Literature Review

Healthcare trends & transactions Q3 2024 Bass, Berry & Sims; by Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC; 10/21/24 In the healthcare mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market, while deal volumes varied across different sectors, by and large the sure and steady pace of deal volume in Q2 continued into Q3. Moreover, several positive developments in Q3—namely, the Federal Reserve (finally) cutting interest rates, the courts striking down the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) national ban on non-competes, and California Governor Newsom’s vetoing Assembly Bill 3129—may serve as the catalysts needed to boost activity as we head into the final stretch of 2024.

Home health agencies may soon claim telehealth services during patients’ hospital stays McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 10/17/24 In a recent change, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that it would allow home health providers to submit claims for telehealth while their clients are receiving inpatient care. Currently, Medicare beneficiaries may not be inpatients in a hospital or skilled nursing facility and simultaneously receive home healthcare. CMS rejects any home health service claims that overlap with a patient’s hospital or SNF stay, and providers are responsible for submitting a new claim without any dates for service that coincide with an inpatient stay. In a recent change request, CMS announced that it would modify its rule to allow home health providers to submit telehealth claims even when their clients are in hospital or SNF care. The change specifically applies to telehealth services that fall under the G0320, G0321 or G0322 Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes. 

Physician altruism and spending, hospital admissions, and emergency department visitsJAMA Health Forum; Lawrence P. Casalino, MD, PhD; Shachar Kariv, PhD; Daniel Markovits, JD, DPhil; Raymond Fisman, PhD; 10/24This cross-sectional study found that Medicare patients treated by altruistic physicians had fewer potentially preventable hospitalizations and emergency department visits and lower spending. Policymakers and leaders of hospitals, medical practices, and medical schools may want to consider creating incentives, organizational structures, and cultures that may increase, or at least do not decrease, physician altruism. Further research should seek to identify these and other modifiable factors, such as physician selection and training, that may shape physician altruism. Research could also analyze the relationship between altruism and quality and spending in additional medical practices, specialties, and countries, and use additional measures of quality and of patient experience.

Communication gaps among clinicians may limit conversations about prognosis, hospice Healio - HemOncToday; by Jennifer Byrne; 10/16/24 Clinicians in acute or post-acute care settings may delay or avoid serious illness conversations with patients whose cancer prognoses are worsening out of deference to the patient’s oncologist, according to study findings. Researchers conducted 37 semi-structured interviews with physicians and leaders in hospital medicine, oncology, palliative care, home health care and hospice. Investigators coded and analyzed the interviews using thematic content analysis. Evaluation of the responses yielded insights into how care silos, lack of clear clinical roles and other factors may affect communication between oncologists and other clinicians. ... "We know that the 3-month window after an older adult with cancer is discharged to a skilled nursing facility can be comprised of complex medical decision making and changing preferences of care. Lack of appropriate serious illness communication during this time can result in unwanted hospitalizations and unwanted, aggressive care at the end of life."

Dozens of CarePartners patients in Asheville transferred to other facilities after HCA temporarily shuts down rehab, hospice center Asheville Watchdog; by Andrew R. Jones; 10/14/24 Hundreds of employees uncertain about their jobs after facility is closed to ease pressure on Mission Hospital. Mission Health’s CarePartners Health Services is temporarily closed following the pressures Hurricane Helene put on Asheville’s health care system, disrupting rehabilitative care for more than 50 patients and forcing more than 250 employees to take temporary jobs elsewhere in the system, according to employees and internal emails obtained by Asheville Watchdog.  ... The closing affected nearly 50 inpatient rehab patients, several long-term acute care patients, and eight hospice patients, all of whom were sent to home caregivers, skilled nursing facilities, other inpatient rehab programs, and UNC Health Caldwell in Lenoir, more than an hour’s drive to the east, according to one employee.

FTC finalizes premerger rule: 9 things to know Becker's Hospital Review; by Alan Condon; 10/10/24 The Federal Trade Commission voted 5-0 to finalize changes to premerger notifications under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, which requires organizations to report large transactions to the FTC and Justice Department for antitrust review. "Premerger review is a critical task for the antitrust agencies and to do it well, we need information about each deal's potential antitrust risk," Shaoul Sussman, associate director for litigation of the FTC's bureau of competition, said in an Oct. 10 news release. "This rulemaking is a much needed update to address changes in the marketplace that have undermined the agencies' ability to detect and prevent illegal mergers, while at the same time creating a more efficient review process. Nine things to know: [Click on the title's link for this list.]

