Issues (Page 3)

Blog posts categorized as Issues will pull into the Issues & Advocacy > Issues page.

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By Mathew Keller RN JD, Regulatory and Policy Nursing Specialist

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In a decision that has shocked pediatric surgeons across the state, Florida recently repealed a 38-year-old rule establishing state standards for pediatric cardiac surgery.

The decision comes on the heels of a scathing investigative report by CNN, which found that St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach had an abysmal record in performing pediatric cardiac surgeries — including a death rate three times the national average — and was failing to meet the state’s quality standards, which include proficiency in performing the surgeries as well as a mechanism for outside physicians to conduct an expert panel review of such surgical programs.
… Read more about: Florida dumps surgical standards after failing hospital donates to GOP  »

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In: Home, Insurance, Issues

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By Rick Fuentes,  MNA  Communications Specialist

It was no surprise to hear Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders declare his support for Single Payer healthcare during last weekend’s Presidential debate.  Sanders has long been a proponent of a system that creates “Medicare for All.”  That model would cover everyone in the country through a publicly funded agency that paid for services to every provider in the country.  After all, Sanders’ home state of Vermont adopted a Single Payer system that covered almost everyone in 2011.  Green Mountain Care, as it’s called, was due to be fully implemented by 2017 (it’s since been put on hold indefinitely).
… Read more about: Single Payer Healthcare Becoming Big Part of Debate  »

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In: Home, Issues, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nursing, Patient Safety

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By Mathew Keller RN JD, Regulatory and Policy Nursing Specialist

 

“If you don’t stay and work extra, who will take the admission that’s coming?  There’s no one else.”

Sound familiar?

If you’ve been told by your nurse manager that you must work “mandatory” overtime, don’t buy it!  Under Minnesota state law, nurses cannot be disciplined for refusing overtime if, in the nurse’s judgment, it would be unsafe for the patient.

Study after study show that unplanned overtime assignments have a high potential to be unsafe.
… Read more about: Mandatory overtime: just say no  »