News Briefs – SEPTEMBER 2022
by INELDA
Spirituality Essential to Whole Person Care
According to a study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, integrating spirituality into health care has positive outcomes. Their definition of spirituality includes organized religion as well as other ways of finding ultimate meaning by connecting to family, community, nature, and more. For many patients, spirituality is important and influences key outcomes in illness, such as quality of life and medical care decisions. According to the researchers, the simple act of asking about a patient’s spirituality should be part of patient-centered, value-sensitive care. They also noted that for healthy people, spiritual community participation—as exemplified by religious service attendance—is associated with healthier lives, including greater longevity and mental health. The study was reviewed by a diverse panel of experts in spirituality and health care, public health, and medicine, representing a breadth of spiritual and religious views.
Hospice Trends Towards Private Equity Ownership
An article in Kaiser Health News reports on the increase of private equity ownership in the hospice market. Originally hospices were run by nonprofit agencies, but over the past decades two-thirds of the hospices nationwide are now run by for-profit ventures. Long-term veterans in the field are concerned about this increase and the loss of Florence Wald’s original hospice vision. In a 2021 JAMA report which tracked the increase, study authors cited the concern that “[private equity] owners might have little experience in hospice care, and may focus on selling acquisitions within a short time horizon, typically in 3 to 5 years.” This focus on the financial success of the company versus patient care could have a dramatic effect on how hospice care is delivered.
New York Promotes Hospice and Palliative Care
New York state Gov. Kathy Hochul signed bill S8205A to raise awareness of hospice and palliative care options. According to a Hudson Valley Press article, New York has ranked last in the nation in hospice and palliative care utilization for over a decade. This bill, championed by Sen. Michelle Hinchey, educates the public and expresses the “need and importance for consumers and patients to have an advance directive, particularly a health care proxy, and the need and importance for health care providers to play a leadership role in discussing end-of-life care preferences and values with patients and to provide patients with health care proxy forms.”