Literature Review

Things CIOs and CTOs need to do differently in 2025 Information Week; by Lisa Morgan; 12/18/24 As CIOs and CTOs head into a new year, they always have priorities. Greater agility is a key theme in 2025. ... “Keep ahead or at least on top of the cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and data analytics skills that are needed. Acquire talent and develop that talent so your company remains competitive,” says [Loren Margolis, faculty, Stony Brook University]. “Find ways to use [AI and analytics] to become even more agile so you remain competitive. Also embrace them as opportunities to train and develop your workforce. Make sure your organization is a place where great tech talent can come to develop and use their skills.” The following are some other priorities for 2025:

15 Important differences to know between leadership and management Forbes - Leadership; by Expert Panel - Forbes Coaches Council; 12/16/24 Understanding the difference between leadership and management is crucial for anyone looking to excel in guiding a team or advance within an organization. While the two terms are often used interchangeably, they involve distinct approaches to motivating people, driving results and achieving goals. Knowing when to lead, when to manage and how to balance the two can make all the difference in one’s professional success. Here, 15 members of the Forbes Coaches Council share their insights to clarify the distinction between leadership and management and explain the difference in their own words.

Anvoi Hospice now serving Tangipahoa Parish The Daily Star, Hammond, LA; 12/13/24 Anvoi Hospice has announced that they are bringing their specialized hospice care to Hammond, Ponchatoula and the surrounding area. Their goal is to provide care for the patient and the whole family with an emphasis on dignity, compassion and comfort, according to a press release. Anvoi Hospice was founded in 2013 and serves the Greater New Orleans area, including Tangipahoa and St. Tammany parishes. “We are honored to bring our services to this community,” said Angelique Richardson, Anvoi Health Care CEO. ... Anvoi Hospice has been named one of the “Best Places to Work” by New Orleans City Business Magazine.

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed collection; Comment request Federal Register - United States Government; A Notice by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health  and Human Services; 12/16/24 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is announcing an opportunity for the public to comment on CMS' intention to collect information from the public. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information (including each proposed extension or reinstatement of an existing collection of information) and to allow 60 days for public comment on the proposed action. Interested persons are invited to send comments regarding our burden estimates or any other aspect of this collection of information, including the necessity and utility of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of the agency's functions, the accuracy of the estimated burden, ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected, and the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the information collection burden.

‘Open door’ policy for staff key to preventing hospice False Claims Act complaints Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 12/13/24 Taking employee concerns seriously about patient eligibility and other issues can help prevent hospices from becoming involved in a False Claims Act case. The overwhelming majority of False Claims Act cases involve qui tam whistleblowers, usually a current or former employee who observed alleged malfeasance or errors. In a qui tam action, a whistleblower, called a “relator” by the courts, files a False Claims Act suit on behalf of the government and possibly receives a portion of any funds recovered by the government via the lawsuit, typically ranging from 15% to 25%. In Fiscal Year 2023, for example, these cases recovered $2.3 billion of the total $2.68 billion recouped by the government in FCA settlements and judgements, according to a report from the law firm Polsinelli.

Employees crave Right-to-Disconnect Law HR Daily Advisor; by Lin Grensing-Pophal; 12/12/24 The rise of telecommunications tools like email, online chat, and smart phones has meant that people can stay connected virtually wherever they are, at all times. While that interconnectedness can be a blessing in some situations, it has also led to a lot of stress and burnout among workers who feel like they can’t disconnect when it comes to work. Recent data from web tool review firm EmailTooltester helps flesh out this sentiment, based on survey responses from over 1,000 American adults. Here are some of the key data points:

Early successes, untapped potential, lingering questions: AI Adoption in Healthcare Report 2024 Medscape; by Jon McKenna; 12/6/24 ... For this report, Medscape partnered with Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), a global professional society that includes an interest group focused on AI-related issues. ... Data came from a jointly managed survey to practicing physicians and other clinicians, practicing nurses, IT professionals, clinical leadership, and executive leadership at medical organizations. All respondents were in the U.S. 

New fellowship will help imprisoned women plan for end of life Washington State University - WSU Insider; by Scott Swybright; 12/9/24 Incarcerated individuals have few personal rights, but one they do retain is the ability to create advance directive plans for their health care. Unfortunately, few know that this is the case. A new project led by a Washington State University graduate student will educate more incarcerated people about their options as they approach the end of their lives. “When folks are incarcerated, they lose most of their bodily autonomy and basically become property of the government,” said Tosha Big Eagle, a doctoral student in WSU’s prevention science program at the WSU Vancouver campus. “Advance directives are one outlier, but nobody tells them about that right.” To help educate prisoners, Big Eagle recently received a fellowship from The Order of the Good Death, a group helping all people face end-of-life concerns, fears, and legalities. Big Eagle’s project will focus on ensuring incarcerated people at the Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW) have access to end-of-life resources.

