Literature Review

Destin welcomes its first inpatient hospice care center: Vitas suites destination health and rehabilitation South Florida Hospital News, Destin, FL; by cfelixcpa; 9/13/24 Patients nearing the end of life who reside in Okaloosa and Walton counties now have access to inpatient hospice care at the VITAS Suites at Destination Health and Rehabilitation in Destin, Florida. This is the first and only inpatient unit for hospice patients in the two-county region. The nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care celebrated the grand opening of the new suites and is now accepting hospice-eligible patient referrals. ... “The new suites help VITAS further serve the greater community of Pensacola, filling a vital need for acute symptom management for end-of-life patients in the area,” said VITAS General Manager Chasity Tedford. 

Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care is primed for continued success 9/13/24; Business Wire - Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care; by Lisa Simon; 9/13/24 Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care, the leading end-of-life care company, is affirming its commitment to growing its four Ohio locations in Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, Cincinnati and Dayton along with two others, one outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and one in Memphis, Tennessee. “We are committed to building our remaining locations and we have the depth of talent and proven standards for the highest quality care and the most time spent bedside, including attended deaths, compared with any other hospice. This is an opportunity for Crossroads to reach its highest potential.” That’s after selling five locations in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Georgia to Spartanburg, SC-headquartered Agape Care Group, a portfolio company of Ridgemont Equity Partners, earlier this week. Crossroads had been considering a strategic sale of some locations for a number of reasons. Now company leaders are viewing the future of the 29-year-old leader in hospice and palliative care with enthusiasm as they become a more streamlined company with a smaller geographic footprint. “The potential for innovation has never been higher,” said Crossroads CEO and Co-Founder Perry Farmer. “We are committed to building our remaining locations and we have the depth of talent and proven standards for the highest quality care and the most time spent bedside, including attended deaths, compared with any other hospice." ... COO and Co-Founder Clayton Farmer agreed while acknowledging how entrenched Crossroads is in the markets where it operates. “We want our valued referral partners in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee to know we are here to continue serving their patients and families and we will strive to continue to beat all national averages on key hospice industry metrics.” 

Ribbon cutting for Tapestry Hospice & Palliative Care FetchYourNews.com; by Ellie Trammell; 9/12/24 Happy ribbon cutting day to Tapestry Hospice & Palliative Care at their new office in Blue Ridge, Georgia, serving patients in Fannin, Union, Gilmer and Pickens counties. 

Agape Care Group expands premier hospice services in Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Georgia BusinessWire, Spartanburg, SC; 9/13/24 Agape Care Group, a portfolio company of Ridgemont Equity Partners and the premier provider of hospice and palliative care across nine states, has acquired select Crossroads Hospice locations in Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Georgia. Crossroads Hospice will continue to operate in Tennessee, Ohio and Pennsylvania. ... Agape Care Group currently serves 5,000 patients in nine states and employs more than 2,000 team members. Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma locations will operate under the ACG Hospice brand, while the Georgia location will operate under the Georgia Hospice Care brand.

Agrace grants local 1990 Brewers bat boy a final baseball wish Agrace; 9/12/24 In 1990, Will Natz was 10 years old and about to have his dream come true—he was going to be a Milwaukee Brewers bat boy. As he waited in the County Stadium dugout, he heard Bob Uecker announce his name. ... Natz treasured the cassette tape that held a recording of that moment. ... [Due] to his progressing illness and the need for supplemental oxygen, Natz—a lifelong baseball fan—doubted he would get to another Brewers game in person. That was until his Agrace Hospice Care social worker, Kristin Kalpinski and nurse Jill Cooley saw a chance to make his wish come true with assistance from Agrace’s Wish program. Through the Wish program, Kalpinski, Cooley and staff from the Agrace Foundation contacted the Brewers Community Foundation, American Family Field and other community partners. A donor gave Natz and his family four wheelchair-accessible seats for a Brewers game, plus tickets for Kalpinski and Cooley to go along to support Will’s care needs. Just a few days later, Natz was on his way to a game.

What is hospice?JAMA Patient Page; by Vanessa Wagner, Adam Marks; 9/11/24Hospice is a specialized model of medical care for people with terminal illness. The goal of hospice is to provide compassionate care to maximize a person’s comfort and quality of life during the natural dying process. Hospice care teams are composed of doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and other individuals who work together to address the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of people with a terminal illness and to support their families. This generally includes alleviating symptoms (such as pain, shortness of breath, or anxiety), establishing a comfortable and peaceful environment, and facilitating meaningful time with loved ones.Publisher's note: Written by two physicians and appearing in JAMA, this "hospice introductory piece" might be helpful for new employee orientation or community outreach.

