Literature Review

Private equity in hospice care spurs workers to strike Capital & Main; by Jesse Baum; 7/30/25 When hospice nurse Kristina Nauheimer joined the growing unionization push among end-of-life care workers in 2022, she knew there was a fight ahead. But she and her coworkers at two Bay Area hospices in California didn’t expect to be at the negotiating table with Providence, their hospice operator, for more than two years — or that their employer would merge with a private-equity-owned firm. “I didn’t think it would take this long to achieve this little,” said Nauheimer, who joined about 100 workers from the company’s Hospice of Petaluma and Santa Rosa Memorial Hospice in a two-day strike with their union, the National Union of Healthcare Workers, on July 2 and 3. They struck, said Nauheimer, because contract negotiations with Providence, their operator, have been at a standstill. 

Your secret weapon: How simple recognition fuels success HR Daily Advisor; by HR Daily Advisor Staff; 7/23/25 In today’s fast-moving work world, the key to winning isn’t just about cool tech or smart processes. It’s about truly putting people first. Dr. Meisha-Ann Martin, VP of People Research at Workhuman and speaker at SHRM 25, recently showed us just how powerful this can be. She highlighted that when done right, recognition isn’t just a nice gesture – it’s a game-changer for your entire company.

Dignity at risk: hospice care faces critical worker shortage amidst policy challenges ABC WCIV-4 News, Charleston, SC; by Webb Wright; 7/23/25 Officials are giving dire predictions for the future of palliative care and hospice care. There's a rapidly growing need for nurses and healthcare workers in those areas, including home healthcare and nursing home workers. Educators and facilitators in those areas of care are working to prevent a crisis that's expected to peak in less than a decade. By 2033, the number of new projected jobs in this area of healthcare is expected to be more than 820,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With a median starting salary of under $35,000, recruiters and workers are scrambling to fill the void sooner rather than later.

6 health systems that faced worker strikes this month MedCity News; by Katie Adams; 7/22/25 Healthcare workers at six health systems across the country have launched strikes in July so far. These healthcare employees cite unsafe staffing levels, low wages and retaliation against union organizers as their main reasons for going on strike. From hospice centers to emergency rooms, frontline healthcare workers across the country have been striking this month to protest what they say are unsafe patient care conditions and poor bargaining behavior. Below are six examples of union activity resulting in a strike — all of which occurred in July.

Systems lean into nurse educator initiatives Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Mariah Taylor; 7/18/25 There is a key driver behind the nationwide shortage of nurses: a severe nurse faculty shortage. To solve both shortages, more systems and nursing programs are creating formal venues to enlarge the nurse educator pipeline. Like the nurse shortage, universities and nursing programs are facing a nurse faculty shortage that has reduced their capacity to accept and train students. Too few nurses are pursuing advanced degrees and becoming educators in the field, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. So systems are developing programs that boost interest and remove barriers for nurses who want to teach. These programs — many of which launched in the last year — range in commitment and scale. Here are a few examples: ...

AAPA asks CMS to remove regulatory restrictions on PAs providing hospice care American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA); by Trevor Simon; 7/9/25 In June 2025, AAPA submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the topics of hospice, skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and inpatient psychiatric facilities. These comments, in response to annually released proposed rules that make adjustments to the hospice wage index and respective fee schedules, responded directly to inquiries made within the rules, as well as identified policy obstacles faced by PAs in these settings. [Continue reading for] a brief summary of the topics AAPA discussed in each, with links to the full letters.

Health equity starts at home: Renewing the heart of nursing  Minority Nurse; by Michelle Cortez Adams; 7/10/25 ... I started my nursing career in the ICU, told (as many of us are) that hospital experience was a must. And while the work was meaningful, it wasn’t fulfilling. My patients were often unconscious. My goal was to stabilize and transfer them. I never got to know their stories, their families, or whether they ever found healing beyond discharge. That changed when I moved into home hospice and then home health care. This shift taught me that home nursing is not only a career path—it’s a calling. I saw the impact of my work every day. I helped clients reach personal goals, not just clinical benchmarks. I was welcomed into their lives by name. I wasn’t just preserving life—I was restoring it. Home health care reminded me why I became a nurse in the first place: to form real connections, to bring comfort and dignity, and to care for the whole person—body, mind, and spirit.

