Literature Review

Medicare Program: FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update, Hospice Conditions of Participation Updates, and Hospice Quality Reporting Program RequirementsFederal Register; 7/30/24Highlights include finalization of a 2.9% increase in payment rate and Hospice Cap of $34,465.34 for FY 2025.

How well does Medicare cover end-of-life care? It depends on what type Medical Xpress; by Mark Harden, CU Anschutz Medical Campus; 7/19/24 Not all versions of Medicare are created equal—and when it comes to end-of-life care, some versions may serve a patient's needs better than others. That's the focus of newly published research by Lauren Hersch Nicholas, Ph.D., MPP, a University of Colorado Department of Medicine and CU Cancer Center health economist, and her colleagues. The researchers analyzed the experiences of more than a million people receiving Medicare-funded services in the last six months of their lives. ... Their paper was published July 19 in JAMA Health Forum. What Nicholas and her colleagues found is that the kind of Medicare a patient is enrolled in can make a difference in whether that patient gets certain treatments, and whether the patient dies in a hospital or in hospice care.

Top Projects of 2023: Our Lady of Peace Finance & Commerce, Minnesota Business; by Kate Leibsle; 7/19/24 Jamey Flannery and her team at Flannery Construction took seriously their obligation not just to their client, Our Lady of Peace, but to the patients, their families, and staff to make the construction project at the hospice center as smooth and transparent as possible. Limiting disruptions when you are renovating or adding on to an existing, occupied building is always important, but when the facility you are working on is a hospice center, it becomes paramount. ... The project turned the facility’s 21 double-occupancy rooms into private suites. Each room now is big enough for family and friends to gather in a living area, have a TV and offer more privacy, Flannery said.

Ethical challenges in the treatment of patients with severe anorexia nervosa Psychiatry Online; by Patricia Westmoreland, MD; Jole Yager, MD; Jonathan Treem, MD; and Philip S. Mehler, MD; 7/15/24 Ethical principles assist us in determining the best course of action with regard to patients with [anorexia nervosa] AN. The vast majority of patients with AN should be offered high-quality, restorative-informed care. But for a minority of patients (e.g., those with SE-AN) other treatment options need to be considered. Clinicians are obliged to realistically assess each patient’s potential for recovery or ability to engage in harm reduction and palliative care approaches, and be cognizant of the wishes of the patient, family, and treatment team. In addition, the burden on caregivers and stewardship in the expenditure of health care resources should also be considered when deciding whether involuntary treatment, harm reduction, palliative care, or end-of-life care be recommended for a particular patient.

Why home health providers should expect to see a ‘less draconian’ final payment rule Home Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 7/22/24 As home health providers continue to digest the proposed payment rule for 2025, National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) President William A. Dombi believes that the industry will ultimately see a comparatively toned down final rule. “We believe we will not end up with this proposed rule as a final rule,” he said during the opening presentation at NAHC’s Financial Management Conference in Las Vegas on Sunday. “We will end up with something less draconian. The cuts will be reduced because, No. 1, that’s what they’ve done for the last several years, and, No. 2, it’s an election year.” Even with a prediction of a “less draconian” final payment rule, NAHC is still gearing up to fight against home health cuts and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) payment-setting methodologies.

Sasha McAllum Pilkington on grace and storytelling at the end of life Psychotherapy.net; by Lawrence Rubin; 7/22/24 Narrative Clinician, Sasha McAllum Pilkington [of New Zealand],  shares poignant stories she co-created with hospice clients which honor and celebrate their lives. [This interview includes: ...

