Literature Review

In the end, it is importnat to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are. ~ Max De Pree

Peter Yarrow, iconic Peter, Paul and Mary singer and former Connecticut Hospice board member, dies CT Insider; by Andrew DaRosa; 1/7/25 Peter Yarrow, one-third of the iconic folk troubadours Peter, Paul and Mary, has died at the age of 86 ... “Our fearless dragon is tired and has entered the last chapter of his magnificent life. The world knows Peter Yarrow the iconic folk activist, but the human being behind the legend is every bit as generous, creative, passionate, playful, and wise as his lyrics suggest,” Yarrow's daughter, Bethany Yarrow, said in a statement to the Associated Press. ... Yarrow frequently performed in Connecticut and was scheduled to play with Stookey in July at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook. Yarrow also performed at Connecticut Hospice in Branford, where his mother had stayed, according to a 2017 interview with Compassion and Choices. He served on the board for Connecticut Hospice for a number of years. 

OnePoint Patient Care expands services to PACE programs Pharmiweb.com - Global Pharma News & Resources, Morton Grove, IL; 1/7/25 OnePoint Patient Care, a leading provider of community based pharmacy services, is proud to announce the launch of OnePoint PACE, a new business line that will bring the company's medication dispensing expertise and high level of service to Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) providers and participants. 

UnitedHealth named world's largest insurer for 10th straight yearBecker's Payer Issues; by Jakob Emerson; 1/3/25UnitedHealth Group is the world's largest insurer by net premiums written for a 10th year in a row, according to AM Best's annual ranking published Jan. 2. In 2025, UnitedHealth expects revenues of up to $455 billion and adjusted net earnings of $29.50 to $30.00 per share. Top 10 insurers ranked by 2023 NPW:

Hawaiʻi Palliative and Hospice Care Collaborative forms to strengthen advanced illness care across state MauiNow - Maui News; 1/7/25 Six grassroots nonprofit hospice providers—Hawai‘i Care Choices, Hospice Maui, Kaua‘i Hospice, Navian Hawaii, North Hawai‘i Hospice, and St. Francis Hospice—have united to form the Hawai‘i Palliative and Hospice Care Collaborative, a statewide initiative leveraging decades of expertise to provide compassionate palliative and hospice care across Hawai‘i. “This Collaborative represents a new era for end-of-life care in Hawai‘i,” said Brenda S. Ho, CEO of Hawai‘i Care Choices. “By coming together, we are amplifying our voice, strengthening our resources, and ensuring that every community across our islands has access to care that honors the culture and preferences of each patient and their ‘ohana.”  

California wildfires live updates: Pacific Palisades wildfire grows rapidlyNBC News - Live Coverage; 1/7/2025What we know about the California wildfires:

'Never waste a good crisis': The keys behind a Louisiana system's financial comebackBecker's Hospital CFO Report; by Alan Condon; 12/27/24Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, a 10-hospital system headquartered in Baton Rouge, La., achieved a $241 million turnaround in fiscal year 2024 under the leadership of CFO Mike Gleason, who told Becker's the feat was "a total team effort." By reimagining operational strategies, shifting from a holding company to an operating company model, and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration, the 10-hospital system not only stabilized its finances but positioned itself for sustained growth. Mr. Gleason joined the Becker's Healthcare podcast to discuss the strategies that turned a financial crisis into an opportunity for sustainable growth and strengthened the health system's ability to reinvest in its people and future.

Top 25 health systems' most-successful digital projects of '24Becker's Health IT; by Giles Bruce; 12/20/24Health systems experienced another year of digital advancement in 2024, with more big EHR moves and a push toward generative AI. Here are the most successful IT projects and top digital trends of the year, as told to Becker's by the head technology leaders at top 25 health systems across the U.S.

The most-Googled health questions of 2024Becker's Health IT; by Mackenzie Bean; 12/30/24The findings reveal Americans' curiosity about infectious diseases, daily wellness practices and chronic conditions. The most popular query, "Is bronchitis contagious?" amassed 176,000 monthly searches... The most-searched health questions on Google in 2024:

5 questions looming over healthcare leaders as 2025 beginsBecker's Hospital Review; by Molly Gamble; 1/2/25

Hospice Coalition Questions and Answers: October 30, 2024Palmetto GBA; 12/12/2024Meeting Q&A and these attachments: Attachment A1: Hospice Appeals Report Q2; Attachment A2: Hospice Appeals Report Q3; Attachment B: Hospice CAP Updates.

An AI chatbot outperformed physicians and physicians plus AI in a trial - What does that mean?JAMA; by Yulin Hswen, Rita Rubin; 12/27/24Jonathan Chen, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine, and Ethan Goh, MBBS, MS, a postdoctoral scholar, both at Stanford University, have collaborated for 2 years on studying the integration of human and artificial intelligence to enhance clinical decision-making. They published a randomized clinical trial in JAMA Network Open on October 28 that found that the use of a large language model (LLM) did not significantly enhance physicians’ diagnostic reasoning beyond that of conventional resources. Surprisingly, though, the LLM alone performed better than the physicians did with either the LLM or the conventional resources... In our pilot study, we thought the doctors who had access to the chatbot were going to do way better than the doctors who only had access to the usual internet - UpToDate, PubMed, Google, whatever. Then when we actually did the randomized study, that didn’t turn out to be the case, which is really weird. The chatbot by itself did surprisingly better than all of the doctors, including the doctors that accessed the chatbot. That flew in the face of the fundamental theorem of informatics: human plus computer will deliver better results than either would alone. That sounds so good, right? I’ve been saying it as the last line in my talks for years. I don’t say it anymore because results like these challenge it.Publisher's note: An interesting interview with the authors of JAMA's Large Language Model Influence on Diagnostic Reasoning article, which we ran 11/16/24.

The Alliance celebrates the Dole Act becoming law, protecting burial benefits for veteransNational Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 1/7/25 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) issued the following statement in response to President Biden signing S. 141, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, into law on Thursday, January 2. This landmark legislation includes Section 301, Gerald’s Law, which addresses a critical gap in benefits for Veterans. Gerald’s Law ensures that families of terminally-ill Veterans receiving Veterans Affairs (VA)-furnished hospice care—whether at home, in a nursing home, or in another non-VA setting—retain access to their full VA burial allowance. “We are deeply grateful for the bipartisan support of Gerald’s Law and its inclusion in the Dole Act,” said Dr. Steve Landers, CEO for the Alliance. “This legislation ensures that Veterans and their families can choose hospice care in the setting that best meets their needs without risking the loss of crucial burial benefits. We thank Senators Moran, Tester, and Hassan, Representatives Ciscomani, Bost, Brownley, and Takano, and many others for their leadership, as well as President Biden for signing this important bill into law.”