Literature Review

Holly Ball raises over $1,000,000 in its 50th year WJON News AM-1240 FM-95.3, St. Cloud, MN; by Paul Habstritt; 12/16/24 An annual fundraising event in St. Cloud was a huge success. CentraCare's 50th Annual Holly Ball raised over $1-million dollars to support CentraCare Hospice, Coborn Cancer Center, and Child Advocacy Center. CentraCare Foundation Vice President Holly Gulden says Holly Ball was an incredible success this year and they are so grateful to the guests, sponsors, volunteers, and donors' commitment to helping CentraCare support local health care. The theme for this year's event was "Seasons of Love." Over, 1,200 people attended Holly Ball on December 7th at the River's Edge Convention Center, and planning is already underway for 2025.

Taking over affairs for an aging parent in mental decline U.S. News & World Report; by Lisa Esposito and Elaine K. Howley; 12/17/24 ... Taking over affairs for an aging parent is a vast undertaking that must focus on several areas of the individual’s life and health simultaneously. Here is a step-by-step guide to approaching this process:

December challenge: Gift ideas part two ActiveRain; by Kat Palmiotti; 12/17/24 ... My mother dealt with cancer the last four years of her life with an upbeat attitude, ...  So what did she do with the time she had left? The same as always. It was late November 2011 at this point. So what she decided to do was to make a point of purchasing us all our last Christmas present. ... So for me, she purchased me a coffee cup with a lid which is pictured in the feature photo. ... But my mom didn't stop there. She also wrote each of her family members a handwritten letter. Her letter to me talked about me being her first born, and about what I was like during my childhood, and how she felt about my life as an adult. It was a beautiful letter that makes me smile and cry every time I read it. I treasure it. ... So why am I sharing this? Because when I think back on all the gifts I've ever received, it's not jewelry or clothing or anything else that pops into my mind first. It's a $5 cup and a piece of paper with writing on it. And both of those were my mom giving me love. So, when giving gifts to those you care about, give them love. Perhaps grab a piece of paper and a pen and let them know how much you care about them. Or buy them a small carefully selected item that they might use on a daily basis, smiling because it's from you. Because really, it truly is the thought that counts. Let that thought be love.

Santa Paula doctor sentenced to 2 years in federal prison for role in hospice fraud that bilked Medicare out of $3.2 million United States Attorney's Office - Central District of California; Press Release, Los Angeles, CA; 12/16/24 A Ventura County physician who worked for two Pasadena hospices was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison for defrauding Medicare out of more than $3 million through claims for medically unnecessary hospice services. Dr. Victor Contreras, 69, of Santa Paula, was sentenced today by United States District Judge André Birotte Jr., who also ordered him to pay $3,289,889 in restitution. Contreras pleaded guilty on July 24 to one count of health care fraud. From July 2016 to February 2019, Contreras and co-defendant Juanita Antenor, 62, formerly of Pasadena, schemed to defraud Medicare by submitting nearly $4 million in false and fraudulent claims for hospice services submitted by two hospice companies: Arcadia Hospice Provider Inc., and Saint Mariam Hospice Inc. Antenor controlled both companies. Editor's note: This press release follows-up on the post we recently posted: Glendale woman and Lakewood man found guilty of $3.2 million hospice fraud scheme involving kickbacks for patient referrals. 

How the downfall of the ‘Chevron Doctrine’ could affect hospices in the courts Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 12/16/24 Recent court rulings have the potential to make significant differences in the landscape of hospice regulatory oversight in coming years, particularly when it comes to audits and the forthcoming Special Focus Program (SFP). In June the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a ruling that in 1984 established the “Chevron Doctrine,” which instructed lower courts to defer to executive branch agencies to resolve ambiguities in laws passed by Congress. The decision marked the end of the practice known as “Chevron deference,” which required that courts must defer to regulatory agencies’ interpretations of “ambiguous” statutes within federal legislation as long as the enforcement activity is deemed “reasonable.” Hospices could potentially see a vastly different outlook in regulatory enforcement activity during a time of tremendous changes already taking place in the industry, [Bryan Nowicki, partner at the law firm Husch Blackwell] said.

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.