End-of-life care is a profound and essential aspect of medical practice Market.US Media, New York; by Samruddhi Yardi; 7/19/24 According to End-of-Life Care Statistics, End-of-life care, also known as palliative care, refers to the comprehensive medical, emotional, and psychological support provided to individuals who are nearing the end of their lives, often due to terminal illnesses or conditions. [This article includes data on the following:]

Celebrating the life and legacy of Marion KeenanCoastal Hospice press release; 7/23/24Salisbury, MD – Coastal Hospice announced today with profound sadness the passing of its inaugural President, Marion Keenan and extend heartfelt condolences to her family and friends. “On behalf of Coastal Hospice, I would like to express our sadness in the passing of our founder and former President, Marion Keenan. Marion was part of a committee of innovators that brought hospice care to our community over 44 years ago,” said Ann Lovely, Interim President and CEO of Coastal Hospice. “Her leadership and spirit of service made a profound impact in our organization and those we cared for during her tenure. Marion will forever be missed as we continue to carry on her vision.” Marion's obituary is posted here.

Hospice CARES Act would update medical reviews, seek to reduce audits Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/12/24 The forthcoming Hospice Care Accountability, Reform and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act from U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenaur (D-Oregon), if enacted, would implement a number of changes to medical review processes. ... Though the bill language is still in development, it will likely contain proposed updates to payment mechanisms for high-acuity palliative services, changes to the per-diem payment process and actions to improve quality and combat fraud. The bill would also implement a temporary, national moratorium on the enrollment of new hospices into Medicare, to help stem the tide of fraudulent activities among recently established providers concentrated primarily in California, Arizona, Texas and Nevada. ... Among the anticipated provisions of the bill would be an item requiring the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to use documentation in a patient’s medical record as supporting material. The documentation would include the reasons that an attending physician certified a patient for hospice and establish a six-month terminal prognosis.

A ‘Culture of Caring’: Calvary Hospital’s 125 year legacy in hospice and palliative care Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/11/24 Calvary Hospital in New York City is a progenitor of the hospice and palliative care models, but it has its eyes on the future nevertheless. The only hospital in the nation that is specifically devoted to hospice and palliative care, Calvary is celebrating the 125th anniversary of its founding this year. The faith-based organization was established in 1899 by a group of Catholic widows who called themselves the Women of Calvary. Its initial mission was to care for dying women who had been abandoned by the health care system, often with nowhere to live and no one to care for them.

Palliative care training initiative launches to improve quality among incarcerated populations Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 7/12/24 The California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation’s Medical Facility (CMF) has launched a new palliative spiritual care training program aimed at improving services for incarcerated individuals. The new two-week spiritual training program was recently provided to palliative care service workers and volunteers to assist CMF’s clinical and nursing staff caring for patients at the facility’s hospice, correctional treatment center and memory care units. A dozen trainees recently completed the program, with CMF planning to provide an annual refresher course to all of its palliative care service workers, according to California Correctional Health Care Services CEO Joseph Garland. Editor's Note: One of the top read articles we've posted in 2024 has been "Death and redemption in an American prison," telling the story of Angola Prison's first hospice inmate care, from the experiences of Steven Garner; posted in our newsletter on 2/20/2024 and in our Sunday's Top Read Stories 3/3/2024.

County Commissioners question providing nonprofits with funding Times Union Online, Kosciusko County, IN; by David L. Slone; 7/16/24 The future of Kosciusko County government providing funding to local nonprofit organizations is uncertain. Tuesday, after some discussion on the appropriateness of the county giving taxpayer dollars to nonprofits, the Kosciusko County Commissioners approved recommending to the County Council that seven nonprofits receive the same amount of funds in 2025 as they did in 2024. [Among the organizations listed is] Stillwater Hospice, $50,000. ... [Commissioner Cary] Groninger said the county council would have the final say on the nonprofit funding. ... [Commissioner Brad] Jackson said the decision was a tough one and they didn’t just want to stop providing funding without giving the nonprofits notice. 

[CHAP] Understanding the Certificate of Need (CON) CHAP - From the CHAP Boardroom; by Michael Rovinsky, CHAP BoD & VP of Strategic Planning; email 7/12/24Navigating regulatory frameworks is crucial for community-based healthcare organizations looking to initiate or expand their services. The Certificate of Need (CON) stands as a pivotal regulatory tool in this endeavor, playing a significant role in the planning and delivery of healthcare services. In today’s discussion from the CHAP Boardroom, we delve into the Certificate of Need, exploring its implications and its influence on the landscape of community-based care.