Literature Review

In 2024, data will drive IFDHE's discussions on health equityAmerican Hospital Association (AHA) Institute for Diversity and Health Equity (IFDHE), by Joy Lewis; 1/12/24For the Institute for Diversity and Health Equity, 2024 can be summed up in a single phrase: “letting the data speak and guide us.” Data is critical to eliminating health disparities and advancing equity, diversity and inclusion and serves as the starting point. Data shines a light on the experiences of different patient populations who are accessing care. With data, we are able to see different outcomes for these groups, broken down by race, ethnicity, gender, insurance status or socioeconomic status. Data provides context about our patients’ experiences and health outcomes so we might see where the gaps are that need to be closed. Our mission, then, is to make data actionable. This year, we will embark on several initiatives to provide us with the data — both qualitative and quantitative — that will help us take our necessary next steps.

Unity Hospice and Palliative Care awarded five-year General In-Patient Care contract with UTMB HealthPress release, 1/11/24Unity Hospice and Palliative Care, a leader in providing end-of-life care, announced today that it has entered a five-year agreement with the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Health. Unity will provide general in-patient (GIP) care for all four hospitals within the Health System: Angleton, Clear Lake, League City, and Galveston Campus Hospitals.

Rural hospitals are caught in an aging-infrastructure conundrumFortune, by Markian Hawryluk and KFF Health News; 1/11/24Kevin Stansbury, the CEO of Lincoln Community Hospital in the 800-person town of Hugo, Colorado, is facing a classic Catch-22: He could boost his rural hospital’s revenues by offering hip replacements and shoulder surgeries, but the 64-year-old hospital needs more money to be able to expand its operating room to do those procedures.

Hospice of Cincinnati launches new inpatient unit at Christ HospitalThe Business Journals - Cincinnati Business Courier, by Liz Engel; 1/11/24Christ Hospital is set to debut a new unit at its flagship campus this week, and it serves as a significant expansion for one of the region’s oldest nonprofits.Full access requires a subscription

"We can't save lives without you."PR Newswire, Philadelphia; 1/10/24Gift of Life's Community & Hospital Partners Advance 50-Year Legacy as the Most Generous Region in the Country ... Gift of Life has coordinated 14,196 donors and 39,469 organs for transplant – more than any other U.S. organ procurement organization (OPO) since the inception of our national donation system in 1988. Yet the need for life-saving organs continues to far exceed the number available. Each day, seventeen people die waiting for a transplant and, every ten minutes, another child or adult is added to the national waitlist.

The prevalence of hospital diagnostic errorsBecker's Clinical Leadership, by Paige Twenter; 1/8/24Nearly a fourth of patients who are transferred to intensive care units or die in hospitals are misdiagnosed or have delayed diagnoses, according to research published Jan. 8 in JAMA. In a study of more than 2,400 patient records, researchers employed physician reviewers trained in error adjudications to inspect each EHR for the admission and events leading up to an ICU transfer or death across 90 hospitals.

Hospice and home health care in Estes Park: A 2024 updateEstes Park Trail Gazette, by Dawn Wilson; 1/5/24Estes Park Health Board of Directors and management made the difficult decision to eliminate in-home hospice and home health care services as part of a plan to bring the hospital into a financially secure position. Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, marked the last day that Estes Park Health provided these services.

Nursing home struggles expected to worsen hospital backlogsMcKnights Long-Term Care News, by Josh Henreckson; 1/4/24Nursing homes’ familiar struggles with insufficient staffing and insurance reimbursements are contributing to growing backlogs of patients awaiting throughput from hospitals to post-acute care across the US. Those waitlists are set to grow more congested in 2024 and cause even bigger disruption throughout the US healthcare system, according to recent state-level reports.Editor's Notes: Hospice leaders, how might your organization help reduce these backlogs and delays?

NY healthcare orgs collab to deliver value-based hospice, palliative careTechTarget, by Victoria Bailey; 1/3/24Bassett Healthcare Network, a New York-based health system, has partnered with Helios Care to provide patients with value-based hospice and palliative care. ... Together, the two organizations will create an electronically driven referral process that will promote value-based contracting for hospice and palliative care services and establish a comprehensive palliative care and hospice service to treat patients in the hospital, in outpatient settings, and at home. In addition, the partnership will prioritize developing a transitional care program to provide in-home care for patients with serious illnesses, chronic diseases, and end-of-life needs.

Man 'accidentally' fires gun in Iowa hospital: policeBecker's Clinical Leadership, by Mackenzie Bean (Twitter); 1/2/24 Police are investigating an incident in which a gun was discharged at MercyOne Waterloo (Iowa) Medical Center Dec. 29, according to NBC affiliate WHO 13 News. Authorities found damage from a single gunshot in a restroom after responding to a report of a gun being fired at the hospital around 9:40 a.m. CST. No injuries were reported.

Continuum Of CareTallahassee Magazine, by Steve Bornhoft; 12/31/23Leaders seek seamless approach to services. In the United States, health services are delivered based on what Mark O’Bryant sees as a “reverse model.” Some might even call it a perverse model.

The 10 biggest Medicare Advantage stories in 2023Becker's Payer Issues, by Rylee Wilson; 12/21/232023 was an eventful year for Medicare Advantage. As the program continued to grow, with enrollment surpassing 30 million in 2023, some hospitals are beginning to push back on private Medicare plans. CMS also introduced new rates and regulations in 2023 that are taking effect in 2024. Here are 10 of the biggest Medicare Advantage stories Becker's reported in 2024...

New services help post-acute, hospital partnershipsModern HealthcareDecember 27, 2023Nursing homes and home healthcare companies are branching into new lines of business to increase revenue as demand for post-acute care rises and Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements stagnate. It is a trend that Ash Shehata, a partner at business consulting firm KPMG, has been tracking for the past two years. Healthcare providers are under increasing pressure from insurers to quicken the move of patients to less-costly settings.