Literature Review

How dog saved from euthanasia sparked movement to help terminally ill petNewsweek, by Alice Gibbs; 1/1/24A very special dog who was saved from euthanasia has sparked a heartwarming movement to help terminally ill pets. Opie, a 9-year-old terrier with cancer, was facing imminent euthanasia due to the weather, a harsh Texas winter. Austin Pets Alive! (APA) was called. ... The situation opened the eyes of staff at Austin Pets Alive to the need for specialized care for dogs with terminal illnesses. Opie's original foster, supported by a dedicated team of volunteers, established the shelter's "fospice" program—offering end-of-life care to animals in similar situations.

“What the New Year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the New Year.” Vern McLellan

Man 'accidentally' fires gun in Iowa hospital: policeBecker's Clinical Leadership, by Mackenzie Bean (Twitter); 1/2/24 Police are investigating an incident in which a gun was discharged at MercyOne Waterloo (Iowa) Medical Center Dec. 29, according to NBC affiliate WHO 13 News. Authorities found damage from a single gunshot in a restroom after responding to a report of a gun being fired at the hospital around 9:40 a.m. CST. No injuries were reported.

The future of claims management: How payers can maximize payment integrityBecker's Payer Issues; 12/29/237 to 10 cents of every dollar spent on healthcare goes toward paying for fraudulent claims. Learn the latest strategies for boosting payment integrity here.

Is healthcare ready to embrace more young nurses?Becker's Clinical Leadership, by Erica Carbajal; 12/31/23In conversations about the nursing shortage, healthcare leaders often underscore the importance of building a pipeline by stirring interest among younger generations, and getting in front of high schoolers and middle schoolers. But is the industry fully ready to embrace more young nurses? ... Generally speaking, anyone under the age of 18 would not be able to secure full-time employment as a hospital nurse, but in the coming years, healthcare organizations could see a rise in the number of nurse applicants who've earned their degrees in their late teens or early 20s, particularly as they ramp up efforts to market the profession to especially young populations.

Continuum Of CareTallahassee Magazine, by Steve Bornhoft; 12/31/23Leaders seek seamless approach to services. In the United States, health services are delivered based on what Mark O’Bryant sees as a “reverse model.” Some might even call it a perverse model.

Chatty AI robot companions help seniors fight loneliness: ‘She makes them smile and brings joy’News8, by Terry Spencer; 12/31/23CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — Joyce Loaiza lives alone, but when she returns to her apartment at a Florida senior community, the retired office worker often has a chat with a friendly female voice that asks about her day. ... The women are some of the first in the country to receive the robot ElliQ, whose creators, Intuition Robotics, and senior assistance officials say is the only device using artificial intelligence specifically designed to alleviate the loneliness and isolation experienced by many older Americans. ... The robots are mostly distributed by assistance agencies in New York, Florida, Michigan, Nevada and Washington state, but can also be purchased individually for $600 a year and a $250 installation fee. Skuler wouldn’t say how many ElliQs have been distributed so far, but the goal is to have more than 100,000 out within five years.

I didn't know anything about aging in place-here are some important lessons I learned about caregivingMorningstar.com, by Lisa B. Samalonis; 12/29/23From being an advocate to finding peace, here's what I learned during my family's journey with aging parents.

Social determinants of health predict outcomes in hematologic cancersHematologyAdvisor, by Jonathan Goodman, MPhil; 12/27/23A systematic review published in Blood Advances suggested that several social determinants of health (SDHs) may affect survival disparities among patients with hematological conditions. Notably, insurance status, household income, education attained, and marital status all appear to affect survival likelihood in this patient population.

Evaluation of Phase II of the Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design Model Test: First three years of implementation (2020–2022)CMS Report; 12/29/23Year Two Evaluation Report - Key Takeaways: The Medicare Advantage (MA) Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) model test enables MA insurers to offer one or more innovative benefit design options in eligible MA plans. The model aims to encourage the use of high-value care and promote healthy behavior, with goals of enhancing care quality, improving beneficiary health, and reducing spending. Most VBID benefits can be targeted based on beneficiaries’ chronic conditions or socioeconomic status (SES). A separate Hospice Benefit component is also included in the model. 

Doctors are pushing Hollywood for more realistic depictions of death and dying on TVKQED, by April Dembosky; 12/28/23We've seen it so many times. A young, handsome man rushed into the emergency room with a gunshot wound. A flurry of white coats racing the clock: CPR, the heart zapper, the order for a scalpel. Stat! Then finally, the flatline. This is Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider's biggest pet peeve. Where are the TV scripts about the elderly grandmothers dying of heart failure at home? What about an episode on the daughter still grieving her father's fatal lung cancer, ten years later? "Acute, violent death is portrayed many, many, many times more than a natural death," says Ungerleider, an internal medicine doctor and founder of End Well, a nonprofit focused on shifting the American conversation around death.

Death doulas a growing trend in end-of-life careAlbany Times-Union, by Wendy Liberatore; 12/31/23SARATOGA SPRINGS — As a young woman lay dying, one of her last acts was to write several cards to each of her small children. Each held a special message to be opened on a special day – graduation, wedding, the birth of their first child. But the young mother might not have been able to do this without the inspiration of a death or end-of-life doula – a person who helps their terminal clients reach their final goals, as a way to die peacefully.

Offering ‘emotional first aid’ to people in shock over a sudden deathLas Vegas Review-Journal; 12/30/23When first responders in Clark County encounter relatives, friends, co-workers and bystanders upset about a sudden death, they contact volunteers of the Trauma Intervention Program of Southern Nevada to come to the scene.