Essentia nurses and healthcare workers turned away from bargaining by employer on second day of ULP strike, acute care nurses announce tentative agreement vote results Minnesota Nurses Association, Duluth, MN; Press Release; 7/9/25 On the second day of the ongoing unfair labor practice strike in Duluth and Superior, nurses and healthcare professionals across all six Essentia Health bargaining units arrived at negotiations prepared to make progress — only to be met with rejection and dismissal. ... No meaningful negotiations took place and no progress was made towards resolving the unfair labor practices. Despite Essentia Health’s reliance on costly travel nurses and its abrupt closure of essential facilities like the Solvay Hospice House, frontline healthcare workers have consistently proposed clear pathways to resolution. Today alone, negotiating team members offered to consolidate and expedite bargaining across all six contracts and offered 22 additional negotiation dates in July — both of which Essentia flatly refused.

How to give physicians autonomy—and protect them from burnout American Medical Association (AMA); by Georgia Garvey; 7/1/25 Almost everyone appreciates having autonomy at work. But when physicians spend more than a decade in high-stakes and grueling medical training, only to enter practice with virtually no control over their work environment, schedule or day, it can lead to the kind of spiraling frustration that often turns into burnout or leaving the profession entirely. “It’s one of those things where the more you try to micromanage a physician’s schedule, the more a feeling of distrust you give to the physicians ...” said Jill Jin, MD, MPH, an internist and senior physician adviser for the AMA, one of the authors of the AMA STEPS Forward® “Value of Feeling Valued Playbook.” ... Though the percentages of those experiencing burnout have declined from the peak during the COVID-19 public health emergency, 43.2% of physicians still say they have at least one symptom of burnout.  ... When physicians feel valued—... as competent professionals who have devoted immense time and energy to becoming experts at their jobs—it is proven to be positively associated with lower levels of burnout.

Essentia Health is putting Duluth Hospice patients in jeopardy, healthcare workers speak out Minnesota Nurses Association; Press Release; 7/1/25 In a move hospice nurses are calling “cruel and unnecessary,” Essentia Health has informed staff that it will suspend patient care at Solvay Hospice House beginning July 8, the same day an open-ended unfair labor practice (ULP) strike is set to begin across Duluth hospitals. The Minnesota Nurses Association has proposed seven bargaining dates in the week before the strike, but Essentia Health has not accepted a single date for Solvay Hospice House or its hospitals and clinics. Solvay healthcare workers say these transfers are not being driven by a shortage of caregivers, but by Essentia’s refusal to engage in good faith bargaining with frontline healthcare workers at Solvay and across Duluth facilities. Caregivers at Solvay have been seeking a fair contract for nearly a year. 

Solvay Hospice House to temporarily pause care in Duluth during impending nurses’ strike Northern News Now, Duluth, MN; by T Kaldahl; 7/1/25  The Solvay Hospice House in Duluth will temporarily pause care and transport existing patients when union nurses walk off the job next week. The hospice house relies on Essentia Health staff to help them provide care for their patients, according to Solvay leaders. Because of the MNA’s plans to begin an open-ended strike at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, July 8, amid ongoing contract negotiations, the hospice house will be without nursing staff. 

Workplace violence bill passes the Oregon House and Senate, heads to Governor's desk The Source, Bend, OR; 6/30/25 The Oregon Legislative Assembly passed groundbreaking workplace violence legislation aimed at keeping frontline healthcare workers safe in hospitals, and home health and hospice settings across Oregon. Senate Bill 537 B (SB 537) was passed by the House just three days after it was passed by the Senate and heads to Governor Kotek for her signature. ... What SB 537 Accomplishes: SB 537 focuses on pragmatic, prevention-oriented solutions that protect frontline nurses and caregivers in hospitals and in home health and hospice settings. ... Why This Matters: ... Nationally, between 2007 and 2022, hospital staff experienced a 181% increase in workplace violence injuries. In Oregon, a staggering 92% of ONA members reported incidents of violence last year—far above national averages.

6 healthcare layoffs in 1 weekBecker's Hospital Review; by Madeline Ashley; 6/26/25 Amid ongoing industry shifts, many hospitals and health systems are experiencing significant financial strain, prompting them to make difficult decisions such as laying off employees. Here are the six healthcare instances of layoffs that Becker’s has reported on since June 19: