Literature Review

Publisher's Dinner: Leaders of home care firm, hospital systems gather for dialogue on improving patient care Cincinnati Business Courier; by Trinity In Home Care; 3/14/25 The Cincinnati Business Courier in late February brought together the leadership of a leading Southwest Ohio home care agency with leaders of Greater Cincinnati’s hospital and hospice systems. The goal was to connect leaders of two essential aspects of the region’s health care system – inpatient hospital care and home care – to see how they could complement and support each other in delivering patient care and growing as organizations. [Click on the title's link for quotes from various leaders from this Cincinnati area.]

Is Medicare ready for an aging america? Home-based care offers hope RealClear Health; by Jonathan Fleece, JD (President and CEO of Empath Health) and Dr. Steve Landers (CEO of the National Alliance for Care at Home); 3/12/25Too often, families face an impossible situation: a loved one is ready to leave the hospital, but no home health provider is available. Or they’re told hospice is the best option, but administrative red tape delays access to comfort and support. These failures put patients at risk. ... This experience underscores why policymakers must protect and expand access to home-based care—before more patients fall through the cracks. ... According to one analysis, in a recent three year period, hospital stays for patients waiting to be discharged to post-acute care providers increased by 24 percent, deteriorating health outcomes and quality of life. Discharge delays – caused by hospital capacity issues and workforce shortages – not only cause harm to patients; they also add unnecessary strain and costs on our healthcare system.

Visiting nurses discontinue services in 21 Southern Vermont townsBennington Banner, Brattleboro, VT; by Bob Audette; 3/12/25 Visiting Nurse and Hospice of Vermont and New Hampshire, located in White River Junction, will relinquish its designation as the home health agency and discontinue all home health and hospice services in most of Windham County and some of Bennington County, effective April 15. While many people learned about the discontinuance at Town Meeting Day, when line item donations to the organization were deleted, the organization has been planning this move since 2023. "This is all because of work force," said Johanna Belliveau, president and chief executive officer. In 2023, the Visiting Nurses requested the de-designation due to increases in expenses related to paying traveling nurses to service many of the towns in Windham County, she said. Since that request was made, Bayada has been providing home health care and hospice services to Windham County. 

How hospital merger oversight is shifting deal-making Modern Healthcare; by Alex Kacik; 3/12/25 Health systems are increasingly pursuing mergers and acquisitions in the South, a region where demand for care is growing and there are fewer regulatory barriers. More than a dozen states have passed laws over the past several years designed to increase oversight of healthcare transactions, but Southern states have largely stayed on the sidelines. As a result, deals involving hospitals are expected to pick up in the South, particularly in markets that feature growing populations, a high number of Medicaid patients and less stringent merger reviews, merger and acquisition advisers said. Potential Medicaid cuts could also drive up deal-making in the 16-state region spanning from West Virginia to Texas, as well as Washington, D.C., advisers said. 

El Paso doctor pays close to $500K to settle allegations of hospice healthcare fraud CBS 4 News, El Paso, TX; by David Ibave; 3/10/25 A doctor in El Paso agreed to pay almost half a million dollars on Monday to settle allegations that he was paid off by a hospice center to commit healthcare fraud back in 2021. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, John Patterson M.D. has agreed to pay the United States $468,626 to resolve allegations that he received kickback payments from Nursemind Home Care Inc. to certify patients for hospice care when they were not eligible for these services, submitting false claims to federal healthcare programs.

J-Sei Home closes after 30 years, leaving Bay Area Japanese seniors in need KQED, San Francisco, CA; by Cecilia Lei; 3/10/25 ... For decades, Bay Area Japanese American families have sought culturally sensitive senior care facilities like J-Sei Home for aging loved ones. Community members said that about a decade ago, there were approximately 10 Japanese senior care homes in the region. Today, that number has declined by about half. The most recent closure came in January, when the last residents of J-Sei Home moved out, and the facility permanently closed its doors after 30 years of operation. A majority of the displaced residents were Japanese Americans in their 90s and had cognitive impairment. ... They had tender caregivers who spoke Japanese. They ate familiar comfort foods like miso soup and pickled vegetables, and they participated in daily activities such as drum circles and singing Japanese songs. ...

