MNA Daily NewsScan, July 31, 2012: Accretive Banned; Nurse Burnout = More Patient Infections

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.

Editorial:  Worst Time to Cut Research   Proposed trims put Minnesota patients, economy at risk.

Hospitals Failing at Preventable Readmission Reduction   Nearly one-quarter of patients hospitalized with heart failure and one-third of patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are readmitted within 30 days of discharge, despite evidence that a substantial portion of readmissions may be preventable.

Notes on Nursing

Burned Out Nurses Linked to More Infections in Patients    alHeavy patient loads and chronic burnout have long been among the top complaints of nurses at the nation’s hospital bedsides. But a new study shows that those problems affect not only the nurses themselves, but also the number of infections in the people they care for.

Labor News

Republic Airlines Pilots On Food Stamps    The plane landed and I stepped into the cockpit. “Read this,” the first officer said. He handed me a letter from the airline to him. It was headlined “LETTER OF CONCERN.” It seems this poor fellow had taken three sick days in the past year. The letter was a warning not to take another one — or else.  “Great,” I said. “Just what I want — you coming to work sick, flying me up in the air and asking to borrow the barf bag from my seatback pocket.”  He then showed me his pay stub. He took home $405 this week. My life was completely and totally in his hands for the past hour and he’s paid less than the kid who delivers my pizza.