Healthcare (Page 20)

HEALTH CARE

Doctor is In; Retail is Out   The glut of empty strip malls and big-box stores in the wake of the go-go years has made leases so affordable that nearly every major hospital system in the state and many private health care organizations have jumped in.

Indiana Hospital Blames Electronic Records for Longer Waits in ER   Patients’ lengths of stay in Columbus Regional Hospital’s emergency department doubled in late June during a switch to an electronic records system, and times are still longer than usual despite improvements, hospital officials said.

LABOR

American Pilots Reject Contract   Pilots for American Airlines have strongly rejected a contract offer that would have helped the company cut labor costs, dashing American’s hopes of winning voluntary concessions from all its labor unions.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 9, 2012: Retail health care; AA Pilots Reject Offer  »

LABOR NEWS

Why Nurses Are Fighting for the Robin Hood Tax     MNA Executive Director writes about a tax for the people, not on the people.

HEALTH CARE

Unclear if ICU Telemedicine Can Save Hospitals Money   Remote monitoring of intensive care patients – a strategy to maximize scarce  medical expertise – can cost hospitals anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 per bed  in the first year of operation, according to a new study.  Whether this investment pays off in the long run by improving ICU patients’  care and saving money, “we don’t know,” said Dr. Gaurav Kumar.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 2, 2012: Why a Robin Hood Tax; ICU Telemedicine  »

HEALTH CARE

The 35W Bridge Collapse:

 

LABOR NEWS

Supervalue Faltering Brings Union Concerns    Some 84,000 unionized grocery workers spread out across the country have new reason for apprehension this month as it became clear the nation’s third-largest operator of supermarket chains is financially wounded and planning to make dramatic changes.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 1, 2012 – 35W Bridge Collapse Remembered  »

Health Care

Nurses Made the Difference:  You spoke up and helped deliver justice to patients.   Accretive Banned from Minnesota.    Accretive Health will be barred from operating in Minnesota for two to six years under a settlement agreement announced Monday by Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson.  The agreement ends a six-month legal battle in which Swanson had accused the Chicago consulting firm of deceiving patients, harassing them for money in emergency rooms and mishandling patient data at Fairview and North Memorial hospitals.  Related NY Times report.

Food-borne Illnesses Not Diminishing   Little progress has been made in combating many types of food-borne illnesses in recent years, according to new federal data, an outcome that food safety advocates say underscores the need to put into place the landmark food-safety bill signed by President Obama more than a year ago.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, July 31, 2012: Accretive Banned; Nurse Burnout = More Patient Infections  »

LABOR

Rich Get Richer: Minnesota’s CEOs saw their pay rise 26 percent in 2011.

HEALTH CARE

The Star Tribune’s Editorial Board weighs in again regarding the controversy over how much Minnesota health plans profit from the taxpayer-funded Medicaid program.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, July 30, 2012 – Benefit Concert for Locked Out Sugar Workers, MN CEOs Get Big Raise  »