Literature Review

“I should’ve been able to decide for myself, but I didn’t want to be left alone.” A qualitative interview study of clients’ ethical challenges and norms regarding decision-making in gender-affirming medical careJournal of Homosexuality; by Karl Gerritse, MD, MA, PhD, Casper Martens, MSc, Baudewijntje P.C. Kreukels, PhD, Marijke A. Bremmer, MD, Fijgje de Boer, PhD, Bert C. Molewijk, PhD; 6/24[The Netherlands] This qualitative study aimed to map and provide insight into the ethical challenges and norms of adult transgender and gender diverse (TGD) clients in gender-affirming medical care (GAMC). By doing so, we seek to make an empirical and constructive contribution to the dialogue on and moral inquiry into what good decision-making in GAMC should entail. ... Our findings highlight divergent and dynamic decisional challenges and normative views— both within individual clients and among them. We conclude that there is no single ideal model of good decision-making in GAMC and argue that elucidating and jointly deliberating on decisional norms and challenges should be an inherent part of co-constructing good decision-making.

Empath Health expands leadership teamSarasota Herald-Tribune (FL); 6/10/24Empath Health, of Lakewood Ranch, has promoted Tarrah Lowry and Bivek Pathak to its executive leadership team. Lowry has been appointed chief operating officer and interim president of Trustbridge. Pathak will assume the role of chief information and digital strategy officer. Empath Health now serves one in five hospice patients in Florida, reinforcing its position as a leading provider of comprehensive health services in the state. Empath Health’s network of hospice programs includes Tidewell Hospice, in Sarasota, Empath Hospice, Hospice by the Sea, Hospice of Marion County, Hospice of Palm Beach County, Suncoast Hospice and Suncoast Hospice of Hillsborough.

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me. - Jim Valvano

Medicare Advantage members spend over $2,500 less than traditional Medicare enrollees annually: StudyBecker's Payer Issues; by Jakob Emerson; 6/10/24Medicare Advantage enrollees spend more than $2,500 less on healthcare costs on average than traditional Medicare enrollees, according to an independent analysis by ATI Advisory. The analysis was commissioned by the Better Medicare Alliance and published June 10. It used data from the Medicare current beneficiary survey and cost supplement files from 2019 to 2021. Six key takeaways:

Decatur Fire & Rescue brighten day for man in hospice careWAFF 48 (AL); 6/6/24Decatur Fire & Rescue helped cheer up a man in hospice care on Thursday. Bobby Lacy, 68, is in hospice care due to congestive heart failure. Lacy, whose biggest passions are fire trucks and cowboy boots, also has Down syndrome. Members of Decatur Fire & Rescue made a special visit to Lacy to see one of their fire trucks in person.

Tillery becomes 1st in NC certified as age-friendly care at homeThe Stanly News & Press; 6/10/24Tillery Compassionate Care has been officially named an Age-Friendly Care at Home organization by Community Health Accreditation Partner, Inc., (CHAP). Tillery Compassionate Care is the first hospice in North Carolina to achieve Age-Friendly Care at Home certification. “The 4Ms framework [what matters, medication, mentation and mobility] is evidence-based care and addresses the unique needs of older adults which leads to higher quality of life,” said Teresa Harbour, chief operating officer with CHAP.

Integrating palliative care education into hematology-oncology fellowshipsThe ASCO Post; 6/11/2024An integrated palliative care rotation for hematology-oncology fellows may improve their palliative care knowledge and skill confidence, according to findings presented by Bauman et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 9007). “Despite national guidelines advocating that patients with advanced cancer receive dedicated palliative care services, many patients lack access to specialty palliative care due to workforce shortages,” stressed lead study author Jessica Bauman, MD, Associate Professor in the Department of Hematology/Oncology, Chief of the Division of Head and Neck Medical Oncology, and Director of the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Training Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center. “Training hematology-oncologists to provide primary palliative care could close this gap and ensure [the] basic palliative care needs of patients are met,” she highlighted.

Executive Personnel Changes - 6/7/24

Palliative care considerations in frail older adults Annals of Palliative Medicine; by Andrew E Russell, Rachel Denny, Pearl G Lee, Marcos L Montagnini; 6/6/24, online ahead of print...This paper aims to guide clinicians in providing patientcentered care for older adults with frailty in the outpatient setting. Through a comprehensive literature review, we describe the leading models of frailty, frailty screening tools used in the clinical setting, and the assessment and management of palliative care needs in frail patients. We also describe emerging models of care focusing on palliative care for older adults with frailty and discuss issues related to access to palliative care for this population.

Red River Valley expands services for dual-eligible populationsHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 6/11/24North Dakota-based Hospice of the Red River Valley is focused on expanding its home- and community-based services among dual-eligible Medicare and Medicaid populations in need of greater support. Serious and terminally ill patients in lower socioeconomic and underserved regions face several competing challenges in accessing health care, according to Tracee Capron, executive director at Hospice of the Red River Valley. Developing a sustainable care delivery model that better addresses unmet needs among patients and their families requires significant investment, Capron said. 

Northrim Horizon completes acquisition of Noble HospiceInvestors Observer; PR Newswire; 6/11/24Northrim Horizon L.P. ("Northrim"), an Arizona -based permanent capital investment firm, today announced its acquisition of Noble Hospice and Palliative Care ("Noble" or the "Company"), a leading provider of hospice services in Arizona. Noble becomes Northrim's fourth acquisition in its broader platform offering a full spectrum of essential home care and hospice services across Arizona.  

Hope in oncology: Where art and science collide Medscape; by Sharon Worcester, MA; 6/12/24 Carlos, a 21-year-old, laid in a hospital bed, barely clinging to life. Following a stem cell transplant for leukemia, Carlos had developed a life-threatening case of graft-vs-host disease. But Carlos' mother had faith. "I have hope things will get better," she said, via interpreter, to Richard Leiter, MD, a palliative care doctor in training at that time. "I hope they will," Leiter told her. "I should have stopped there," said Leiter, recounting an early-career lesson on hope during the ASCO Voices session at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2024 annual meeting. "But in my eagerness to show my attending and myself that I could handle this conversation, I kept going, mistakenly." ... Carlos' mother looked Leiter in the eye. "You want him to die," she said. ...Editor's Note: Click on the title's link to continue reading this insightful reflection and discussion about the importance of "hope." Engage your oncology/palliative/hospice chaplains (hopefully CPE trained and Board Certified) with your medical team members to explore this core belief in "hope." Alert: AI referrals for palliative and hospice care are increasing exponentially. Clinicians must be sensitive to the human dimensions and dynamics of "hope" (which shift and change), and not be driven just by technological data.