Under a grant from the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, rural patients will have access to a telehealth-based pharmacy program through Four Seasons hospice, and pharmacists will be available to consult remotely with palliative care providers. As part of the AHRQ grant, Four Seasons will study and evaluate the impact of the program on patients and staff.

Low lymphocyte levels were found to be associated with greater rates of mortality, according to results of a study in JAMA Network Open. Researchers pointed out that screening for immune indicators may be an important tool for preventing disease and disease-related mortality.

An analysis of data from Medicare beneficiaries with complex chronic health conditions showed those living in rural areas had 23% higher mortality rates and 40% higher rates of preventable hospitalizations than their peers living in urban areas. Poor access to cardiologists, endocrinologists and other specialists was the main reason for the disparity, according to the study in Health Affairs.

More than 70% of home health agency executives responding to a Definitive Healthcare survey said they expect to expand their services, primarily in palliative, veterans' and mental health care. More than 60% cited staffing issues as a barrier to expansion, and about 84% said they expect to use remote patient monitoring in the next two years, more than 70% plan to use medication management technology, and more than 60% expect to use mobile applications for concierge services.

Training offered by the International End of Life Doula Association and other groups is leading to a rise in the use of death doulas. "We journey with the person who's dying and their family to help them navigate through the whole end-of-life process," said Janie Rakow, president of INELDA.

Psychiatry professor Arthur Kleinman learned first-hand the difference between a health care provider and a caregiver over the 11 years he cared for his wife, who had a form of early-onset Alzheimer's disease that also results in blindness. Caregivers are the center of health care, and "our whole health care system has got to be rethought, from the bottom up with attention to care at its core," Kleinman says.

A study published in the Journal of Diabetes and its Complications found that adults with diabetes who've had at least one hypoglycemic episode within three years of their diabetes diagnosis had 1.46 times increased risk of frailty compared with patients with diabetes and no history of hypoglycemia. Using data from 10,540 patients, the researchers also found that a history of hypoglycemia was linked to a 1.462 times greater mortality risk.

Veterans, active-duty troops and first responders dealing with trauma and chronic pain are finding some relief using virtual reality through a program at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa, Fla. Patients put on headsets and are transported to environments that help them relax.

Cerner is launching a voice-recognition and transcription app for mobile devices to support clinical documentation in an effort to reduce clinician burnout. The app transcribes conversations between health care providers and patients, sends the transcription to the clinician's mobile device and translates concepts for entry into Cerner's EHRs.

Have you heard the plenary speakers for the Annual Assembly 2020 in San Diego? Author and motivational speaker Susan Cain will be presenting Quiet: How to Harness the Strengths of Introverts to Transform How We Work, Lead, and Innovate on Thursday, March 19. Actor and podcast producer Jeremie Saunders will present Dying with Laughter: The Importance of Shifting Perspective and How Laughter Changed My Life on Friday, March 20. Finally, there will be a State of the Science plenary session, led by James Tulsky, MD FACP FAAHPM, on Saturday, March 21, that will look at the latest research in hospice and palliative care over the past year and discuss what lies ahead in the advancement of palliative care and hospice research. Learn more about our plenary speakers and register for the Assembly.

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