MNA Daily NewsScan, June 5, 2012: Another chance to get health care right? Labor woes at Belmont (Page 100)

NOTES ON NURSING

Can Patient Photos Help Reduce Error?  Putting children’s photos in their electronic hospital charts could help reduce one type of medical error, a study published Monday suggests.

HEALTH CARE

DeMoro:  Maybe We Can Get It Right   If President Obama is now confiding to Democratic donors that he may have to “revisit” health care in a second term if the Supreme Court throws out his first attempt, as Bloomberg News reported June 1, maybe this time we can get it right.

Hospitals Add Palliative Care Programs at a Feverish Pace   The field has expanded so rapidly that a majority of American hospitals now have palliative programs, to the delight of patients who say they’ve finally found relief and a sympathetic ear.

LABOR NEWS

Crystal Sugar Workers Walking Back to the Bargaining Table   Locked-out union workers at American Crystal Sugar Co. are in the middle of a 200-mile trek to the negotiating table, which the company says could be a long walk for a short meeting.

Labor Woes at Belmont as Triple Crown Nears     About 150 union members at NYRA’s Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga tracks have been working without a contract since February 2011. The workers last month authorized a strike over overtime and scheduling.

On:
In: Uncategorized

NOTES ON NURSING

Can Patient Photos Help Reduce Error?  Putting children’s photos in their electronic hospital charts could help reduce one type of medical error, a study published Monday suggests.

HEALTH CARE

DeMoro:  Maybe We Can Get It Right   If President Obama is now confiding to Democratic donors that he may have to “revisit” health care in a second term if the Supreme Court throws out his first attempt, as Bloomberg News reported June 1, maybe this time we can get it right.

Hospitals Add Palliative Care Programs at a Feverish Pace   The field has expanded so rapidly that a majority of American hospitals now have palliative programs, to the delight of patients who say they’ve finally found relief and a sympathetic ear.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, June 5, 2012: Another chance to get health care right? Labor woes at Belmont  »

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

What is this? The MNA Daily NewsScan rounds up the day’s biggest nursing, health care and organized labor stories.  As news unfolds in real-time, we update the NewsScan with new links and info, so check back often!

Stories we’re scanning:

Nursing News

On:
In: Activism, Labor Unions, Politics

[youtube=http://youtu.be/93gzm9ppmEo]

 

Colleen Espinosa is a float pool nurse at North Memorial Hospital, and she’s a perfect example of why we need a Main Street Contract For America and a Robin Hood Tax – two causes championed by National Nurses United and MNA.

Here’s her story, as told by her son Nick:

My mother Colleen Mckee Espinosa is a single parent of three who is facing foreclosure after CitiBank refused to accept payment on her mortage, having moved up the due date for her payment without her knowledge. They then added thousands of dollars in attorney fees because the home went into foreclosure, making it impossible for her to catch up.
… Read more about: Support MNA RN Colleen Espinosa as she fights to keep her home!  »

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

What is this? The MNA Daily NewsScan is a round up the day’s biggest nursing, health care and organized labor stories.  As news unfolds in real-time, we update the NewsScan with new links and info, so check back often!

Stories we’re scanning:

Health Care

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

NURSES

Nurses, Patients Voice Concerns Over Avoidable Hospital Staffing Crisis    The whole system seems to be “missing something” when it reaps massive profits but can’t keep hospitals properly staffed. But the crisis can’t be explained simply by an overall “shortage” of nurses. The real cause of the staffing squeeze might be the tight fists of hospital CEOs, who don’t want to invest in maintaining an adequate, qualified workforce.

HEALTH CARE

Tax-Exempt Hospitals Eyed Amid State Budget Gaps  Following through on a promise, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn announced more than two months ago that the state would resume denying tax exemptions to hospitals that operate more like businesses than charities.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan – May 31, 2012: RNs Say Hospital Staffing Crisis Avoidable with Ratios; Listen to Frontline Staff  »

On:
In: Uncategorized

NURSES

Note:  Senate Media is live streaming this event.  Here’s the link if you have Windows

MNA we will post our own video later today.  Meanwhile, follow us at on Twitter. 

Watch  as MNA RN Jean Ross gives dramatic testimony to Sen. Al Franken about debt collectors in ER – NurseTV.org   Related:  Sen. Franken questions Accretive Health execs today over allegations of aggressive debt collection practices. strib.mn/KW2dB9

Night Shift May Boost Women’s Breast Cancer Risk    “About 10 to 20 percent of women in modern societies have night shift work,” said lead researcher Johnni Hansen.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, May 30, 2012: Video of Franken Hearing on Debt Collection; Fake Innovation Wastes HC $$  »

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

What is this? The MNA Daily NewsScan is a round up the day’s biggest nursing, health care and organized labor stories.  As news unfolds in real-time, we update the NewsScan with new links and info, so check back often!

Stories we’re scanning:

Health Care

On:
In: Uncategorized

Attention MNA Nurses

Hospitals are making record profits despite the economic downturn. One alarming tactic that’s becoming more common is hospital debt collectors posing as health care staff to get payment from patients, sometimes before they’ve ever been treated. You may have seen recent news coverage about Attorney General Lori Swanson’s investigation of Accretive Health, the debt collectors that have been used by both Fairview and North Memorial. This practice raises ethical and legal questions about patient care and privacy.

Now U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) will chair a U.S. Senate field hearing at the Minnesota State Capitol to examine if current federal laws effectively protect patients’ access to care and privacy. 
… Read more about: Sen. Franken To Hold Hearing Related to Debt Collection Tactics  »