 2023. The Fifth Annual Report on Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada, published on Wednesday, reveals that one in every 20 Canadian deaths is now due to assisted suicide. There were 15,343 total MAID deaths in 2023, the median age ... was 77.7 years, and 622 people received MAID for a non-terminal illness. ... The growth rate [in Canada] remains higher than anywhere else. ... Half of non-terminally ill people applying for MAID report being lonely. When applying for MAID, patients are asked to detail all the types of suffering they’re experiencing in order to determine if their condition qualifies as something “grievous and irremediable” — and thus eligible for death. Health Canada’s report reveals that 47.1 per cent of non-terminally ill Canadians who applied for MAID reported “isolation or loneliness” as one of the causes of their suffering. This was significantly higher than the number of terminally ill applicants who said the same (21.1 per cent).

Hospice utilization rebounds to pre-pandemic levels, but fraud casts a shadow Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 12/17/24 The nation’s hospice utilization rate among Medicare decedents has once again surpassed 50%, for the first time since the pandemic. However, fraud issues in the space create questions around the quality of care patients are receiving. Hospice utilization reached 51.7% in 2023, up more than two percentage points from the prior year, according to recent data from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). This is the highest rate since 2019. MedPAC observed increases in utilization across the board, even when stratified into subgroups by age, sex, race and rural or urban location. ... Despite these positive trends, an influx of new hospices continued in states considered hotbeds for Medicare fraud, including Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. Many of these new additions came in areas where additional hospices were likely not necessary based on the needs of the patient population. Georgia also saw a large spate of new providers emerge in 2023.

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed collection; Comment request Federal Register - United States Government; A Notice by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health  and Human Services; 12/16/24 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is announcing an opportunity for the public to comment on CMS' intention to collect information from the public. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information (including each proposed extension or reinstatement of an existing collection of information) and to allow 60 days for public comment on the proposed action. Interested persons are invited to send comments regarding our burden estimates or any other aspect of this collection of information, including the necessity and utility of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of the agency's functions, the accuracy of the estimated burden, ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected, and the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the information collection burden.

I wish you music to help with the burdens of life, and to help you release your happiness to others. ~ Ludwig van BeethovenEditor's note: Happy Birthday to Ludwig van Beethoven, Dec. 17, 1770. He's my hero! What music helps you "with the burdens of life" and/or helps you "release your happiness to others"? I'd love to hear. Dr. Joy Berger, Editor in Chief; Author, Music of the Soul - Composing Life Out of Loss.

MedPAC advises cutting home health payments by 7 percent, freezing hospice payments in ’26 McKnights Home Care; by Liza Berger; 12/16/24 The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) on Friday issued draft recommendations that entail cutting payments to home health agencies by 7% and freezing hospice payments in 2026. The body, which advises Congress on Medicare payment issues, issued the same recommendations last year. Providers, once again, were not pleased. “The recent recommendations by MedPAC regarding Medicare home health and hospice policy are misguided and deeply troubling,” Steve Landers, MD, CEO of the National Alliance for Care at Home, said in a statement to McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse. “Medicare hospice spending has not kept up with labor inflation in the past five years and the typical length of stay and proportion of beneficiaries accessing hospice has stagnated. With respect to home health, the recommendation for drastic cuts is based on a flawed analysis of agency margins that fails to account for all payers and the true financial health of the home health system.”

Palliative care may improve quality of life for stroke survivors and their family members American Heart Association - Stroke News & Brain Health; by Newsroom; 12/16/24 Palliative care ... can help improve quality of life for stroke survivors as well as their family members, according to “Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Stroke,” a new scientific statement published today in the Association’s peer-reviewed scientific journal Stroke. ... The new statement complements the Association’s 2014 Scientific Statement on Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Stroke, which covered core palliative care competencies and skills for health care professionals who treat stroke patients. The statement includes strategies to improve communication about prognosis and goals-of-care, address psychosocial needs such as coping with loss, navigate complex health care systems and prepare for death with end-of-life care when necessary. It also highlights the substantial inequities that exist in palliative care after stroke across sociodemographic and regional characteristics and the need to reduce those disparities.

