Literature Review
What is Palliative Care?
01/05/24 at 04:00 AMWhat is Palliative Care?Money, by Bianca Rodriguez Rojas; 1/4/24Palliative care is a healthcare approach that aims to provide comfort and improve the quality of life of people diagnosed with a serious or life-threatening disease such as cancer, heart failure or Parkinson’s.Editor's Note: Interesting this appeared in Money magazine...
Today's Encouragement
01/05/24 at 04:00 AMIf you do not try, your chance of success drops to 0.0%...
Other Business Headlines of Interest
01/05/24 at 04:00 AMOther Business Headlines of Interest, updated 1/4/24 per nasdaq.com
St. Luke's merger will be 'the first of many' M&A deals in the hospital sector this year
01/05/24 at 04:00 AMSt. Luke's merger will be 'the first of many' M&A deals in the hospital sector this yearMedCity News, by Katie Adams, 1/4/24On New Year’s Day, two Missouri health systems — St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare and Kansas City-based St. Luke’s Health System — officially completed their merger. The deal, which was first announced last May, combines the two organizations into one integrated academic health system. The merger was one of the biggest hospital M&A deals announced last year. The combined health system comprises 28 hospitals and hundreds of clinics serving 6 million people across Missouri, Illinois and Kansas. It is expected to generate $10 billion in annual revenue.
Financial hardship drives unhappiness in people living with dementia, study finds
01/05/24 at 04:00 AMFinancial hardship drives unhappiness in people living with dementia, study findsMcKnights Long-Term Care News, by Kristen Fischer; 1/4/24A new study is uncovering just how tough it can be financially to live with dementia. The report, published Dec. 29 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that nearly 56% of people with dementia face financial hardships. Those financial challenges are linked with worse reported satisfaction with life and healthcare. ... The study examined data from 534 participants with dementia who shared details on satisfaction with their lives and their healthcare. The researchers compared that data to information from questionnaires from 576 people who were newly diagnosed with cancer and receiving treatment.
After loved ones' long-awaited organ transplants, caregivers often find challenges are just beginning
01/05/24 at 04:00 AMAfter loved ones' long-awaited organ transplants, caregivers often find challenges are just beginningSTAT, by Annalisa Merelli; 1/4/24By the time his wife Glenda Daggert received a double organ transplant in 1999, Ira Copperman already had a lot of experience as a caregiver. ... After the transplants, Daggert had a new kidney and a new pancreas, and was no longer diabetic. Yet this was not the ending to all her health issues, nor to Copperman’s role as a caregiver. “Transplantation is not the end story. You don’t stop what you do as caregiver or care partners the day after a transplant,” said Copperman, who serves as vice president of the nonprofit Transplant Recipients International Organization. “It is a lifelong journey.”
Nursing home struggles expected to worsen hospital backlogs
01/05/24 at 04:00 AMNursing home struggles expected to worsen hospital backlogsMcKnights Long-Term Care News, by Josh Henreckson; 1/4/24Nursing homes’ familiar struggles with insufficient staffing and insurance reimbursements are contributing to growing backlogs of patients awaiting throughput from hospitals to post-acute care across the US. Those waitlists are set to grow more congested in 2024 and cause even bigger disruption throughout the US healthcare system, according to recent state-level reports.Editor's Notes: Hospice leaders, how might your organization help reduce these backlogs and delays?
My father, the giant: His life's work was caring for the people he loved
01/05/24 at 04:00 AMMy father, the giant: His life's work was caring for the people he lovedThe Atlantic, by Ross Andersen; 1/3/24Yesterday afternoon, my dad, Erik Dybkaer Andersen, lay sleeping at home in his hospice bed when a calm settled over his body and he drew his last breath. He was 78. For more than a year, we had known that cancer would take him; only the hour was uncertain. But it is still a shock to find him missing from his bedroom, from his family, from the world. It is too early to measure, much less put into writing, all that he meant to us. For now, I want only to read his life into the record, and to get across his essence, above all as a caretaker of those he loved.Editor's Note: Access to the full article requires a free trial or subscription to The Atlantic.
Optum, SSM Health end partnership
01/05/24 at 04:00 AMOptum, SSM Helath end partnershipBecker's Hospital CFO Report, by Jakob Emerson; 1/3/2024St. Louis-based SSM Health and UnitedHealth Group's Optum have ended their administrative partnership around inpatient care management, digital transformation and revenue cycle management, an SSM Health spokesperson confirmed with Becker's. The health system declined to provide any additional information when asked on Jan. 3. The partnership was announced in October 2021 and formally began in early 2022. The deal included the hiring of about 2,100 SSM employees by Optum.
Gentle endings: Lessons learned in a hospice for those without a home
01/05/24 at 04:00 AMGentle endings: Lessons learned in a hospice for those without a homeDeseretNews, by Eliza Anderson; 1/3/24 Jillian Olmsted was intrigued by a news story in 2015 about attempts to open a small residential hospice for the homeless in Salt Lake City, where she lives. The INN Between would offer a home for people who were unsheltered and dying so they could be fed and cared for, in beds and out of the cold. But she was also floored by the hue and cry of neighbors who didn’t want them around — even though they were terribly medically frail. Her dad was fighting cancer, and she had just helped care for her mom and stepfather, who died a month apart. Both “had insurance and a nice home and family to take care of them.” Why begrudge someone shelter, care and comfort in such dire circumstances?
Nursing homes invest in campaigns, reap millions in taxpayer money
01/05/24 at 04:00 AMNursing homes invest in campaigns, reap millions in taxpayer moneyIowa Capital Dispatch, by Clark Kauffman; 1/2/24Audio recordings and financial documents reveal the industry’s political clout.
8 healthcare tech trends in 2024, per DataLink
01/05/24 at 04:00 AM8 healthcare tech trends in 2024, per DataLinkBecker's Health IT, by Noah Schwartz; 12/28/23Health IT company DataLink projected eight trends in healthcare technology for 2024. Artificial technology dominated the trends list. Here are the eight healthcare technology predictions for 2024, according to a Dec. 28 DataLink news release:
Care Planning Issues Top Lists of Hospice Survey Deficiencies
01/05/24 at 03:00 AMCare Planning Issues Top Lists of Hospice Survey DeficienciesHospice News, by Jim Parker; 1/4/24Amid rising regulatory scrutiny, issues related to care planning continue to top lists of the most common survey deficiencies among hospices. The most frequently cited deficiency is the requirement that each patient should have a customized care plan developed by the interdisciplinary team with involvement from a physician as well as the patient and family, the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) reported. The noncompliance rate was 66% for 2022.
NY healthcare organizations collaborate to deliver value-based hospice, palliative care
01/05/24 at 03:00 AMNY healthcare orgs collab to deliver value-based hospice, palliative careTechTarget, by Victoria Bailey; 1/3/24Bassett Healthcare Network, a New York-based health system, has partnered with Helios Care to provide patients with value-based hospice and palliative care. ... Together, the two organizations will create an electronically driven referral process that will promote value-based contracting for hospice and palliative care services and establish a comprehensive palliative care and hospice service to treat patients in the hospital, in outpatient settings, and at home. In addition, the partnership will prioritize developing a transitional care program to provide in-home care for patients with serious illnesses, chronic diseases, and end-of-life needs.
Compassus, Pennant Group expand home health JV portfolios
01/05/24 at 03:00 AMCompassus, Pennant Group expand home health JV portfoliosHome Health Care News, by Joyce Famakinwa; 1/3/24Two home-based care providers – Compassus and the Pennant Group (Nasdaq: PNTG) – have expanded their JV portfolios this week. On Wednesday, Compassus and Ascension announced the expansion of their Tennessee-based home health partnership, which is dubbed Ascension Saint Thomas at Home. Subsequently, Ascension Saint Thomas at Home’s service area now covers 17 Tennessee counties in the mid and west parts of the state.
Sleep pods, coffee bars, and coworking spaces: Hospital staff lounges get a makeover
01/05/24 at 03:00 AMSleep pods, coffee bars, and coworking spaces: Hospital staff lounges get a makeoverHealthcare Brew, by Shannon Young; 12/7/23Health systems are looking at how they can better attract, retain, and support staff with respite spaces. Picture this: a large coworking environment with collaboration areas, cappuccino bars, and programmable spaces. No, it’s not a Silicon Valley startup, a student union, or even a swanky airport lounge. It’s the next generation of hospital employee break rooms. After years of optimizing hospital spaces to focus on the patient experience, more health systems are looking at how they can better attract, retain, and support staff, Mike Pukszta, codirector of CannonDesign’s global health practice, told Healthcare Brew.Editor's Note: Consider implications for today's hospice staffing. Office-based leaders, have you ever spent a day with a team member making visit after visit? While you want staff out in the field, do they have a home base where they can easily collaborate, eat, communicate with each other? Seek feedback and consider adjustments that can make a big difference in employee satisfaction and well-being.
