Literature Review

Breaking the barriers in information sharing: Changing the discussion from legal risk to C-suite opportunity N2K; by Rick Howard; 9/16/24 In the evolving landscape of cybersecurity, sharing information among institutions is critical to bolster defenses against increasingly sophisticated threats. Cooperation between organizations can strengthen everyone’s defenses, but such an approach requires openness and transparency, something that many organizations have been reluctant to do. ... The C-suite – comprising top executives such as the CEO, CFO, CIO, CISO, and others – plays a critical role in shaping an organization's approach to cybersecurity. In the context of information sharing, the C-suite's role is pivotal in driving the cultural and operational changes necessary to transition from a risk-averse stance to one that recognizes the strategic value of collaboration and information exchange. One of the most successful initiatives that C-suite leaders can champion is participation in industry-specific Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs). ... [Following discussions include:] The business case for information sharing ... Enhanced risk management ... Cost savings and resource efficiency ... Compliance and legal benefits ... Innovation ... Professional Development ... Challenges to information sharing ... Legal and regulatory complexities ... Risk of exposure and misuse ... Trust issues among organizations ... Technical barriers ... Cultural and organizational obstacles ... Sharing information ... Categorize information by sensitivity ... Assess recipients ... Vet the data ... Monitoring and oversight ... Engaging in industry-wide collaboration ... Real world examples - Health-ISAC and the faulty CrowdStrike update ... The path forward ... [Click on the title's link for the full article and a whitepaper.]

Bayada Home Health Care settled nurses’ wages class action lawsuit for $13.5 million Head Topics - Daily Botique; 9/13/24 The settlement, if approved by a judge, will cover nearly 11,000 Bayada nurses in Pennsylvania. Bayada Home Health Care Inc., one of the nation’s largest home care providers, agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit in Philadelphia alleging the company failed to pay nurses for time spent updating the incoming nurse or caregiver on a patient’s condition and for time spent in mandatory training sessions the $13.5 million Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas settlement.Editor's note: Additional information is behind a paywall at the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Medicare Complaints ProcessUrban Institute Research Report; by Laura Skopec, Avani Pugazhendhi, Judith Feder; 9/13/24The Medicare complaints process allows beneficiaries to file complaints or grievances about the quality of the services they receive from Medicare plans, including issues with enrollment, customer service, or the ability to use their benefits. The US Department of Health and Human Services also funds State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) to provide in-person and telephone support to beneficiaries in their local area who need help enrolling in or using their Medicare coverage, including filing complaints... To explore how the Medicare complaints process works, we held three roundtables with SHIP staff, beneficiary advocates, and provider associations to identify issues and opportunities in the Medicare complaints process and possible paths for improvement... Our roundtable participants identified three primary groups of issues with the Medicare complaints process:

Final HOPE materials releasedNAHC email; 9/17/24Hospices will begin completing the Hospice Outcome & Patient Evaluation (HOPE) on October 1, 2025. The final HOPE item sets – HOPE Admission v1.00, HOPE Update Visit (HUV) v1.00, HOPE Discharge v1.00 and HOPE ALL Item v1.00 – and accompanying HOPE Guidance Manual v1.00 were released on September 16. These documents can be accessed from the downloads section on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) HQRP HOPE webpage.[Accessing full article may require membership login.]

Historic numbers of Americans live by themselves as they age California Healthline, originally published by KFF and ran in The Washington Post; by Judith Graham; 9/17/24Gerri Norington, 78, never wanted to be on her own as she grew old. ...  Norington is part of a large but often overlooked group: the more than 16 million Americans living alone while growing old. Surprisingly little is known about their experiences. This slice of the older population has significant health issues: Nearly 4 in 10 seniors living alone have vision or hearing loss, difficulty caring for themselves and living independently, problems with cognition, or other disabilities, according to a KFF analysis of 2022 census data. ... Multiple studies find that seniors on their own are at higher risk of becoming isolated, depressed, and inactive, having accidents, and neglecting to care for themselves. As a result, they tend to be hospitalized more often and suffer earlier-than-expected deaths. ... The most reliable, up-to-date data about older adults who live alone comes from the U.S. Census Bureau. According to its 2023 Current Population Survey, about 28% of people 65 and older live by themselves, including slightly fewer than 6 million men and slightly more than 10 million women. (The figure doesn’t include seniors living in institutions, primarily assisted living and nursing homes.) By contrast, 1 in 10 older Americans lived on their own in 1950. ... [Click on the title's link for the full article. Includes information to republish for free.]