Palliative medicine for the community paramedic Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS) - The Conscience of EMS; by Maurice Paquette; 12/17/24 The role of the paramedic is evolving. ... EMS has become a catch-all, a gateway into a somewhat—if not totally—fractured healthcare system. ... The landscape of healthcare is shifting as well. The pandemic, coupled with the realization of self-care, well-being, and mental health struggles has caused drastic reduction in the number of healthcare workers, and the amount of experience in skills that those healthcare workers carried with them. ... Over the past many years, we’ve seen a push for the idea of the community paramedic, as well as mobile healthcare. The establishment of a community paramedic program, especially in rural areas of the United States, would provide non-emergent care, under expanded scope and under the direction of a physician in the patient’s home.  According to a literature review in the International Journal of Paramedicine, the most common community paramedic program goals are to “aid patients in chronic disease management, reduce emergency department visits, reduce hospital admissions/readmissions, and reduce Healthcare costs.” Editor's note: Pair this with the article we posted yesterday, Characteristics of patients enrolled in hospice presenting to the emergency department.

'A sacred event': Why interest is growing in natural burials San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio, TX; by Richard A. Marini; 12/15/24 Proponents of green burials say they are better for the environment and more personal than conventional funerals. Diane Holick has long known she doesn’t want to be buried in a box after she dies. Nor does she want to be cremated. Instead, she wants what’s known as a natural burial, a type of funeral that eschews many of the familiar trappings of today’s burial practices. ... Proponents say natural burials represent a return to what funerals and burials used to be. Natural burials strip away what they see as unsustainable, harmful and expensive practices of what’s sometimes referred to as “the funeral industrial complex.” [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

Which skills will survive the AI onslaught? National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), Arlington, VA; by Vivek Sharma and David C. Edelman; 12/17/24 ... Boards and CEOs are inundated with reports projecting doomsday scenarios of job displacement due to AI. For example, according to the World Economic Forum's The Future of Jobs Report 2020, automation and AI are expected to displace 85 million jobs globally by 2025, especially in industries such as manufacturing, data entry, and customer service due to the repetitive nature and predictable processes of these fields. AI is already disrupting many roles hitherto considered firmly within the human domain. ... Irreplaceable Human Dimensions ... In analyzing a wide range of articles on the topic, when a job scores high along any of the following three dimensions, it creates significant hurdles for displacement by AI:

15 Important differences to know between leadership and management Forbes - Leadership; by Expert Panel - Forbes Coaches Council; 12/16/24 Understanding the difference between leadership and management is crucial for anyone looking to excel in guiding a team or advance within an organization. While the two terms are often used interchangeably, they involve distinct approaches to motivating people, driving results and achieving goals. Knowing when to lead, when to manage and how to balance the two can make all the difference in one’s professional success. Here, 15 members of the Forbes Coaches Council share their insights to clarify the distinction between leadership and management and explain the difference in their own words.

How UCSF Health is rebuilding an 'instrumental' management layer Becker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 12/17/24Middle managers have long played a crucial role in industries across the U.S. However, a November article from global management consulting firm Korn Ferry describes "a disappearing layer of middle management," particularly among professional-service firms that are "delayering" to improve flexibility and responsiveness. ...  [Data] shows that in 2023, middle managers accounted for 31.5% of all layoffs, with an average of 22% between 2018 and 2022. While Mitul Modi, Korn Ferry senior client partner in the firm's global healthcare services practice, said layoffs of managers have occurred at various health systems in 2024, he told Becker's he is not seeing this occur with patient-facing roles. Instead, he has observed an increased emphasis on developing middle managers. ... One example of this is San Francisco-based UCSF Health. ... UCSF Health's efforts center around investing in a management core training program.[Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

Teleios announces Teleios University graduates Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN), Hendersonville, NC; by Tina Gentry; 12/16/24 Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN) announced its 2024 Teleios University (TU) graduates. Nine individuals successfully completed the year-long program, earning their certificates in leadership excellence. TU’s Leadership Excellence program is unlike any other. This one-year course is provided through monthly webinars, experiential monthly activities, quarterly challenges and more. It culminates with a capstone project and earns each participant who completes the assignments a certification in leadership excellence. This year’s graduates include the following leaders in the Hospice and Serious Illness Sector: