Literature Review

Repositioning Nursing Homes For Acuity, More Closures, Less Deal Making Expected in 2024Skilled Nursing NewsDecember 12, 2023As the skilled nursing industry heads toward a new year with continued labor shortages and reimbursement gaps, service repositioning and closures among operators are expected trends for the space. And although there are signs of positivity in the form of increased Medicaid reimbursement in some states, extensive rural closures are creating “nursing home deserts” and up to 450,000 nursing home residents are still at risk of displacement without a sufficient workforce.  

LeadingAge CEO Calls Out Political Inaction on ‘Dangerously Broken’ Nursing Home Funding SystemSkilled Nursing NewsDecember 12, 2023Decades-long underfunding of nursing homes continues to create unnecessary hardships for aging Americans as access issues deepen. And yet, attempts to change the current financial system have fallen on deaf ears. In an effort to get the attention of lawmakers in Washington, LeadingAge President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan took aim with this view at the long-term care financing system in an editorial for The Hill on Monday, calling reimbursement “dangerously broken.” 

US Supreme Court refuses to hear fraud appeal for South Florida health care executive pardoned by TrumpSouth Florida Sun-SentinelDecember 11, 2023The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to take up an appeal by a South Florida nursing-home operator whose 20-year prison sentence was commuted by former President Donald Trump after being convicted in what prosecutors called a “massive health care fraud scheme.” The Supreme Court rejected a petition by attorneys for Philip Esformes, who was found guilty in 2019 on 20 counts related to kickbacks, money laundering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy, according to court documents. 

Nurses’ union renews push for safe staffing levels in Maine hospitalsMaine BeaconDecember 12, 2023The Maine State Nurses Association, the state’s largest nursing union, has renewed its legislative campaign in support of a bill to address unsafe staffing levels at Maine hospitals. The Maine Quality Care Act, a bill sponsored by Sen. Stacy Brenner (D-Cumberland) that would establish minimum staffing requirements based on patient needs, will be one of the top labor proposals that lawmakers will consider when a new legislative session begins early next year. 

Kaiser Permanente lays off 115 IT employeesModern HealthcareDecember 12, 2023Kaiser Permanente has joined a growing list of health systems cutting back their IT teams. The Oakland, California-based health system confirmed it eliminated 115 workers from IT positions last month. Kaiser declined to specify how many IT employees were retained or provide detail about the roles and locations affected. Overall, Kaiser has about 220,000 employees. 

Letters of Love—Nonprofit provides emotional support for children in hospitalsWCCO-TV (Minneapolis, MN)December 11, 2023Orono, MN—It’s the time of year for giving and a Minnesotan is doing so on a scale so large, it can’t be measured. It’s a mission one woman started after her greatest gift was taken away. Grace Berbig grew up with so much love, but also a lot of pain. When she was 10, her mother was diagnosed with leukemia and eventually lost her battle with the disease. Editor's Note: Click the title to read more of this inspirational story.

Moving through the holidays with grief—crafting a plan can helpMorgan Messenger (Berkeley Springs, WV)December 12, 2023Christmas and winter holidays are portrayed as festive, bright and jolly times to celebrate and enjoy life. But the holidays can look and feel different for someone who has lost a loved one, is in the midst of major illness, or for someone who has suffered a traumatic event that’s brought significant change to their lives. Navigating the balance between celebration and grief is unique for everyone. Grief Counselor Deanna Rudy of Hospice of the Panhandle said acknowledging the change in life is an important step in making this holiday season manageable for families.  

Sunset Hospice Cottage faces staffing shortage, temporary closureThe Globe (Worthington, MN)December 12, 2023Worthington, MN—The Sunset Hospice Cottage has announced a temporary closure due to acute staffing shortages, an unfortunate side effect of the broader healthcare staffing crisis impacting rural America. Sunset Hospice Cottage has provided comfortable living for Worthington residents nearing the end of life since 2003, but now, due to an unprecedented shortage of healthcare workers, the cottage is forced to close its doors for the first time in 20 years. 

VyncaCare CEO Schulte—Redesign Serious Illness Care for Patients’ Changing NeedsHospice NewsDecember 12, 2023The needs of today’s seriously ill patients necessitates the development of new, longitudinal care models that integrate the patient-centered principles of hospice and palliative care, Dr. Darren Schulte, CEO of VyncaCare, told Hospice News. Vynca launched as an advance care planning technology platform and expanded into the palliative care provider space through its 2021 acquisition of California-based Resolution Care. 

Compassus Looking For More AI Use Cases, Risk-Bearing Partners In Near-Term FutureHome Health Care NewsDecember 12, 2023As artificial intelligence becomes more applicable in health care, home-based care providers are finally diving into use cases that may work for them. The Brentwood, Tennessee-based Compassus is a prime example of that. A forward-thinking provider, it has been utilizing RPM and telehealth for years, even prior to COVID-19. Now, it’s looking at ways it can fit AI into its operations. 

A Wish Come True—8-year-old in hospice goal surpassed by 10,000 cards and giftsWEWS-TV (Cleveland, OH)December 12, 2023Conesville, OH—Last week, we talked about a little boy in hospice who wished for 2,000 birthday and Christmas cards; after that, so many of you reached out, wanting to know an update! ... They got more than 13,000 cards and gifts from across the nation. On Tuesday, UPS picked up the packages and cards from the Community Hospice center and hand-delivered them to Andrew’s home where he was overwhelmed and in shock at how much there was. The boxes filled their kitchen, barely leaving standing room, but more importantly, they brought Andrew the holiday joy he needed.

UC San Diego Health Completes $200 Million Purchase of Alvarado HospitalSan Diego Union-TribuneDecember 12, 2023UC San Diego Health Monday completed the purchase of Alvarado Hospital Medical Center from Prime Healthcare, adding the 302-bed medical facility to its network of clinics and hospitals. ... The university hospital system purchased Alvarado Hospital for $200 million.

2023’s Most Impactful Hospice Regulatory MovesHospice NewsDecember 12, 2023Program integrity issues that have heated up in the hospice space during the past five years reached a boiling point in 2023. Hospice providers have seen an array of increased regulatory oversight in 2023. That momentum has been fueled by two main concerns among regulators—risks of patient safety and evidence of malfeasance in the space. Hospice News sat down with providers, advocacy groups, legal experts and other stakeholders to uncover the most significant hospice regulatory trends from this year and their anticipated impacts heading into 2024 and beyond. ...Editor's Note: Quoted in the article, Jason Wallace, partner in health care, Barnes & Thornburg LLP; Ben Marcantonio, COO and interim CEO, NHPCO; Carrie Uebel, senior vice president and chief ethics and compliance officer, Compassus