10 strategies for positive company culture in long-term careMcKnight's Home Care; by Julie Rupenski; 9/11/24Creating a great home care, senior living or other long-term care or organizational culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s deliberate and requires intentional leadership strategies that foster positive, productive and inclusive work environments. Your leadership has a profound impact on company culture. Strong leaders inspire others with a feeling of direction, purpose, and team collaboration... Here are 10 strategies:

Prepping for the hospice HOPE tool: Starting the journeyCHAP email; by Jennifer Kennedy; 9/6/24The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently finalized the implementation date of the hospice HOPE assessment tool in the FY 2025 Hospice Payment Update final rule. This quality requirement signals a new beginning for hospice providers related to quality measurement and future payment reform. Implementation is scheduled for October 1, 2025, so the clock is ticking, and the interval is short for provider and software vendor preparation for compliance.Publisher's note: Excellent article with helpful resource links.

Dogs helping hospice patients WFMY News 2 - YouTube; Mountain Valley Hospice, Dobson, NC; 9/3/24 Mountain Valley Hospice in Surrey County has been using therapy dogs and with some really great results, the dogs provided in boost at a time when families and their loved ones are going through extremely tough times patients. If they're having a hard day and all they're seeing is these clinical teams coming in and doing things to them and then they just see a pet and they're missing their pet or they had pets in the past and they can just go to the bedside. If they're big dogs they can pet them, or if they're small dogs they can put a towel over on top of them and then put the little pet on top of the bed and they can pet it and just lay there.

Enhabit foresees smooth sailing on near-term hospice growth Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/5/24 Enhabit Inc. expects consistent hospice growth even as it contends with payer and reimbursement headwinds for its home health business. The home health and hospice provider recently terminated its home health contract with the Medicare Advantage payer UnitedHealthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, citing nine months of unsuccessful negotiations. In addition, Enhabit and the rest of the home health industry are facing a potential 1.7% rate cut from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation’s proposed 2025 payment rule. Meanwhile, Enhabit’s hospice segment continues to grow sequentially.

Over 140 cars take part in 19th Lube-a-Thon for Hospice Portage.Life; by Center for Hospice Care; 9/10/24 Friday July 26 marked the 19th time Tom's Car Care Canter hosted its Lube-a-Thon for Hospice. From 7am until almost 6pm cars were lined up out to the street to get their oil changed for just a $45 donation to Center for Hospice Care. Even with the line, wait times weren't that long. The Tom's team was moving cars out on an average of five to six minutes each! Along with the oil change, patrons received a ticket for a free car wash (good until the end of October), a coupon for a free muffin or cookie and a cup of coffee or fountain drink as well as an event t-shirt. ... Thanks to all of the participants, sponsors and other donations, the 19th Lube-a-Thon for Hospice raised over $10,000 to help Center for Hospice Care improve the quality of living for those in our nine-county service area.

2024 NHPCO Facts and Figures Report now available National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 9/10/242022 Data Show First Increase in Hospice Utilization Rates Since COVIDThe National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) published the 2024 edition of National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) Facts and Figures, an annual report on key data points related to the delivery of hospice care, including information on patient characteristics, location and level of care, Medicare hospice spending, and hospice providers. Facts and Figures – the leading resource for hospice providers and others interested in understanding the work of the community – has been published annually for over two decades by NHPCO. ... The findings in this report reflect patients who received care in Calendar Year (CY) 2022, or Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, provided by hospices certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and reimbursed under the Medicare Hospice Benefit. This year COVID-19 continued to impact patient care as COVID-19 waivers were still in place through May 2023. These waivers included increased telehealth services. With 49.1% of all Medicare decedents in 2022 choosing hospice care, utilization of hospice increased in 2022 for the first time since 2019. The increase hints at a normalization of the utilization rates back to pre-COVID data. Hospice utilization rates increased across all race and ethnicity groups, with the largest increase among Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries seeing. The total number of beneficiaries enrolled in hospice care in 2022 was 1.72 million. Due to the unique impact of COVID-19 on 2020 data, those data are not included in many of the charts this year.

Allowing patients to die: Louise Aronson and Bill AndereckGeriPal podcast; by Alex Smith, Eric Widera, Louise Aronson, Bill Andereck; 9/5/24In today’s podcast we set the stage with the story of Dax Cowart, who in 1973 was a 25 year old man horribly burned in a freak accident. Two thirds of his body was burned, most of his fingers were amputated, and he lost vision in both eyes. During his 14 month recovery Dax repeatedly demanded that he be allowed to die. The requests were ignored. After, he said he was both glad to be alive, and that the doctors should have respected his wish to be allowed to die. But that was 1973, you might say. We don’t have such issues today, do we? Louise Aronson’s recent perspective about her mother in the NEJM, titled, “Beyond Code Status” suggests no, we still struggle with this issue. And Bill Andereck is still haunted by the decision he made to have the police break down the door to rescue his patient who attempted suicide in the 1980s, as detailed in this essay in the Cambridge Quarterly of HealthCare Ethics.