Literature Review

St. Francis Medical Center workers fired 5 days before ChristmasLos Angeles Daily News, 12/22/23Striking workers at St. Francis Medical Center who have openly complained of understaffing and inadequate patient care were fired Wednesday, Dec. 20, just five days before Christmas.

Home-delivered meals may delay nursing home placement, study findsMcKnight’s Long Term Care News, 12/21/23A new study comparing fresh versus frozen meal delivery programs for homebound older adults with dementia found that enrolling people in Meals on Wheels is feasible for helping them delay placement in nursing homes. The study also concluded that ready-to-eat meals beat out frozen meals in postponing nursing home placement. Home-delivered meals promote food security, socialization and independence in older adults who are homebound.

Ratings agency knocks Dartmouth Health over financial performanceConcord (NH) MonitorDecember 21, 2023Lebanon, NH—Fitch ratings downgraded Dartmouth Health’s outlook from stable to negative last week. The outlook change was due to weak operating cash flow with operating losses that accelerated in fiscal year 2023, according to the Dec. 13 rating action commentary from Fitch. 

‘Death Doula’ allowed to keep business open following ruling by federal judgeWANE-TV (Fort Wayne, IN)December 20, 2023Fort Wayne, IN—A Fort Wayne woman who provides end of life guidance for clients can keep her business open for now. Lauren Richwine had been forced to stop operating Death Done Differently after receiving a cease and desist order from the Indiana Attorney’s General office claiming she does not hold a funeral director license for herself or a funeral home license for her business. On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Holly Brady issued a preliminary injunction which allows Richwine to keep the business open while her legal challenge to the claims she’s violating Indiana’s funeral home laws plays out in the courts. 

Nursing homes still face data concerns, new audit saysTimes Union (Albany, NY)December 20, 2023Albany, NY—The state Department of Health largely failed to implement recommendations meant to improve infection control in nursing homes, according to an audit released by the state comptroller’s office on Wednesday. The audit came as a follow-up to a March 2022 audit by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office that found data released by the Health Department “misled the public” and undercounted deaths in nursing homes. 

Dauphin County senior living facility announces closure; approx. 40 residents affectedWHTM-TV (Harrisburg, PA)December 18, 2023Harrisburg, PA—A local senior care facility that is located in Harrisburg recently announced that it will be closing its doors. 

CNA Turnover Linked to Scheduling Choices, Staff Stability, Optimal Hours WorkedSkilled Nursing NewsDecember 19, 2023Part-time certified nursing assistants play a crucial role in providing patient care at skilled nursing facilities mired with staffing shortages, and yet they face high turnover rates. Washington State University analyzed the impact of scheduling decisions on part-time CNA turnover, addressing three key research questions related to hours worked and coworker variability. ... The study revealed a “U-shaped relationship” between hours worked and turnover—meaning too few hours or too many hours worked impacted turnover.

What to know about home healthcare and home careModern HealthcareDecember 19, 2023Efforts to move more care into the home got a boost last week when the Biden administration announced $37 billion in funding to support home- and community-based services through the American Rescue Plan Act. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is encouraging states to use the money to create registries for consumers of direct care workers who can provide home-based care to Medicaid beneficiaries, as well as those who do not receive Medicaid benefits. ... Here is what you need to know about the services and their growth. ...

Leading Rural PACE Provider Coming to Northeast OhioNews ReleaseDecember 18, 2023Erie, PA—One Senior Care, a leading PACE provider to rural and Appalachian communities, is proud to announce that its program, LIFE-Northwestern Pennsylvania, has been selected by the Ohio Department of Aging to bring the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) to three counties—Ashtabula, Trumbull, and Mahoning—in Northeast Ohio. 

Largest nursing home in St. Louis closes suddenly, forcing out 170 residentsAssociated PressDecember 18, 2023St. Louis, MO—The largest skilled nursing facility in St. Louis has closed suddenly, forcing about 170 residents to be bused to other care centers. Many left with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. The abrupt shutdown of Northview Village Nursing Home on Friday came after workers learned they might not be paid and walked out, confusing residents and their relatives. Many family members gathered through the day Saturday outside the facility on the city’s north side. Some didn’t immediately know where their loved ones were taken. 

Senior homes left dangerously understaffed amid assisted-living boomWashington PostDecember 17, 2023Louisville, CO—Lavender Farms, an upscale assisted-living facility in the Boulder suburbs, promised “24/7 on-site care” in its marketing materials. But managers at its operating company, Balfour Senior Living, worried deeply about their ability to care for the elderly residents who roamed the farmhouse-chic corridors at odd hours and sometimes wandered outside unnoticed, documents and interviews show. ... Failures at Balfour facilities are symptoms of deeper problems in the $34 billion market for assisted living and memory care, a growing industry that now provides care and housing for more than a million Americans, according to industry estimates.

Orlando Health boosts operating performance by $734M in FY 2023Becker’s Hospital CFO ReviewDecember 15, 2023Orlando (FL) Health transformed a $422.7 million operating loss (-8% margin) in fiscal year 2022 into a $310.8 million gain (5.1% margin) in FY 2023, according to financial documents published Dec. 13. The results equate to a $733.5 million swing from the black to the red. Revenue increased 15.9% year over year to $6.1 billion while expenses rose 16.1% to $5.6 billion.

Iowa nursing homes wait up to 41 months for an ‘annual’ inspectionIowa Capital DispatchDecember 15, 2023The state of Iowa isn’t meeting the federally mandated standards for nursing home oversight, with some care facilities waiting up to 41 months for an annual inspection. Federal regulations require that no more than 15.9 months elapse between annual inspections at individual Medicaid-certified nursing homes. The regulations also require that, collectively, the state inspect all nursing homes on an average of 12.9 months, if not sooner.