Literature Review

Bride holds emotional dress reveal at hospital for her nana — fearing she wouldn’t be there on the big day Scoop; by Baisakhi Mishra; 1/4/25 Realizing her grandmother would miss her wedding, a bride-to-be makes her way to the hospital with a surprise that will warm your soul. Grandparents eagerly wait to see their grandchildren walk down the aisle. Perhaps, for them, it's like reliving a moment they've dreamed of since they first held their grandchildren in their arms. Through every milestone and memory, the grandparents patiently watch their grandchildren grow and dream about witnessing the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. Similarly, months before her wedding, Gianna Huber (@gianna on TikTok) wanted to make her ailing grandmother, Jo Ann, feel truly special. Fearing her grandma might not make it to her big day, Huber planned a heartfelt surprise—a special wedding dress reveal just for Jo Ann.

Ascension Living residents, employees among 6 million affected by data breach McKnights Senior Living; by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 1/6/24 Senior living and care residents and employees are among the six million people Ascension said Dec. 19 that it was notifying of potential stolen personal information in the wake of a May 8 ransomware attack. The St. Louis-based nonprofit healthcare network, which includes Ascension Living, operator of three dozen senior living and care communities and also a provider of home care and hospice services, announced Dec. 19 that a review by third-party experts of the attack was complete. On that date, Ascension began notifying individuals whose personal information was involved and is providing them with free credit monitoring and identity protection services.

Masonicare completes merger with UMH, facility acquisition McKnights Senior Living; by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 1/6/25 Wallingford, CT-based Masonicare has completed its planned merger with United Methodist Homes, the companies said Thursday in a joint statement. Masonicare Corp. is Connecticut’s largest not-for-profit senior living and care organization, offering independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing as well as short-term rehabilitation, respite care and hospice care. UMH, a 150-year-old organization, has five locations in the Nutmeg State. The communities provide independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and short-term rehab. The merger moves UMH under the Masonicare brand and extends to UMH access to Masonicare’s comprehensive continuum of care, the companies said.  Also on Jan. 2, Masonicare announced the acquisition of Atria Greenridge Place in Rocky Hill, CT, rebranding the assisted living and memory community to Masonicare at Greenridge Place.

Holistic and seamless: How health systems advocate, Mass General Brigham are advancing at-home care Home Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 1/6/25 A big part of the evolution of health systems has been more meaningful engagement with the home as an extension of brick-and-mortar operations. In recent years, organizations like Advocate Health and Mass General Brigham have exemplified this shift. These major health systems are reevaluating their home-based care capabilities and partnerships, and leveraging technology and innovative care models–including hospital-at-home–to enable more integrated and cost-efficient services. ... In August, the organization was awarded $4.6 million from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services to study short-term rehab at home. The study is a randomized controlled trial that examines the impact of delivering short-term rehab care at home compared to a traditional post-acute care setting.

Escambia County Fire Rescue grants a hospice wish to a 17-year-old Cantonment resident Pensacola News Journal; by Tony Giberson; 1/6/25Escambia County Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Paul Williams and Lt. Darren Snipes visit with 17-year-old hospice patient Dalton Harvey and his family in the Cantonment area on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. During the visit, the ECFR presented Dalton with gifts, including a real firefighter's helmet.

The beginning is the most important part of the work. ~ Plato

Here’s what experts expect for hospitals in 2025Healthcare Brew; by Cassie McGrath; (emailed 1/6/25) 12/5/24Two experts talked with Healthcare Brew about possible upcoming trends in leadership development and health equity initiatives, and they’re also eyeing potential changes to federal regulations for drug discount programs as well as Medicare and Medicaid. Here’s what providers are anticipating for 2025, according to industry experts. [Including:]

The Jimmy Carter White House Connection to Hospice & Palliative Care TodayCohen-Fyfe Communications; by Mark Cohen; 1/3/25Jimmy Carter’s impact on the hospice movement goes further than his very public decision to be admitted to hospice in February 2023 ... and even further than his administration’s decision in 1980 to launch the Hospice Demonstration Project that directly led to congressional passage of the Medicare Hospice Benefit, with strong bipartisan support, in 1981 during the first year of the Reagan Administration. How much further? You might not be reading this daily newsletter if were not for the Carter White House. If you were a fan of Hospice News Today, which I published from 2012 to 2023, and/or if you’re a fan of Hospice & Palliative Care Today, then you should know that Jimmy Carter(and his long-time senior aides Jody Powell and Hamilton Jordan) deserve some of the credit for these two unique daily environmental scans that have served the hospice movement now for more than a dozen years. ... [Fascinating story and with this spoiler alert:] So, Inauguration Day in 1977 found me walking into the Old Executive Ofice Building as the youngest person on the 369-person staf of The Office of the President. My job? One of six stafers who produced the daily News Summary for the President and nearly 200 senior oficials throughout the White House and the Cabinet and executive agencies. [Click on the title's link to read more.]Editor's note: As President Carter's body is taken to the Capitol today, we celebrate the simple moments that can change the course of another's life. Did you read Jimmy Carter's questions to the young Mark Cohen? At Hospice & Palliative Care Today, we are grateful for Mark's journey and long-lasting impact. What interest are you taking in the lives of those who serve in your organization? May we pause. Learn. And live.

