Literature Review

Virtual reality is a tool for education, relaxation for nurses and patientsOncology Nursing News, by Darlene Dobkowski, MA; 2/13/24Simulated experiences using virtual reality (VR) can help oncology nurses alleviate a patient’s anxiety before undergoing treatment, provide comfort in palliative care settings, and serve as an educational tool for both nurses and patients.

7 recent hospital, health system CEO moves - updated Feb. 14Becker's Hospital Review, by Alexis Kayser; 2/14/24[Click on the title above for] ... hospital and health system CEO moves recently reported by Becker's.

Mayo steps up to plug care gaps as HSHS exits WisconsinBecker's Hospital CFO Report, by Alan Condon; 2/12/24Mayo Clinic is striving to help close a significant gap in patient care in Western Wisconsin, where two hospitals and almost 20 clinics are expected to close in the coming months. The move comes as Springfield, Ill.-based Hospital Sisters Health System, currently a 15-hospital system, announced plans to abruptly exit the Wisconsin market. 

Chippewa Co. Health Department announces end of Home Health and Hospice services 9and10news.com, by Logan Kassuba; 2/14/24 The Chippewa County Board of Commissioners announced their decision to end the health department’s Home Health and Hospice division. ... CCHD was the only health department in Michigan that still had a Home Health and Hospice division. In the absence of Home Health and Hospice services, CCHD said hospice patients can choose to spend their final days at Ball House, Pennington Home, Harbor View Home and White-Wiles Home. Patients are also able to remain in their own homes and receive care there.

Care Guide Partners PACE Center secures $500,000 grantThe News-Enterprise; 2/14/24Care Guide Partners, an affiliate of Hosparus Health, recently was awarded a $500,000 lead grant from the Legacy Foundation of Kentuckiana. This contribution supports the launch of the Care Guide Partners PACE Center, at 109 Buffalo Creek Drive in Elizabethtown. Scheduled to open next quarter, the PACE Center will increase accessibility to comprehensive health care services for seniors in and around the region, a news release from the organization said.

Tier - Palliative Care: A population-based care delivery model to match evolving patient needs to palliative care services for community-based patients with heart failure or cancer [This link goes to the more detailed National Institutes of Health (NIH) description of this clinical trial.]Genomics & Genetics Daily, by a news reporter-staff news editor; 2/14/24Staff editors report on the newly launched clinical trial, NCT06228209, which has the following summary description: "TIER-PC is an adaptive model of delivering palliative care that provides the right level of care to the right patients at the right time. It represents an adaption of the Mount Sinai PALLIATIVE CARE AT HOME (PC@H) program, which delivers home-based palliative care. TIER-PC increases the number and intensity of disciplines added to the patient's care team as their symptoms worsen and function declines."

Understanding the discordance about prognosis between clinicians and terminally ill patients and their surrogatesThe ASCO Post, by Jo Cavallo; 2/14/24A Conversation with Douglas B. White, MD, MASResearch shows that about half of adults near the end of life in the United States are too ill to participate in decisions about whether to accept life-prolonging treatment, requiring family members and other proxies to serve as surrogate decision-makers for their critically ill loved ones. However, research also shows that surrogates of patients with advanced illness often have optimistic expectations about prognosis, which often lead to the increased use of invasive treatment (including life support) in dying patients and delays in the integration of palliative care.

Essentia Health-Fosston Home Care and Hospice team recognized for excellenceEssentia Health Newsroom, by Caitlin Pallai; 2/14/24The Essentia Health-Fosston Home Care and Hospice Team has been recognized for providing exceptional patient experiences. The team was named a 2023 Human Experience Guardian of Excellence Award winner by Press Ganey, which works with more than 41,000 health care facilities — including Essentia — to solicit patient feedback and create meaningful change. To receive a Guardian of Excellence Award, a team must rank in the top 5% of health care providers on patient surveys conducted by Press Ganey. 

How New Day Healthcare plans to be the face of a changing home health landscapeHome Health Care News; 2/12/24New Day Healthcare has been one of the most active acquirers in home health care over the last year. As it grows, it’s looking to set itself apart from the home health company archetype of yesteryear.

NJ's 'medical aid-in-dying' law upheld by state Supreme Court Public News Service, by Roz Brown; 2/13/24After a five-year court battle, New Jersey's medical aid-in-dying law has been affirmed by the state's Supreme Court, which rejected an attempt to overturn the statute. Signed by the governor in 2019, the law was soon challenged by a physician based on religious, personal and constitutional grounds. It allows mentally capable, terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to get a prescription they can use to end their lives.

Private equity Medicare Advantage investment slumps: reportModern Healthcare, by Nona Tepper; 2/13/24Private equity investment in Medicare Advantage has declined in recent years amid rising interest rates and an unfavorable regulatory environment, according to a report the Private Equity Stakeholder Project published Tuesday.

Chief exec leaves PeaceHealth medical groupBecker's Hospital Review, by Molly Gamble; 2/12/24PeaceHealth Medical Group Chief Executive Scott Foster, MD, is resigning from the post. Dr. Foster's last day with the Vancouver, Wash.-based medical group will be March 8, according to an announcement shared by PeaceHealth Executive Vice President and Chief Financial and Growth Officer Darrin Montalvo.