Literature Review

Cancer is the leading cause of death in HIV-positive individualsManaged Healthcare Executive, by Logan Lutton; 1/17/24In those with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), there is a 10-fold higher cancer risk than in the general population, according to the annual Cancer Facts and Figures report from the American Cancer Society published today. Because HIV compromises the immune system, it increases the risk of infections like human papillomavirus (HPV) that can lead to cervical cancer. Ten cancers are associated with HIV. These include non-Hodgkin lymphoma, cervical, liver, anal, and lung cancers.Access to care is another barrier for the community. There are still nine states where it is legal for healthcare professionals to refuse to care for LGBTQ+ patients: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The patients in these states account for an estimated 20% of the entire LGBTQ+ population.

Look both ways: EuthanasiaNorthern Star, by Kahlil Kambui and Emily Beebe; 2/5/24Euthanasia, or assisted euthanasia, is the painless killing of a person who is suffering from terminal illness, chronic incurable pain, or has little time left to live. People opt for this to end their suffering and pain. The debate of euthanasia is such a hot button issue due to disagreements over the morality of ending someone’s life, even if they are terminally ill or are in chronic pain. The practice is legal in some U.S. states, but not all.Editor's Note: This article provides 2 opinions: "Euthanasia Should Be Legal" and "Euthanasia Should Be Illegal.

What to know about the federal government’s big changes to marijuana rules coming soonCannabis Business Executive (CBE); 2/5/24It could come today. Or in a few weeks. Maybe within the next month.Whenever it happens, rescheduling marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act – which regulates what drugs are considered illegal and just how illegal they are – would be the biggest step the federal government has taken toward marijuana legalization since it was first outlawed nearly 100 years ago.

Cigna to sell Medicare business to HCSC for $3.3BBecker's Payer Issues, by Rylee Wilson; 1/31/24The Cigna Group reached a deal to sell its Medicare business to Health Care Service Corp. for $3.3 billion. According to a Jan. 31 news release from Cigna, the sale includes Cigna's Medicare Advantage, supplemental benefits, Medicare Part D offerings, and CareAllies, a value-based care management subsidiary.

Mass General Brigham pilot: AI tool helped optimize palliative care utilizationFierce Healthcare, by Anastassia Gliadkovskaya; 2/2/24Artificial intelligence can help identify easy to miss patients who might be good candidates for a palliative or hospice care referral, a recent pilot at Mass General Brigham (MGB) revealed. ... Over the course of the pilot, 9% of 1,522 MSSP ACO patients were recommended for a consult by the tool, with 40 receiving inpatient palliative consults. An estimated 17 of those would have been missed without the Radial tool. 

University of Colorado researcher uses platform to advocate for LGBTQ+ patients in hospice careMcKnights Home Care, by Foster Stubbs; 2/6/24Personal identity plays a big role in Carey Candrian’s research. An associate professor of medicine-internal medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine who identifies as a lesbian, her work primarily focuses on the experiences of older LGBTQ+ adults in hospice care. This work is especially important today in the wake of increased violence towards the community and inconsistent legal protections in recent years.

StateServe’s Delta Care Rx acquisition fueled by hospice cost saving potentialHospice News, by Holly Vossel; 1/29/24Durable medical equipment (DME) provider StateServ has acquired Delta Care Rx, a national hospice pharmaceutical benefits manager (PBM). The acquisition is a move aimed at leveraging technology to improve quality, care delivery and operational efficiencies among hospice, palliative and post-acute care providers, according to Drew Mihalyo, founder, president and COO of Delta Care Rx.

Debate over psychedelic therapy returns to Missouri General AssemblyMissouri Independent, by Rebecca Rivas; 1/30/24Republican lawmakers are once again pushing legislation that would require Missouri to conduct a clinical study on using psilocybin, more commonly referred to  as “magic mushrooms,” to treat depression, substance use or as part end-of-life care. 

A journalist assisted a woman’s quest for suicide. Did he get too involved?The Washington Post, by Jeremy Barr; 2/3/24The Boston Globe acknowledged that writer Kevin Cullen crossed an ethical line by signing a legal form for Lynda Bluestein. But the woman’s husband is grateful for what he did. Kevin Cullen, a veteran columnist for the Boston Globe, spent months shadowing a terminally ill Connecticut woman as she campaigned for permission to have an assisted suicide and ultimately died that way several weeks ago. ... But Cullen did more than just chronicle [her] journey. He also got involved in her story by signing a legal form attesting that she was sound of mind when she requested to die in Vermont, which granted her the right to do so.

Canada again delays assisted dying for the mentally illBBC, by Chloe Kim, Nadine Yousif; 2/1/24Canada has announced plans to again delay an expansion to its medical assistance in dying (maid) programme for people who have a mental illness.

3 Reasons Continuous Home Care utilization is fallingHospice News, by Jim Parker; 2/2/24Utilization continuous home care has dropped precipitously during the past decade, with labor pressures, regulatory scrutiny and billing challenges as contributing factors. Continuous home care (CHC) represented 0.9% of hospice care days during 2022, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). This is down from 1.8% in 2013.Notible mentions: Sarah Simmons and Patrick Harrison, NHPCO.

I was my grandmother's caretaker before moving to the US to follow my dreams. She died 6 months later and I still feel guiltyBusiness Insider, by Erma Kershaw; 2/4/24... Grieving while living in a different country has been incredibly difficult. The moment I learned she'd died will stay with me forever. ... While my grandmother's passing didn't come as a surprise, the time since then has still been the most challenging period of my life. Grief is already a hard process for several reasons, but living 3,000 miles away from your loved ones makes it even harder. 

10% of people with dementia may actually have different disease, research suggestsBecker's Clinical Leadership, by Ashleigh Hollowell; 2/1/24Certain cases of dementia — potentially up to 10% — could instead be undiagnosed liver disease and related neurological issues, according to a study published Jan. 31 in JAMA. Additionally, researchers believe that the 10% of undiagnosed liver disease and brain dysfunction could possibly be resolved with treatment. For the study, researchers analyzed a decade of data — spanning 2009 to 2019 — from 177,422 veterans who had a diagnosis of dementia, and looked for a high Fibrosis-4 score, which is a sign of advanced liver fibrosis that can lead to cirrhosis.