Ensign (ENSG) buys 2 nursing facilities in Tennessee & Nevada
01/04/24 at 04:00 AMEnsign (ENSG) buys 2 nursing facilities in Tennessee & NevadaZacks Equity Research; 1/2/24 The Ensign Group, Inc. announced that it bought the operations of a nursing facility in Harrogate, TN. It has also acquired the operations of a nursing facility in Sparks, NV. ... The 116-bed unit in Harrogate, named TriState Health and Rehabilitation Center, is ENSG’s first skilled nursing facility in Tennessee. ... The other acquisition, the 125-bed Hearthstone Health and Rehabilitation facility in Nevada, is likely to boost its footprint in the region. The acquisition deals have increased Ensign's portfolio to encompass 299 healthcare operations spanning 14 states. Of the total, 27 also have senior living operations.
Education Calendar
01/04/24 at 04:00 AMEducation CalendarHospice & Palliative Care Today has begun a page dedicated to hospice and palliative care focused state and national conferences. Please click the link above to access the current calendar and let us know about your events!
Young paperboy volunteers for hospice in memory of grandparents
01/04/24 at 04:00 AMYoung paperboy volunteers for hospice in memory of grandparents BNN, by Ayesha Mumtaz; 1/3/24Jack Hartley, a 14-year-old paperboy, has taken up a noble cause close to his heart. Channeling personal loss into community service, Jack is volunteering his time to distribute leaflets for the East Cheshire Hospice, an organization that holds deep significance for him and his family. Both of Jack’s grandparents, Philip and Olwen Hobson, received care at the hospice before their demise just three months apart in 2015.Editor's Note: I wish the word "demise" had not been used, as it has (to this reader) negative connotations similar to the word "expired," for life's natural processes of dying and death. Otherwise, this story might spark ideas for creative ways to involve younger volunteers--with appropriate parental / adult supervision--for other meaningful ways to contribute toward your hospice mission.
The silent battle: Addressing depression among cancer patients
01/04/24 at 04:00 AMThe silent battle: Addressing depression among cancer patientsBNN, by Mazhar Abbas; 1/2/24 Dr. Michelle King, a specialist psychiatrist, expounded on the psychological tribulations cancer patients endure, including grief, depression, and anxiety. ... [Cancer survivors] find themselves on an emotional rollercoaster, oscillating between hope and despair, underlining the necessity for balanced mental health management. Dr. King advocates for early referral to palliative care services, delivering holistic support, symptom relief, and assistance with treatment decisions. Palliative care, designed to enhance the quality of life for patients and their families, is beneficial at any stage of the illness.
Medscape: Long COVID has caused thousands of US deaths: New CDC data
01/04/24 at 04:00 AMMedscape: Long COVID has caused thousands of US deaths: New CDC dataMedscape Medical News, by Lisa Rapaport; 1/3/24While COVID has now claimed more than 1 million lives in the United States alone, these aren't the only fatalities caused at least in part by the virus. A small but growing number of Americans are surviving acute infections only to succumb months later to the lingering health problems caused by long COVID. ... At least 4600 Americans have died from long COVID since the start of the pandemic, according to new estimates from the CDC.
Wings of togetherness: National nonprofit providing flights for families of New Braunfels Hope Hospice veterans
01/04/24 at 04:00 AMWings of togetherness: National nonprofit providing flights for families of New Braunfels Hope Hospice veterans
Palliative care providers can enhance care coordination
01/04/24 at 04:00 AMPalliative care providers can enhance care coordination Hospice News, by Rachel Edwards; 1/2/24Fragmented health care has significant ties to adverse outcomes in patients with chronic or serious illnesses. Palliative care providers’ ability to navigate the health care system, coordinate the delivery of care, interact regularly with patients and facilitate communication between providers can reduce this fragmentation. This type of coordination can improve outcomes, decrease costs and offer patients a better quality of life.
Investigating Medicare hospice overpayments
01/04/24 at 04:00 AMInvestigating Medicare hospice overpaymentsHospice News, by Jim Parker; 1/2/24As auditing activity by regulators continues to spike, hospices need to know how to conduct internal investigations to identify any potential improper payments.
The impact of Artificial Intelligence on healthcare and medicine
01/04/24 at 04:00 AMThe impact of Artificial Intelligence on healthcare and medicineMedium/Technology Buzz, by Mark R.; 1/3/24... Artificial intelligence, or intelligence dominated by machines and algorithms, has a growing significance in multiple industries. From finance to education and healthcare, AI has completely reformed the ways of working. One of the significant contributions of AI is to the healthcare and medical industry. From improving diagnostic accuracy to personalizing the treatments for patients, AI has revolutionized the structure of healthcare facilities. By analyzing complex human data and drawing accurate conclusions without much human intervention, AI technology can help medical researchers make new discoveries. AI applications are primarily centered on 3 main investment areas: diagnostics, engagement, and digitization.Editor's Note: For pro's and con's of AI in hospice and palliative care, examine other articles about AI posted in our newsletter (past and future).