Literature Review

Rural nursing homes' livelihood may depend on non-existent staffMcKnights Long-Term Care News, by Kimberly Marselas; 1/15/24... Rural skilled nursing providers have been among the most deeply affected by pandemic-era losses, a fact acknowledged by a provision in the mandate that gives them two extra years to hire needed staff. ... Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association, has called staffing “the metric that will matter most” for rural healthcare over the next five to 10 years.

Pediatric oncology hospice: A comprehensive reviewAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, by Ali Tafazoli and Katharine Cronin-Wood; 1/15/24.Our systematic approach led to development of a well-organized structure introducing the foundational elements, highlighting complications, and uncovering hidden gaps in this critical area. This structured framework comprises nine major categories including general ideology, population specifications, role of parents and family, psychosocial issues, financial complications, service locations, involved specialties, regulations, and quality improvement. This platform can serve as a valuable resource in establishing a scientifically reliable foundation for future experiments and practices in pediatric oncology hospice.

JPM 2024: 10 takeaways for providers, insurers, digital companiesModern Healthcare, by Alex Kacik; 1/12/24Key takeaways from the 42nd annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference include:

Experts scramble to understand rising cancer rates in young adultsBecker's Hospital Review, by Erica Carbajal; 1/11/24Cancer diagnosis rates among people under 50 are on the rise. In the U.S, the rate among this group jumped nearly 13% from 2000 — when it was 95.6 cases per 100,000 people — to 107.8 by 2019. Physicians and scientists are baffled, scrambling to determine what's beneath the surge and how to identify people at high risk, The Wall Street Journal reported Jan. 11.

Hospice providers: CON laws need overhaul in some statesHospice News, by Holly Vossel; 1/12/24Some hospice providers have hit roadblocks when it comes to navigating needs determination methodologies certificate of need (CON) laws in certain states, citing outdated processes for assessing underserved populations.

Fortis Health Further Grows Midwest Footprint With Latest AcquisitionHome Health Care News, by Joyce Famakinwa; 1/11/24Fortis Health has purchased Physiocare Home Health and Hospice, a Medicare-certified home health and hospice provider that operates in Indiana. Grant Avenue Capital — a middle-market private equity firm — provided the equity financing for the transaction.

Chattahoochee Hospice celebrates 40 yearsValley Times, by Charlotte Reames; 1/13/24Chattahoochee Hospice was founded in 1984 when hospice care became more prominent in the country. The hospice is a community-based nonprofit that strives to provide the highest quality care possible to patients in the community.

Federal scientists conclude there is credible evidence for certain medical uses of marijuanaPolitico, by Natalie Fertig; 1/12/24The Department of Health and Human Services concluded that marijuana is less harmful than other dangerous drugs and that there is some evidence of its medical benefits in recommending loosening federal restrictions on the drug. For the last 60-plus years, cannabis has been classified as a Schedule I drug — the same as heroin — under the Controlled Substances Act, which means it’s a substance of high abuse potential and no accepted medical use. Bloomberg first reported in August that HHS had recommended marijuana be moved to Schedule III, and the release of these documents on Friday confirms that.Publisher note: The full FDA report can be found here.

JVs a major growth engine for hospices in 2024Hospice News, by Jim Parker; 1/10/24Moving into 2024, more hospices see joint ventures or similar partnerships to be a major growth engine.

... to look out for your staff, colleagues, patients, and family members impacted by the bitter cold snap, power outages, frozen pipes, etc...

Bayard Rustin: Why MLK's right-hand man was nearly written out of historyHistory.com, by Thaddeus Morgan; 1/2/24Bayard Rustin was an indispensable force behind the civil rights movement, and openly gay. ... To the hundreds of thousands who were bused to Washington for the [August 28, 1963] March [on Washington for Jobs and Freedom], Rustin was synonymous with the movement. After all, he was the march’s chief organizer.Editor's Note: Learn more by viewing Rustin, the biographical drama film released via Netflix on November 3, 2023.

We were here: Black infant loss in D.C. - A three part series on black infant mortality in the Dsitistrict. Who's at risk and why?Washington CityPaper, by Candace Y. Montague; 12/23Between 2014 and 2020, more than 330 Black infants died in D.C. before their first birthdays. Recent perinatal reports show this problem isn’t going away anytime soon. Washington City Paper is taking a closer look at why this crisis hits the Black community in D.C. so hard, how it affects families and clinicians, and who is working to prevent infant loss. This series is being produced as a project for the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s 2023 National Fellowship.