Assessing pain, anxiety and other symptoms of nursing home residents unable to speak for themselves Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, IN; by Kathleen T. Unroe, MD, MHA; 3/10/25 Revamped tool reliably addresses physical and emotional distress, well-being and end-of-life symptoms. As many as half of nursing home residents are cognitively impaired and may be unable to communicate symptoms such as pain or anxiety to the staff and clinicians caring for them. Therefore, information needed for the evaluation of symptoms and subsequent treatment decisions typically does not reliably exist in nursing home electronic health records (EHRs). A new paper reports on the novel adaptation of a commonly used symptom assessment instrument to more comprehensively acquire this difficult-to-obtain data with the ultimate goal of enabling knowledge-based expansion of palliative care services in nursing homes to address residents’ symptoms. 

1 in 7 Medicaid users go to nursing home after cancer diagnosis, study finds McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Kristen Fischer; 3/5/25 One in 7 Medicaid beneficiaries received care at a nursing home after they were newly diagnosed with cancer, a new study finds. People who went to nursing homes were more likely to be white or Black, and dual-eligible for Medicaid and Medicare, compared to those who did not use nursing homes and primarily had short nursing home stays. The study was published Tuesday [3/4] in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. ... Investigators examined data from 338,767 Medicaid beneficiaries spanning 45 states who were newly diagnosed with cancer and were diagnosed with cancer in 2017 or 2018. ... The most prevalent cancer types associated with short and long stays were lung, breast and hematological.  The high number of people who are dual-eligible and going to nursing homes after a cancer diagnosis is an important policy issue, the authors wrote. 

Film: Lives well livedSecond Wave Southwest Michigan and Lives Well Lived; film by Sky Bergman; 3/6/25A Life Well Lived, a series of community meetings and learning opportunities that concludes March 15, and the documentary "Lives Well Lived," by guest speaker Sky Bergman, ... On the film's website, filmmaker Sky Berman describes, "In our society, the elderly are often overlooked. Lives Well Lived celebrates the incredible wit, wisdom, and life experiences of older adults living full and meaningful lives in their later years. Their stories are about perseverance, the human spirit, and staying positive during the great personal and historic challenges. I hope these stories inspire people of every age to achieve the longevity of both health and spirit, and to realize that growing older can be a journey to be celebrated." ... Beginning with its premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Lives Well Lived has screened in more than 200 cities. The film has won eight awards, and the theatrical run garnered enthusiastic reviews and a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Organizations like Aging 2.0, AARP’s Movies for Grownups, Encore.org, and Leading Age have screened Lives Well Lived. Now the film is available on PBS! Editor's note: Click here for Second Wave Southwest Michigan use of this film for community outreach. Click here for the film's website, Lives Well Lived.

Palliative care clinicians goals-of-care notes more extensive than other providers’ documentation Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 3/5/25 A team of researchers has developed a standardized goals-of-care note to document patient wishes in the electronic medical record. Many patients do not experience goals-of-care conversations in a timely manner. But even among those who have, their wishes can get lost if they are not documented. The standardized note created by a research team from the Regenstrief Institute, the Indiana University School of Medicine and Indiana University Health can help health care providers be aware of and access patients’ goals of care, according to lead investigator Dr. Alexia Torke. ... The research on the note was published in the American Journal of Medicine.

Humana selects Thyme Care for oncology services MociHealthNews and HIMSS Media; by Anthony Vecchione; 3/3/25 Humana has unveiled an agreement with value-based cancer care platform Thyme Care with the aim of providing oncology support for its Medicare Advantage (MA) members. The agreement impacts MA members who reside in Michigan, New York, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Eligible Humana members will have access to Thyme Care’s services, which include 24/7 virtual care navigation. Additionally, patients will be connected to a care team made up of oncology nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers and resource specialists. Thyme Care's team will provide medication guidance, urgent care support, chronic condition management and palliative care support.

Breaking bad news: Guidance on disclosing a dementia diagnosis Medscape; by Megan Brooks; 3/3/25 As biomarker testing for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) evolves, timely and compassionate disclosure of a diagnosis is more complex than ever. Yet, clinicians may struggle with how — or in some cases whether — to disclose that a patient has mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. A recent perspective offers a practical roadmap to help clinicians navigate these challenging conversations. The authors from the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, noted that disclosure of a dementia diagnosis “is particularly nuanced and requires a conscientious approach. Clinicians must assess patients’ understanding and appreciation of symptoms, goals for the evaluation, and desire for information.” 

The Pennant Group to ramp up hospice, home health transactions during 2025 Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 2/28/25 The Pennant Group (Nasdaq: PNTG) plans to ramp up acquisitions later this year as it works to integrate assets purchased in late 2024. Among those deals was The Pennant Group’s acquisition of Signature Healthcare at Home’s hospice and home health assets for a price tag of $80 million which closed in January. The company also completed some senior living transactions. Pennant is on the hunt for more deals but will likely be more active later in the year.