Literature Review

Empathetic AI: How Genai virtual agents will be leveraged Informa; by Josh Streets; 6/3/24 Imagine you're shopping online or in a store and have a question about a product. But you don’t want to find a store employee or call into their contact center to speak with a salesperson while you wait for answers. With a simple snapshot of a QR/UPC code on the product or a tap on your mobile device within an application, you're instantly connected to a virtual agent via video chat. This AI assistant not only understands your questions but can also pick up on your facial expressions and body language via your video discussion, to respond with empathy and some level of emotional intelligence. "I can see you're a bit frustrated," the virtual agent says with a warm, reassuring tone. "Let me walk you through the product details and address any concerns you might have."Editor's Note: This AI solution might be great for shopping, but is it ethical for hospice care, especially when the person calling might be elderly and assumes they are talking with a person? How would you feel, especially if you're calling when your loved is actively dying, or has just died moments before? 

Lessons learned establishing the Palliative Care Research Cooperative's Qualitative Data Repository Journal of Pain and Symptom Management; Salimah H Meghani, Kim Mooney-Doyle, Amber Barnato, Kathryn Colborn, Riley Gillette, Krista L Harrison, Pamela S Hinds, Dessi Kirilova, Kathleen Knafl, Dena Schulman-Green, Kathryn I Pollak, Christine S Ritchie, Jean S Kutner, Sebastian Karcher; 5/31/24 ... The [Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group] PCRC Data Informatics and Statistics Core leadership partnered with the Qualitative Data Repository (QDR) to establish the first serious illness and palliative care qualitative data repository in the U.S. ... Specifically, we discuss how we co-designed the PCRC-QDR and created tailored guidelines for depositing and sharing qualitative data depending on the original research context, establishing uniform expectations for key components of relevant documentation, and the use of suitable access controls for sensitive data. ... This work advances the establishment of best practices in qualitative data sharing.

National aging framework outlines governmentwide initiatives promoting home-based careMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 6/3/24The Department of Health and Human Services released a new framework for its National Plan on Aging on Thursday. The framework aims to guide a multifaceted, governmentwide approach to help caregivers and home- and community-based service providers enable older adults to age comfortably in place.

Hospice of Santa Barbara celebrates 50 years with its Legacy of Compassion Campaign and a strong commitment to the futureSanta Barbara Independent; by Hospice of Santa Barbara; 6/3/24 When Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) officially opened its doors in 1974, it was at the forefront of a visionary movement. Only one other hospice existed in the United States at the time and a local group of Santa Barbara leaders committed to meeting the needs of people and families struggling with life-threatening illness or grieving the death of a loved one. Over the past 50 years, HSB has served tens of thousands of people. ... During this time, HSB has repeatedly adapted and grown to meet the changing needs of our community including the many community crises and disasters our community has faced. ... [As] HSB looks to their next 50 years, they see a changing landscape that greatly impacts their mission.

Community Hospice & Palliative Care setting sights on Florida, Georgia expansionHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 6/3/24Florida-based Community Hospice & Palliative Care recently opened a new location in its home state that will serve as an office for interdisciplinary staff and a community center. The new center is a key part of the hospice and palliative care provider’s overall strategic growth plans to improve access among underserved populations, according to Community CEO Phillip Ward. ... One aim of launching the center is to improve care collaboration and access among African Americans in the community, according to Ward.

Should all healthcare workers take the Hippocratic Oath? Becker's Hospital Review; Madeline Ashley; 5/29/24 As private equity expands across the healthcare industry and proper patient care is brought into question, Don Berwick, MD, a Harvard Medical School health policy lecturer in Boston and former CMS administrator during the Obama administration, called for an extended Hippocratic Oath for all who work in healthcare. During an April 3 senate hearing in Boston, titled, "When Health Care Becomes Wealth Care: How Corporate Greed Puts Patient Care and Health Workers at Risk," Dr. Berwick spoke passionately about how patient needs have been put on the backburner, but should be the No. 1 priority in healthcare.

Pacs Group CEO calls for caution when dealing with private equityModern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 5/30/24Do you think private equity is becoming a problem for nursing homes? [Pacs Group Chair and CEO Jason Murray replies] I’m not saying that all private equity is inherently bad, but I do think that if providers are not careful about how the capital is aligned with their mission as a company, then you can get into some dangerous situations. As the company tries to perform, they might not be at the level where the capital partner would like them to be, so the business plan changes. Whenever that business plan changes from patient care to a return on capital, it’s a losing scenario.

UnitedHealth Group continues to leverage home-based care to drive value-based strategy Home Health Care News; by Robert Holly; 5/30/24 Value-based care has long been a core focus for UnitedHealth Group and its Optum arm. Recently, however, the health care giant has started to view value-based care as a sustainable business model that it can lean into to drive growth across its operations. ... “Although it’s a topic that has been talked about for probably 30 years as a theme, I would say, really, only within UnitedHealth Group and Optum are you seeing value-based care now on a scale and presence [that] allows it to operate truly as a business model,” UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty said Wednesday, speaking at an investor conference.

Dr. Marc Boom confronts the new dynamics of CEO burnoutBecker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 5/23/24While the topic of burnout among hospital CEOs is not new, there are new dynamics in play to consider as part of the discussion. Those in the role today encounter increased pressures ranging from financial to operational. "There are new pressures that have emerged in the healthcare delivery world - everything from reimbursement cuts and escalating drug and supply costs, and labor expenses - that have created a lot of financial headwinds for organizations," said Scott Sette, a partner with Chicago-based executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles. "Plus, regulatory changes have forced CEOs to spend more resources on compliance, cybersecurity, EMR administration." Additionally, "there have just been so many workforce challenges. ... Then you have the impact of the remote and hybrid workforce and the impact of that on organizational culture. Plus, you've got many social issues going on. Clearly, [diversity, equity and inclusion] continues to be top of mind, but also you've got political unrest. You have mass shootings. You have gender-affirming care and other social issues that organizations have to address. And all of these topics [have] created even more pressures for hospitals and health systems to deal with, in addition to delivering high-quality care and delivering customer-centric experiences. There is a lot for CEOs to deal with on a daily basis." Marc Boom, MD, has served as president and CEO of Houston Methodist, an eight-hospital system with more than 32,000 employees, since 2012. He acknowledged these pressures in a recent interview with Becker's. He also discussed the prevalence of burnout and shared advice for how leaders can reduce the potential for it.

Reminders for the new Hospice Certifying Physician Claim Edit: Effective June 3, 2024

4 CEOs share their uncommon - or unpopular - opinionsBecker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 5/29/24CEOs shared an unpopular (or uncommon) leadership or healthcare opinion they have. Here are answers collected by Becker's this year.

Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. - George Eliot

EPCSO, Hospice of El Paso make dream come true for teen facing terminal illnessABC KVIA; by Tyaun Marshburn; 5/29/24Evan Molina was sworn in Wednesday by El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles to be honorary Sheriff of El Paso for the day. Molina is a pediatric patient at Hospice of El Paso. He said he has always wanted to be a sheriff, and today the El Paso County Sheriff's Office and Hospice of El Paso made that wish come true.