The psychological impact of inclusive leadership Psychology Today; by Priya Nalkur Ed.D; 9/9/24 Here's how empathy can drive organizational success. Key Points:

Leading the Way: Gilchrist and Franklin Hospice forces in landmark integration Franklin Hospice, Chambersburg, PA; by Karen M. Giffin; 9/9/24 Franklin Hospice and Gilchrist ... have announced an affiliation agreement. This partnership will unite two of Maryland’s oldest and most experienced nonprofit organizations, together with nearly 70 years of service to their communities. As the healthcare landscape continues to transform nationwide, this type of affiliation of two synergistic nonprofit organizations with similar missions, visions, and values will position both organizations for continued growth, innovation and financial strength. ... This strategic affiliation will strengthen their ability to offer compassionate care to more patients and families throughout Central and Southern Maryland, as well as Washington and Frederick Counties and South-Central Pennsylvania. Both organizations will retain their name and branding while offering a unified approach to care. 

National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation Fierce Pharma - Special Report: The Fierce 50 of 2024 - Innovation Honorees; by Fraiser Kansteiner; distributed 9/10/24 With an aging population and shifting healthcare environment, providing proper, personalized care for the U.S.’ most vulnerable patients can be a challenge.That’s why Tom Koutsoumpas, one of the masterminds behind the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), has been working to continually improve hospice and palliative care across the nation for decades. ... The goal, he explained in an interview with Fierce, was to "become the national voice for the future of hospice, palliative care, and advanced illness care." Through its efforts, NPHI seeks to work in tandem with its network of nonprofit community programs to help them innovate, thrive into the future and continue to evolve in the ever-changing U.S. healthcare system, Koutsoumpas said. While local hospice and palliative care groups exist to tackle many of these same goals, “programs in the community have no scale,” Koutsoumpas explained. “They have no opportunity to work from scale to address cost issues, rising costs, changes that occur.” In turn, NPHI was founded to help bring those programs together while allowing them to retain their identities as discrete, local providers. Editor's note: NPHI is a sponsor for our newsletter. 

Hospice of the Foothills announces umbrella name, Foothills Compassionate Care YubaNet.com; by Hospice of the Foothills; 9/10/24 As we celebrate 45 years as this community’s only nonprofit hospice, Hospice of the Foothills is excited to announce that we are formalizing our structure a bit to fit all of our programs under one all-encompassing organizational name. Going forward, Hospice of the Foothills, Sierra Community Palliative Care, Foothills Gift & Thrift Stores, and our Bereavement Programs will operate under the unified umbrella of Foothills Compassionate Care. Each program/service will maintain its name and identity but will be united under one umbrella.  We feel his strategic alignment will highlight all that we do more clearly and reinforce our commitment to providing compassionate, community-centered care without changing the ownership, staff, or core mission that our community has trusted for years. ... This is not about changing what works; it’s about creating a formal structure that reflects the comprehensive care we’ve always provided.

Heart to Heart Hospice expanding services into Oklahoma PR Newswire; by Kim Dellinger; 9/10/24 Heart to Heart Hospice, one of the country's largest private providers of hospice care, is adding a new location in Durant, Okla., expanding its service offerings into the state for the first time. The new Durant site will serve Southeast Oklahoma, which includes the counties of Atoka, Bryan, Choctaw, Coal, Hughes, Johnston, Marshall, McCurtain, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, and Pushmataha. "It's exciting to be able to offer our care services in Oklahoma, which happens to be my home state," said Kelly Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Heart to Heart Hospice, who is from Sallisaw. Heart to Heart Hospice, based in Plano, Texas, has been serving patients with life-limiting illnesses, as well as their loved ones, since 2003. The company currently provides a broad range of hospice services across 63 locations in Indiana, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Texas.

20 leadership skills that are still relevant in the AI age Forbes; by Forbes Expert Panel / Business Development Council; 9/6/24 Artificial intelligence has the power to automate and streamline countless business processes and improve efficiency across just about every sector. However, AI tools (and the humans using them) need guidance and training to perform to their full potential, which makes strong leadership more important than ever. Members of Forbes Business Development Council discuss the leadership skills that are still relevant in the age of AI. From strong critical thinking skills to communication and empathy, these traits are crucial to leading any organization through the transitions that come with new technology. [ These leadership skills include the following:] 1. Emotional Intelligence ... 2. Empathy ... 3. Transparency ... 4. The Ability to Identify Areas for Improvement ... 5. A Commitment to Continuous Learning ... 6. Adaptability ... 7. High-Level Communication Skills ... 8. Humility ... 9. Mental Agility ... 10. Knowledge of When to Apply AI ... 11. Prioritization Skills ... 12. Authenticity ... 13. Compassion and Understanding ... 14. An Understanding of How AI Can Complement Human Skills ... 15. Timely, Action-Oriented Decision-Making ... 16. Relationship Building ... 17. Resiliency ... Editor's note: Especially when recruiting and hiring AI leadership and setting up AI strategies for hospice and palliative care, use these qualities (1) within yourself in how you approach AI and (2) leadership skills you seek out from AI high-tech candidates.