Deals: Tracking mergers, acquisitions, partnerships in healthcareModern Heathcare; by Modern Healthcare staff;  10/10/24, 10:40am ET 

5 cornerstones of hospitals' hurricane emergency planning Becker's Hospital Review; by Stefanie Asin; 10/9/24 As the number of natural disasters grows in the U.S. and in the world, so must the readiness of hospitals and other healthcare facilities. In 2023, the U.S. saw 28 billion-dollar natural disasters, surpassing the 2020 total. Worldwide, there was a fivefold increase in the number of weather-related disasters in the last 50 years. Healthcare facilities must be diligent and prepared as the incidents of natural disasters are not expected to slow down. In fact, they are predicted to get worse. Recent events have underscored this necessity. ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]  

Implementation and outcomes of a dementia-friendly training program in five hospitalsGeriatric Nursing; Ellen Roberts, Ellen C Schneider, Maureen Dale, Cristine B Henage, Casey J Kelley, Jan Busby-Whitehead; 10/24Hospitalized patients living with dementia (PLWD) age 65+ generally experience poor outcomes. This study's purpose was to implement dementia-friendly training with staff, track patient outcomes, and implement sustainable system changes. Positive changes in staff ratings from pre- to post- intervention were observed. Number of falls and readmissions did not change. The average number of stays per patient decreased ... Conclusions: Dementia-friendly hospital training is effective in improving staff recognition of the symptoms and needs of PLWD, and responding appropriately.

Maryland hospitals face IV shortage as hurricanes hit suppliers The Baltimore Banner; by Sapna Bansil; 10/10/24 Hospitals across Maryland are scrambling to conserve IV fluids after damage from Hurricane Helene last month halted production at the country’s leading manufacturer and triggered a national shortage — which could worsen as Hurricane Milton drenches Florida this week. Baxter International shut down its plant in Marion, N.C., about 35 miles east of Asheville, after it experienced severe flooding and a nearby bridge collapsed. The facility produced 1.5 million bags a day and accounted for 60% of the nation’s supply of IV fluids, according to the American Hospital Association. Another key manufacturing plant, for B. Braun Medical in Daytona Beach, Florida, is in the path of Hurricane Milton. The company said that it planned to temporarily close the facility and that it had relocated its inventory farther north. In a statement posted to its website Wednesday, Baxter said that as it has ramped up production at its global facilities, most customers are now able to receive the majority of what they typically order. There is no timeline on when production will resume in North Carolina.

Florida health-care workers exhausted as Hurricane Milton approaches The Washington Post; by David Ovalle and Sabrina Malhi; 10/8/24The storm shutters are up at Stephen Johnson’s house near the water in North Fort Myers, Fla. ... But  Jones won’t be home when Hurricane Milton is expected to thunder ashore this week along the Gulf Coast. Instead, the paramedic — like thousands of health-care workers across Florida — intends to ride out the storm at work, then jump into action when the winds die down, the waters recede and people seek medical assistance. ... “It gets stressful. You don’t know if you’re going to come back to a home,” Johnson, 28, of Brewster Ambulance Service, said during a brief break Tuesday after two straight days of organizing evacuations of patients from hospitals and assisted-living facilities across Lee County in southwest Florida while surviving on granola bars and energy drinks. ... By Tuesday afternoon, Florida health officials had deployed nearly 600 ambulances, buses and other transport vehicles to ferry patients out of harm’s way. More than 200 health-care facilities — including 115 assisted-living facilities, 10 hospitals and five hospice providers — have reported evacuations, according to the state’s health department.

Temporary regulatory relief for South Carolina health care providers responding to Hurricane Helene Baker Donelson; Alissa D. Fleming; 10/4/24 South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster declared a State of Emergency on September 25, 2024, to prepare for Hurricane Helene. On September 29, 2024, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued a Federal Major Disaster Declaration (FEMA-4829-DR) for South Carolina. On September 30, 2024, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared a public health emergency in South Carolina, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued several blanket waivers to provide greater compliance flexibility and continuity of care while responding to Helene in the geographic area covered by the President's declaration. These waivers [detailed in the article] provide health care facilities with flexibility in service delivery, staffing, and patient care, aimed at alleviating the strain caused by Helene. Further, HHS, the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS), and other regulatory bodies have announced relief efforts, all aimed at reducing administrative burdens so providers can continue to care for and treat those in need. ...7. Hospices Assessment Timeframe Extension: CMS is extending the timeframe for updating comprehensive hospice patient assessments from 15 to 21 days, though initial and ad-hoc assessments must still be completed based on patient needs. ...Editor's note: Click on the title's link to continue reading. Other CMS waivers are defined for 1. General ... for Health Care Facilities; 2. Critical Access Hospictals; 3. Hospital and Long Term Care Facilities; 4. Skilled Nursing Facilities; 5. Home Health Agencies; 6. DME, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies; 7. Hospice (above); 8. Practioner Licensure and Enrollment ... HIPAA; Disaster Relief