MNA Blog (Page 92)

Recent news and updates from the Minnesota Nurses Association.

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In: Activism, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing, Politics

HEALTH CARE

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Hospitals are blaming health care reform and the economy for cutting back on staffing levels.

Underscoring hospitals’ interest in employee health, 84 percent of medical facilities in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut that responded to a new survey offer workers a wellness program or activity.

Study: Middle Class Suffered “Worst Decade in Modern History” as wages stagnated, share of income fell.

LABOR

If you’re headed to the State Fair, make sure you stop by the MNA booth to say hello!
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 23, 2012 – State Fair Begins; Hospitals Sing Familiar Tune  »

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In: Activism, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing, Politics

HEALTH CARE

Sad story gets more grief: Jennifer Gallagher, a nurse who cared for Aurora shooting victims at the University of Colorado Hospital last month, drowned on Aug. 6 while swimming in Iowa’s Lake Okoboji.

Montana’s hospitals generally provide a sizable amount of charity care and community benefits, but a study released by the state’s attorney general has questioned the values stated by some of the facilities, reported the Helena Independent Record.

What are the 10 health care jobs most impacted by the new Affordable Care Act? Find out!
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 22, 2012 – Tragic Story Gets Worse; Hospitals’ Charity Care in Question  »

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HEALTH CARE

Medical Errors Continue to Dog Health Care   A new Wolters Kluwer Health Survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers revealed that nearly one third of Americans (30 percent) have  experienced a medical mistake either firsthand or from a third-party. A majority (68 percent) believe that as  the  medical field continues to adopt new technologies, medical errors will decrease.

Time for Medicine to Take Its Own Pulse   The truth is that for a large part of medical practice, we don’t know what works. But we pay for it anyway. Our annual per capita health care expenditure is now more than $8,000.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 21, 2012: Med errors still high; Not enough profit, UnitedHealth turns back on 174,000 Wisconsonites  »

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In: Activism, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing, Politics

HEALTH CARE

A former Wells Fargo & Co. mortgage consultant has accused the San Francisco-based bank of firing him in order to avoid paying for his daughter’s cancer treatment.

LABOR

Members of the California Nurses Association urged state lawmakers to set a minimum level of charity care for all nonprofit hospitals in exchange for their lucrative, tax-exempt status. CNA released a study Wednesday concluding that beyond what they delivered in charity care, California’s nonprofit hospitals in 2010 received more than $1.8 billion in government subsidies and benefits from their tax exemption.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 20, 2012: Wells Fargo Behaving Badly?  »

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In: Activism, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing, Politics

HEALTH CARE

Callifornia Nurses: Faulty $45 million computer health care system endangering patients’ lives.

Not-for-profit healthcare institutions have been undergoing audits from outside entities at a significantly higher rate than their for-profit counterparts, according to a new study by the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA).

LABOR

Michigan Nurses: Collective Bargaining Keeps Our Patients Safe!
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 17, 2012:  »

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NOTES ON NURSING

Massachusetts Latest State to Outlaw Mandatory Nurse Overtime    “Nurses want to get up, prepare for their shift, take the best care of their patients, and then know there is relief at the end, that there is somebody to carry on the care of that patient to a successful outcome,” said staff nurse Donna Kelly-Williams, RN, president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association/National Nurses United (MNA/NNU).

Muskegon, MI:  Nurses, Patients Gain with New Contract    The registered nurses at Mercy Health Partners-Hackley Campus have negotiated a new contract that improves patient-to-nurse staffing and creates a safe environment for nurses and patients.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 16, 2012: MA nurses get OT ban; Charity care mischief exposed  »

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HEALTH CARE

Physicians never checked the results of nearly half of the medical tests ordered the day of a patient’s discharge, according to a recent study.

Reported infection rates at healthcare organizations are up – but that’s not neccessarily bad news. Higher numbers signal better reporting, according to a new report.

… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 15, 2012: Docs Don’t Check Tests; Infection Rates Up  »

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In: Activism, Bargaining, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing

HEALTH CARE

Medicare to Penalize 2200 Hospitals for Excess Readmissions    More than 2,000 hospitals — including some nationally recognized ones — will be penalized by the government starting in October because many of their patients are readmitted soon after discharge.  Some Minnesota hospitals that will be penalized because of their readmission rates include Abbott Northwestern – 9%; Hennepin County Medical Center – 22%; St. Mary’s Rochester (Mayo) – 13%; United Hospital – 23%; Unity Hospital – 32%; Mayo Fairmont – 81%; University of Minneosta Medical Center, Fairview – 17%

Missouri-based Ascension Health Inks Deal with Embattled Debt Collector   Ascension Health has signed a new contract worth up to $1.7 billion with a Chicago-based debt collection firm that was banned for Minnesota for alleged hardball tactics.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 14, 2012: Hospitals FAIL; Labor rallies; Accretive pops up in MO.  »

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LABOR NEWS

NNU in the News: Health care is among the few sectors of the national economy where unionization is actually increasing. One local sign: nurses at St. Louis University Hospital and Des Peres Hospital recently pulled off rare votes to organize workers at local health institutions.

Nurses at California-based Arrowhead Regional Medical Center said patient care will likely decline if the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors imposes cuts to their pensions and the hospital continues expanding its use of registry nurses.

NOTES ON NURSING

A nurse-led fast-track sepsis screening and diagnosis program cut mortality rates in half at nine California hospitals.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 13, 2012: Nurses Help Cut Mortality Rates in Half  »

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NOTES ON NURSING

Work Schedules Contribute to Nurses’ Health Issues     “Adverse work schedules may be an overriding work-related factor for nurse obesity,” the researchers wrote. In addition to lack of opportunities for healthy behaviors, nurses with adverse schedules may have difficulty accessing healthy foods, the authors posited.

HEALTH CARE

New Medicaid Payment Method Will Save Money    Minnesota is the first state in the nation to receive federal approval for a new way of paying for health care in its Medicaid program.

Yes, There’s Probably A Medical App for That       The thousands of apps specifically geared toward health range from free to nearly $40 each, with most costing around $2.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 10, 2012: Is your work schedule making you unhealthy?  »