From sleeping in cars to having an apartment: Season for Caring helps once-homeless families Austin American-Statesman; Austin, TX; by Nicole Villalpando; 12/8/24 When Thamairis Canales Yanez learned this year that she had been selected for the Austin-American Statesman's Season for Caring program, "what I did was thank God," she said. ... The 45-year-old and her 14-year-old daughter, Ivanna, came to the U.S. from Venezuela after Yanez's dental business was taken away by the government, and she feared for her daughter's life. She is trying to rebuild her life in America, but it has been difficult. At one point, she and Ivanna were living in her car. She has breast cancer that has spread to her brain. She is unable to work. Often when Season for Caring comes into the lives of the featured families, it is during one of their darkest times.  ...  "I have seen the impact on families," said Robin Clemons, chief development officer at Hospice Austin. "Imagine facing the end of life, and they can't pay their rent. (With Season for Caring funds) they don't have to worry about those types of needs. The stress for the caregiver, it relieves that burden."

Living and growing: Spiritual care at end of life Juenaeu Empire; by Claire Richardson; 12/7/24My favorite Gold Creek trail was damaged in one of the 2024 storms that swept through Juneau and altered the creek with a deluge of boulders, rocks and uprooted trees. You could only walk about 100 yards before the alders blocked the route. I didn’t venture there again until recently. Imagine my surprise when the dogs disappeared down the trail and this time, with wind blowing leaves to the ground, I could see clearly that the trail had been restored. Someone had cut off branches that impeded travel and without leaves to blur the way, I could easily find the new route. I felt a delightful sense of discovery, for here was an old, familiar trail now accessible on a frosty fall morning. Even though I knew where I was going, the newness of the path energized me. I moved forward with a smile. Spiritual care offered through hospice can be a lot like finding an old soul trail, but with new twists and turns. ...  Think of your hospice chaplain as a fellow hiker. While we can’t make the journey for you, we can listen carefully to your story of traveling through life. We can walk with you at your pace, perhaps pointing out a few game trails you could explore, but always following your lead.

New alliance steps up as voice for providers & patients HomeCare; by Hannah Wolfson; 12/3/24 Stopping Medicare cuts, ensuring Medicare Advantage beneficiaries have good access to care, passing groundbreaking hospice legislation and bringing homecare into the forefront are all priorities for the newly-formed National Alliance for Care at Home, said CEO Steve Landers. “We’ve got to start improving access to home health care, and the way that we do that is we end this march of payment cuts that are being set forward by Medicare,” Landers said at the Alliance’s Homecare and Hospice Conference and Expo, which was held in October in Tampa, Florida. ... The alliance has automatically enrolled members of both legacy organizations, but Landers said that for renewals or new members, participants will be required to sign an attestation that says they have a program in place for quality and compliance, that they monitor the Office of Inspector General’s expulsion list and don’t take referrals or staff from organizations on that list and that they strive to participate in Medicare’s quality reporting programs.

Dallas’ Analog Informatics emerges from stealth to modernize patient engagement in over 150 languages Dallas Innovates, Dallas, TX; by Lance Murray; 12/4/24 AIC aims to "bridge the communication gap" between healthcare providers and patients worldwide by leveraging secure AI and modern communication tools. CEO Philip Lieberman created the platform based on his experiences in caring for his hospitalized mother-in-law during the COVID pandemic. ... Shocked that he knew “more about his Amazon packages” than the state of his loved one, Lieberman vowed to use the experience and resources he’d gained from the previous multinational companies he created “to bring compassionate yet automated continuous communication to every patient and their families.” ... AIC aims to "bridge the communication gap" between healthcare providers and patients worldwide by leveraging secure AI and modern communication tools.  ... AIC said its platform “bridges the communication gap” between healthcare providers and patients, offering continuous automated logistical support in more than 150 languages. 

Regulators extend some telemedicine flexibilities, gauge telehealth’s ‘new path forward’ in hospice Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 12/4/24 Regulators recently extended certain temporary telemedicine waivers granted during the pandemic, with some flexibilities now sunsetting in 2025 rather than the end of this year. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have announced the extension of telemedicine flexibilities for the prescribing of controlled medications until Dec. 31, 2025. ... The move was made in response to feedback the agencies received from more than 38,000 comments and two days of public listening sessions. The extension allows for more time to consider a “new path forward” for telemedicine, according to the DEA and HHS. “We continue to carefully consider the input received and are working to promulgate a final set of telemedicine regulations,” the agencies stated in an announcement. “With the end of 2024 quickly approaching, DEA, jointly with HHS, has extended current telemedicine flexibilities through December 31, 2025.” The temporary rule, entitled as the Third Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications, was recently submitted to the Federal Register and will take effect/become effective Jan. 1, 2025.