Literature Review

How Mass General Brigham provides emergency care at home Becker's Health IT; by Giles Bruce; 5/6/24Somerville, MA-based Mass General Brigham now treats patients needing emergency or urgent care at home. The health system's patients can request referrals to the Home Hospital Emergency Care program through their primary care providers, who decide if patients are stable enough to be treated at home. If they are, a nurse talks to the provider and schedules a home visit, where a paramedic completes a physical exam joined virtually by an emergency medicine physician. Editor's Note: Pair this article with others in today's newsletter: "Stranded in the ER, seniors await hospital care and suffer avoidable harm" (in our Post-Acute Care section), and "[Australia] Palliative patients can die peacefully at home with paramedic support, claims proposed framework" (in our International section). 

Medicare program suddenly ending leaves seniors in limbo Newsweek; by Suzanne Blake; 5/6/24 Some hospice patients on Medicare Advantage are now facing uncertainty after the government ended a pilot program. Medicare Advantage is one of the top programs for seniors looking for health insurance, and more than 50 percent of those eligible now use the privatized Medicare Advantage option instead of just traditional Medicare. ... According to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, around half of 1.7 million Medicare Advantage recipients who died in 2022 were in hospice for end of life care.

Medicaid disenrollments higher than expected: Report Becker's Payer Issues; by Rylee Wilson; 5/2/24 The number of people disenrolled from Medicaid through the redeterminations process has surpassed original estimates from the Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. According to a May 2 report, as of November 2023, nearly 9 million people had been disenrolled from Medicaid. The figure came out to 60.5% of the foundation's original estimate of 14.8 million people losing coverage, with several months remaining in the redetermination process. 

Honoring Nurses Week: Workplace factors that are 'extremely important' to nurses Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Mariah Taylor; 5/6/24 ... The survey asked nurses how important different elements of the workplace were. Here are the six elements of the workplace with the percentage of nurses who said it was "extremely important":

Building connections, showing compassion and bringing peace to patients and families St. Louis Post-Dispatch; by Mary McHugh; 5/3/24Three thousand colorfully painted rocks are artfully arranged in the landscaped outdoor meditation courtyard at Evelyn’s House, a part of BJC HealthCare, a ranch-style hospice home located adjacent to Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital. Each rock pays tribute to a patient who has spent their last days of life there. Decorated by the staff, the stones are visible through the garden window from the home’s central gathering space for families. It’s one of the first sights visitors see when they enter the facility. For the staff, including nurse Dawn Anderson, the stones are a unique and memorable way to honor the lives who have passed and prepare the staff to care for those who have yet to come. ...

National Nurses Week 2024: RN reflects on the state of the profession, calls for change USA Today / Columbia Daily Tribune; by Julia Gomez, USA Today; 5/6/24 Monday, May 6 kicks off National Nurses Week, and it gives folks an opportunity to show their love and appreciation for the people who take care of the sick, injured and dying. From neonatal nurses who help welcome newborns into the world to hospice nurses that provide peace and comfort to their dying patients, nurses play a crucial role in the medical industry. ... Catherine Kennedy, a registered nurse and the Vice President of National Nurses United, told USA TODAY that there needs to be systemic change on the federal level to give nurses the best chance to care for their patients. A study published by the National Library of Medicine states that in 2021, nurses would work an average of "8.2 hours of paid overtime and 5.8 hours of unpaid overtime per week that year — making up the equivalent of more than 9000 full-time jobs." ... 

Hospice patient airlifted to safety during East Texas floods The Gilmer Mirror; by Emily Foxhall, Carlos Nogueras Ramos and Alejandra Martinez, The Texas Tribune; 5/3/24[Scroll down on this webpage to "East Texasn try to reach their homes, save pets"] Willie Rawls woke up to water at the steps of his home Thursday in the river bottoms of Coldspring – one of the first towns hit by the several hundred thousand gallons of water released from the Lake Livingston Dam. The dam was releasing water in an effort to maintain its levels as merciless rain storms drenched East Texas this week. Rawls, 73 and in hospice care, was evacuated by the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Office, who arrived in an airboat and lifted him to safety. 

The power of art in palliative care InSight+, Melbourne, Australia; by Caitlin Wright; 5/6/24 ... Melbourne artist Jeffrey Kelson is known for his thought-provoking portraits, several of which have been exhibited at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum. He believes a portrait is a window into a subject’s heart and mind. However, after being diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer, it wasn’t this style of art that Mr. Kelson was drawn to. As soon as he felt well enough to return to his studio, he started work on a series of colourful collages. “At one point, my wife came into the room and commented on how bright they were and how full of life force. She was surprised that I could create pieces that were so energetic when I felt so ill. I hadn’t really thought about it. I just needed to work,” he told InSight+. ... Palliative care specialist Dr Eric Fairbank was one of Mr Kelson’s art students for several years before Mr. Kelson’s diagnosis. He said Mr Kelson’s approach to his diagnosis has confirmed his belief that the best outcomes of cancer treatment are achieved when they’re complemented by the patient’s own resources of mind, will and spirit. [Click on the title's link to view several of his paintings.]

AI governance and cybersecurity certifications: Are they worth it? CSO; by Maria Korolov; 5/6/24The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), SANS Institute, and other organizations are releasing new AI certifications in the areas of governance and cybersecurity or adding new AI modules to existing programs. These may help professionals find employment, but with the area being relatively new, experts warn certifications could be out of date almost immediately. ... On the other hand, the new AI governance and cybersecurity certifications cover the basics needed to get up to speed, create a foundation layer on which people can build later, create a common language for practitioners to use, and will typically include ongoing training requirements to help people stay current. Here, in alphabetical order by organization are all the AI governance training and certificates known at the time of publishing. ...

10 ways to honor your mom's memory on Mother's Day 95.5 FISH; by Lynette Kittle; 5/6/24 For those of us who have lost our moms, Mother’s Day can be a sad day; especially if we focus on what we’ve lost rather than remembering all we’ve gained because of their influence. Since my mom passed away, I have a growing appreciation of her role in my life and how her memory continues to impact me every day. ... Following are 10 ways to honor your mother’s memory on Mother’s Day.

Second Opinion Expert announces strategic relationship with Intra Care Home Health Providers Cision PRWeb; by SecondOpinionExpert, Inc / PRNewswire; 5/3/24 SecondOpinionExpert, Inc. (SOE), a leading healthcare technology company, announced today that it has formed a strategic relationship with Intra Care Home Health Providers, Inc. and its affiliated home health and hospice companies. ... Intra Care Home Health Services, Inc., a Los Angeles, CA based healthcare company, along with the related Intra Care SFV, Inc., Specialized Home Health Services, Inc., and Intra Care Hospice, Inc., (Intra Care) will all work with SOE as part of this relationship.

Chesapeake Life Center offers monthly LGBTQIA+ drop-in grief support group Southern Maryland News Net; 5/6/24 Chesapeake Life Center will host a monthly drop-in grief support group for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. ... Grief is a hard and vulnerable time, and it is important to have safe spaces to process what we are going through. This group is intended for adult members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are grieving a past or approaching death. The group will be facilitated by a licensed queer therapist but will be loosely structured to offer an opportunity for participants to share their feelings and grieve with community.Editor's Note: Hospice & Palliative Care Today does not post upcoming, local hospice events, grief support groups, volunteer trainings, etc. However, we're posting this LGBTQIA+ grief support due to its unique need, with opportunities for replication in other hospices.