Activism (Page 22)

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

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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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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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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LABOR NEWS

Women Know Best: Companies with women on their boards performed better in challenging markets than those with all-male boards in a study suggesting that mixing genders may temper risky investment moves and increase return on equity.

Unions representing more than 30,000 workers will gather in Philadelphia this Saturday as part of a “Workers Stand for America” rally.

Verizon workers struck for two energetic weeks last summer in response to billions’ worth of concessions demands from the profitable telecommunications company. Now, after 12 more months of fruitless negotiations, 45,000 Communications Workers and Electrical Workers (IBEW) across the Northeast may be putting down their tools and walking out again.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 8, 2012 – Women in the Boardroom; Another Verizon Strike Looming?  »

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Congrats to MNA RN Lil Ortendahl, who was honored at the Minnesota DFL’s recent Humphrey-Mondale dinner. Lil was given the Hubert H Humphrey award for citizen political activism.

As only she can, Lil had the crowd roaring during her acceptance speech. Watch the video below to see why:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/MuLu_UPWXKU]
… Read more about: MNA RN Lil Ortendahl: “Some drink, some screw around … I do politics.”  »

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LABOR NEWS

Massachusetts RNs win fight as state leaders agree to ban on mandatory OT.

Public employee contracts for Minnesota state workers are likely to face opposition in the Republican-controlled Legislature. A House-Senate subcommittee plans to consider the pacts next week after labor unions representing 31,000 employees approved contracts negotiated with Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton’s administration.

Amid booming business and record profits, Caterpillar is seeking major concessions from its workers.

HEALTH CARE

The lawsuit has been settled, but patients say there are lessons that shouldn’t be forgotten from the furor over debt collection practices at Fairview Health Services.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 5, 2012: Debt Collection Lessons From Fairview, Republicans Likely to Oppose State Workers’ Contracts  »