Navigating the Generative AI journey: A strategic roadmap for healthcare organizations Perficient; by Felix Bradbury; 12/13/24 The healthcare industry stands at a transformative crossroads with generative AI (GenAI) poised to revolutionize care delivery, operational efficiency, and patient outcomes. Recent MIT Technology Review research indicates that while 88% of organizations are using or experimenting with GenAI, healthcare organizations face unique challenges in implementation. Let’s explore a comprehensive approach to successful GenAI adoption in healthcare. ... The journey to GenAI adoption requires careful consideration of three key dimensions: organizational readiness, use case prioritization, and infrastructure capabilities, [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

Anvoi Hospice now serving Tangipahoa Parish The Daily Star, Hammond, LA; 12/13/24 Anvoi Hospice has announced that they are bringing their specialized hospice care to Hammond, Ponchatoula and the surrounding area. Their goal is to provide care for the patient and the whole family with an emphasis on dignity, compassion and comfort, according to a press release. Anvoi Hospice was founded in 2013 and serves the Greater New Orleans area, including Tangipahoa and St. Tammany parishes. “We are honored to bring our services to this community,” said Angelique Richardson, Anvoi Health Care CEO. ... Anvoi Hospice has been named one of the “Best Places to Work” by New Orleans City Business Magazine.

Health gap at end of life is now wider in US than any other country Science Alert - Health; by Carly Cassella; 12/16/24 A data-crunching survey covering 183 member nations of the World Health Organization has now confirmed what some scientists feared: while years are being added to most people's lives, healthy life is not being added to most people's year. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that people around the world in 2019 were living 9.6 years of life burdened by disability or disease – an increase of 13 percent from 2000. In that same time frame, global life expectancy has increased 6.5 years, and yet health-adjusted life expectancy has only increased 5.4 years. In the US, the gap between lifespan and 'healthspan' is growing particularly wide. Between 2000 and 2019, life expectancy in the US increased from 79.2 to 80.7 years for women, and from 74.1 to 76.3 years for men. When adjusting for healthy years of added life, however, the span only increased by 0.6 years among men. And among women, while health-adjusted life expectancy fluctuated slightly over time, in 2019 it matched the figure seen in 2000. The expanding gap means if an American woman lived to the expected 80.7 years of age, the last 12.4 years of her life would on average be impacted by disease or disability.

'You will NEVER be forgotten': 26-year-old Savannah mom in hospice care has died ABC WJCL-22 News, Savannah, GA; by Graham Cawthon; 12/13/24 A young Savannah mother who entered hospice care earlier this month has died. WJCL began following the story of 26-year-old Sara Long last year. Long was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease at the age of 13. Six years later, her mother donated a kidney to her. But the new organ failed.“We were expecting to have more time, you know," Sara told WJCL earlier this month. "I was just hoping to make it through the holidays, honestly." ... "I would rather have 26 really good years full of adventure and full of meaning and full of love and just the most beautiful people and I'm so glad that I got that instead of 100 mediocre ones," she added.On Friday, Sara's husband Justin confirmed that she had passed away. "December 12, 2024 at 10:20pm Sara Long passed away. I held her in my arms and told her I loved her as she took her last breath. Her kind and loving nature continues through our daughter Riley and me as she has shown me that men can be calm and loving. She has shown me that I can be the greatest dad and has shown everyone around her what true love and kindness is. I'm glad she lived a great 26 years instead of 100 mediocre ones. Thank you, Sara for giving me the absolute best 7 years of my life and the most beautiful daughter. You will NEVER be forgotten. I love you." Editor's note: We posted Sara's powerful video and quote in our newsletter on 12/6/24. Click here for her profound, inspirational video.

One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through and it will be someone else's survival guide. ~ Brene Brown

Glendale woman and Lakewood man found guilty of $3.2 million hospice fraud scheme involving kickbacks for patient referrals United States Attorney's Office - Central District of California, Los Angeles, CA; Press Release; 12/12/24A Glendale woman and a Lakewood man have been found guilty by a jury of paying and receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal kickbacks for patient referrals that resulted in the submission of approximately $3.2 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for purported hospice care, the Justice Department announced today. Nita Palma, 75, of Glendale, was found guilty late Wednesday of 12 counts of health care fraud and 16 counts of paying illegal kickbacks for health care referrals. Percy Abrams, 74, of Lakewood, also was found guilty late Wednesday of six counts of receiving illegal kickbacks for health care referrals. ... Consistent with instructions provided by Palma, Abrams falsely represented to prospective patients that they did not need to be dying to be on hospice. After collecting personal identifying information from prospective patients that were not dying, Abrams sent the information to Nita Palma so she could bill Medicare for purported hospice care.Editor's note: Caution. How many hospices have misused information about President Jimmy Carter's long Length of Stay (LOS) to purport similar messaging that "hospice is not about dying"? Too often, articles we would review used "not about dying" language and never mentioned anything about ongoing clinical review for hospice appropriateness, 6-month Face to Face visits, et al.