Hospice News and Research

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State highlights: Mo. drops many from Medicaid; Mich. Medicaid shift savings

A selection of health policy stories from Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Minnesota.

12 Aug 2014

Skilled Healthcare Group Q2 2014 revenue decreases 1.5% to $207 million

Skilled Healthcare Group, Inc. today announced its consolidated financial operating results for the three and six month period ended June 30, 2014.

12 Aug 2014

New questions arise about hospice companies as rates of discharge increase

When so many patients leave a hospice alive, it could signal problems such as inadequate care or companies seeking financial gains by enrolling people who should not have been considered hospice patients, The Washington Post reports.

7 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 7, 2014

Today's headlines include stories about how uninsured people fare with the health law's exemptions.

7 Aug 2014

Penn physiologist receives Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award from NIH

Erika Holzbaur, PhD, a professor of Physiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has received the Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award from the National Institutes of Health.

6 Aug 2014

Acupuncture helps cut fatigue, anxiety and depression in breast cancer patients using aromatase inhibitors

Use of electroacupuncture (EA) - a form of acupuncture where a small electric current is passed between pairs of acupuncture needles - produces significant improvements in fatigue, anxiety and depression in as little as eight weeks for early stage breast cancer patients experiencing joint pain related to the use of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) to treat breast cancer.

31 Jul 2014

Naltrexone may be effective in diminishing ICD symptoms in PD patients, study finds

Up to 20 percent of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and their families may confront a common but largely unrecognized challenge: the occurrence of impulse control disorders (ICDs) such as compulsive gambling, sexual behavior, eating, or spending.

31 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 29, 2014

Today's headlines include coverage of the latest Medicare trustee report and the details of the veterans care legislation on Capitol Hill.

29 Jul 2014

Incisionless TAVR surgery cuts length of hospital stay by 30%

New research from Penn Medicine shows that incisionless transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) surgery cuts length of hospital stay by 30 percent and has no impact on post-operative vascular complication rates when compared with conventional transfemoral TAVR, which requires an incision in the groin.

25 Jul 2014

New innovative set of recommendations to keep older adults safe during future disasters

Drawing on the lessons of Superstorm Sandy, a new report from The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM), "Resilient Communities: Empowering Older Adults in Disasters and Daily Life," presents an innovative set of recommendations to strengthen and connect formal and informal support systems to keep older adults safe during future disasters.

24 Jul 2014

For Medicare, good news for future, changes in hospice rules

And a new report by a conservative group identifies Medicare Advantage cuts by congressional district.

22 Jul 2014

First Edition: July, 21, 2014

Today's headlines include a story about an effort by regulators to widen insurer networks, as well as a range of other health policy developments.

21 Jul 2014

A personalized approach for patients with ccRCC-related mutations

In an analysis of small molecules called metabolites used by the body to make fuel in normal and cancerous cells in human kidney tissue, a research team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania identified an enzyme key to applying the brakes on tumor growth.

21 Jul 2014

Potassium supplements with loop diuretics increase survival rates of heart failure patients

Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that patients taking prescription potassium supplements together with loop diuretics for heart failure have better survival rates than patients taking diuretics without the potassium. Moreover, the degree of benefit increases with higher diuretic doses.

17 Jul 2014

Study: 27% of hospice patients still take antibiotics in the final week of their life

New research suggests that use of antibiotics is still prevalent among terminal patients who have chosen hospice care as an end-of-life option, despite little evidence that the medications improve symptoms or quality of life, and sometimes may cause unwanted side effects.

15 Jul 2014

Palliative care delivered early during hospitalization can cut costs for critically ill patients

Palliative care delivered early during hospitalization can help cut costs for critically ill patients, finds a new study in Health Services Research.

11 Jul 2014

Reducing amount of alcoholic beverages consumed may improve cardiovascular health

Reducing the amount of alcoholic beverages consumed, even for light-to-moderate drinkers, may improve cardiovascular health, including a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, lower body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure, according to a new multi-center study published in The BMJ and co-led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

11 Jul 2014

Penn receives $8 million grant from NCI to study effects of PDT

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in collaboration with the Roswell Park Cancer Institute have received an $8 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to study the effects of photodynamic light therapy (PDT) in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rare, aggressive and deadly cancer that most often manifests itself in the lining of the lungs and is caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos.

10 Jul 2014

Researchers receive $8 million NCI grant to study effects of PDT in patients with mesothelioma

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in collaboration with the Roswell Park Cancer Institute have received an $8 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to study the effects of photodynamic light therapy (PDT) in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rare, aggressive and deadly cancer that most often manifests itself in the lining of the lungs and is caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos.