Literature Review

How broadband expansion is bolstering rural healthcareModern HealthcareDecember 26, 2023Health systems have emerged as crucial collaborators in government efforts to improve access to high-speed internet in rural communities. Nearly 30 million people in the U.S. live in places that lack broadband infrastructure, according to the Commerce Department. 

Palliative Care Consultation and Family-Centered Outcomes in Patients With Unplanned Intensive Care Unit AdmissionsJournal of Palliative MedicineJamie T Nomitch, et.al.December 25, 2023Context: Hospitalized patients who experience unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admissions face significant challenges, and their family members have unique palliative care needs. Objectives: To identify predictors of palliative care consultation among hospitalized patients with unplanned ICU admissions and to examine the association between palliative care consultation and family outcomes.Conclusions: For patients experiencing unplanned ICU admission, palliative care consultation often happened after transfer and was associated with illness severity, comorbid illness, and hospital site. Patient death was associated with family symptoms of psychological distress.

Serious Medical Errors Rose After Private Equity Firms Bought HospitalsNew York TimesDecember 26, 2023The rate of serious medical complications increased in hospitals after they were purchased by private equity investment firms, according to a major study of the effects of such acquisitions on patient care in recent years. The study, published in JAMA on Tuesday, found that, in the three years after a private equity fund bought a hospital, adverse events including surgical infections and bed sores rose by 25 percent among Medicare patients when compared with similar hospitals that were not bought by such investors. The researchers reported a nearly 38 percent increase in central line infections, a dangerous kind of infection that medical authorities say should never happen, and a 27 percent increase in falls by patients while staying in the hospital. 

‘Fight’s not over’ striking Lower Bucks Hospital nurses say as they head back to workBucks County Courier TimesDecember 26, 2023Bucks County, PA—Nurses at Lower Bucks Hospital are scheduled to return to work Wednesday morning after a five-day strike without having reached a deal with the hospital owner Prime Healthcare Services Inc. 

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.

Workers launch 7-day strike at 4 Prime Healthcare hospitalsLos Angeles Daily NewsDecember 20, 2023Nurses, medical assistants, ER techs and others at four Prime Healthcare hospitals launched their second strike of the year Wednesday, Dec. 20, claiming severe understaffing and high turnover have undermined patient care. 

Madera hospital could reopen with new management partners. What to knowFresno (CA) BeeDecember 20, 2023Nearly a year after shutting down operations, Madera Community Hospital has approved a second deal with a financial partner to help it reopen. The hospital board of trustees approved a temporary management service agreement on Monday with American Advanced Management Inc., a Modesto—based hospital management company. 

Healthcare organizations hiring, retaining more employees—FitchModern HealthcareDecember 20, 2023Hospital employment numbers have increased, while healthcare job openings are on the decline—though the industry is still recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. About 17.2 million individuals were on the payroll at healthcare organizations in November 2023, compared with 16.6 million in December 2022, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Joliet nurses likely to reject Ascension’s ‘last, best and final’ contract offerShaw Local News NetworkDecember 18, 2023Joliet, IL—The Illinois Nurses’ Association at Ascension St. Joseph—Joliet is voting on the hospital’s “last best and final offer” for a new contract and is expected to reject the contract proposal.

El Dorado hospital announces new inpatient hospice care serviceKTVE-TV (El Dorado, AR)December 18, 2023El Dorado, AR—South Arkansas Regional Hospital has announced that their new services of hospice inpatient service. The hospital has partnered with Arkansas Hospice, the state’s largest non-profit provider of hospice care. 

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. 

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.

‘Stop the bleeding’—A year after Safe Staffing law, nurses report high patient loadsTimes Union (Albany, NY)December 15, 2023One year after New York’s minimum staffing law for hospitals went into effect, nurses continue to report exceptionally high patient loads as hospital leaders struggle to keep up with turnover rates. ... Implementation of the new regulations—from the establishment of committees to negotiate those institution-specific staffing standards to the mandate for hospitals to report departments’ actual staffing ratios to the state Department of Health annually—has been rocky across the state’s 222 hospitals.