Top hospice trends to watch in 2025 Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 1/3/25 Hospice leaders will need to keep their eyes on five key trends in the new year when it comes to compliance, business operations and finance. Coupled with these trends is rising utilization. Hospice utilization reached 51.7% among Medicare decedents 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. ... The number of hospice care days also saw increases, as did average length of stay and average number of patient visits per week. Total Medicare hospice payments in 2023 reached $25.7 billion. ...

National Alliance for Care at Home, Transcend Strategy Group release hospice report HomeCare, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; HomeCare; 1/3/25 The National Alliance for Care at Home (The Alliance) and Transcend Strategy Group, a marketing agency for homecare companies, published the results of their Rural American Hospice Insights report, a new study that explored perceptions of hospice care among rural and small-town communities. The Alliance said the survey, which included 400 participants, aims to provide health equity and break down barriers to accessing hospice and homecare through knowledge sharing, data collection and collaborative discussion.  “Ensuring access to high-quality hospice and homecare in rural communities is critical,” said Steve Landers, CEO of The National Alliance for Care at Home. “These communities deserve care that is tailored to their unique needs, and in an America where more and more health care desserts are arising due to provider closures from inadequate reimbursement, maintaining quality care and continuing to build trust in the care provided is of the utmost importance."

Hospice M&A market to ‘return to sanity’ in 2025 Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 1/2/25The hospice mergers and acquisitions market has seen a host of changes in recent years, with buyers and sellers examining a range of risks and opportunities in the field this year. The industry saw a flurry of M&A activity in 2019 and 2020, with record high valuations and deal volume. Subsequent years saw cooling periods that left many operators wondering what’s next in store as 2025 unfolds. The previous “buy, buy, buy” mentality among hospice investors has morphed into a more disciplined strategic approach, according to New Day Healthcare LLC CEO G. Scott Herman. Certain lessons learned are driving future hospice investment decisions, particularly those around valuations and keys to sustainable growth, Herman said during a recent Hospice News Elevate podcast. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

An unimaginable year for UnitedHealth Becker's Payer Issues; by Jakob Emerson; 12/30/24 The year 2024 will be remembered as one full of unprecedented challenges and turmoil for the nation's largest healthcare company. From the tragic and targeted killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson to a crippling cyberattack on subsidiary Change Healthcare, UnitedHealth Group has faced a cascade of crises that affected the entire healthcare industry. These major events, compounded by legal battles and heightened public scrutiny, have exposed systemwide vulnerabilities and sparked a broader reckoning about the role of insurers within healthcare. ... Adding to the turbulence, the Justice Department is actively investigating the relationship between UnitedHealthcare and Optum, while also suing to block the company's planned $3.3 billion acquisition of home health provider Amedisys. 

Navigating Aging: The LGBTQ+ community relives old traumas as they face aging on their own Northern Kentucky Tribune; by Judith Graham; 1/5/25 Bill Hall, 71, has been fighting for his life for 38 years. These days, he’s feeling worn out. Hall contracted HIV, the virus that can cause AIDS, in 1986. ... This past year, Hall has been hospitalized five times with dangerous infections and life-threatening internal bleeding. But that’s only part of what Hall, a gay man, has dealt with. ... By 2030, the number of LGBTQ+ seniors is expected to double. Many won’t have partners and most won’t have children or grandchildren to help care for them, AARP research indicates. They face a daunting array of problems, including higher-than-usual rates of anxiety and depression, chronic stress, disability, and chronic illnesses such as heart disease, according to numerous research studies. High rates of smoking, alcohol use, and drug use — all ways people try to cope with stress — contribute to poor health. Keep in mind, this generation grew up at a time when every state outlawed same-sex relations and when the American Psychiatric Association identified homosexuality as a psychiatric disorder. Many were rejected by their families and their churches when they came out. Then, they endured the horrifying impact of the AIDS crisis.