MNA NewsScan, April 8, 2013: C-Diff on the rise; Swanson grills Sanford execs (Page 73)

NOTES ON NURSING

Better Staffing Would Help  Hospitals Fail to Take Simple Measures to Thwart Deadly Infections    The culprit is a strain of a spore-forming bacterium known as Clostridium difficile, or C. diff—in particular, a relatively recent strain that has grown more virulent and resistant to drugs.

LABOR UPDATES

Twin Cities Metro Plumbers Devote a Day of Service to Help Those in Need   It’s a chance to help Minnesotans who might not otherwise be able turn to a professional plumber, and to reduce wasted expenses going down the drain.

CEO Percs Flying High    Dodd-Frank rules? Securities and Exchange Commission lawyers? Leave them behind. And let yourself sink into the buttery leather seat of your corporate jet as it soars through the clouds.

HEALTH CARE

Swanson Grills Sanford Execs on Fairview Merger; MNA Leaders Testify    The merger proposal that could give Sanford Health control of the University of Minnesota Medical Center also has focused attention on the U’s relationship with Denny Sanford, an alum who is a major benefactor of U athletics.

MN Safety Net Hospitals Changing the Rules of the Game to Help Underprivileged   Under the Minnesota experiment, “those at a higher risk now have a care team who works with each patient, to keep them out of the emergency room,” said Peggy Metzer, CEO of People’s Center Health Services.

Nevada Discharging Mental Health Patients with Bus Tickets to Other States   Preliminary reports suggest that Nevada has made a habit of discharging mental patients by bus to other states. Rawson-Neal, the state’s primary hospital for mentally ill people, bused about 100 state psychiatric patients to California between July 1, 2012, and the end of February, and scores more to other states, according to data provided by Nevada health authorities.

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In: Healthcare, Hospitals, Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Unsafe Staffing

NOTES ON NURSING

Better Staffing Would Help  Hospitals Fail to Take Simple Measures to Thwart Deadly Infections    The culprit is a strain of a spore-forming bacterium known as Clostridium difficile, or C. diff—in particular, a relatively recent strain that has grown more virulent and resistant to drugs.

LABOR UPDATES

Twin Cities Metro Plumbers Devote a Day of Service to Help Those in Need   It’s a chance to help Minnesotans who might not otherwise be able turn to a professional plumber, and to reduce wasted expenses going down the drain.

CEO Percs Flying High    Dodd-Frank rules?
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, April 8, 2013: C-Diff on the rise; Swanson grills Sanford execs  »

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In: Uncategorized

KSTP-TV reports the final audit confirms what Minnesota Nurses have long argued-that the healthcare system in the state is need of greater transparency and some of Minnesota’s HMOs owe the taxpayers a refund.

“When taxpayer dollars for patient care are so scarce,” said MNA President Linda Hamilton, “it’s unconscionable that even one penny could be wasted when it could’ve gone to treat somebody’s mother or grandmother.  Instead it’s padding somebody’s bank account somewhere.”

An independent auditor, the Segal Company, reveals in a report issued March 31 the government overpaid the four insurance companies that run the state’s Medicaid program by $207 million. 
… Read more about: Final Report shows taxpayers overpaid HMOs $200 Million  »

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In: Healthcare, Hospitals, Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

NOTES ON NURSING

Fatigue is Pervasive in the Health Care Industry; Directly Linked to On-the-job Errors     Sixty-nine percent of healthcare professionals surveyed said that fatigue had caused them to feel concern over their ability to perform during work hours. Even more alarmingly, nearly 65 percent of participants reported they had almost made an error at work because of fatigue and more than 27 percent acknowledged that they had actually made an error resulting from fatigue.

PA Considers Nursing by the Numbers   A pair of Democratic state lawmakers have introduced bills in both the House and Senate that would mandate a minimum number of registered nurses-to-patient ratio at all hospitals in the state.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, April 1, 2013: RN fatigue pervasive and harmful to patients  »

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Nurses support Attorney General Review of Sanford-Fairveiw

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jan Rabbers
(office) 651-414-2861
(cell) 612-860-8858
jan.rabbers@mnnurses.org
Rick Fuentes
(office) 651-414-2863
(cell) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

(St. Paul) – March 28, 2013 – The Minnesota Nurses Association welcomes Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson’s inquiry into the possible merger of Sanford Health and Fairview Health Services and the continued corporatization of healthcare in Minnesota.  Investigators need to continue to look into the effects that big corporations are having on Minnesota patients.

“We congratulate Lori Swanson for having the courage to examine any deal that further puts the operation of more Minnesota hospitals into the hands of fewer corporations,” said Walt Frederickson, RN, MNA Executive Director. 
… Read more about: Press Release-Minnesota Nurses Welcome Swanson’s Inquiry into Hospital Merger  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

Standards of Care Update

Last Friday, MNA, in consultation with our legislative allies, revised the Standards of Care Act to shift the focus of the bill to collect Minnesota-specific data on issues of nurse staffing transparency as it relates to patient outcomes.  We continue to strongly believe that every patient in the state deserves a minimum number of Registered Nurses and that any data collected will validate the thousands of nurses in Minnesota who experience unsafe staffing on a daily basis.

We learned that legislators had too many questions about staffing, and not enough hard data specific to Minnesota hospitals. So we shifted our focus to a framework that would improve transparency by requiring hospitals to report their staffing on a quarterly basis, and tie it to data on nursing-sensitive health outcomes like falls, infections and pressure ulcers.
… Read more about: MNA Legislative Update March 22, 2013  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

Last Friday, MNA, in consultation with our legislative allies, agreed to amend the Standards of Care Act to create a procedure which will provide Minnesota-specific data on issues of nurse staffing transparency as it relates to patient outcomes.  We agreed to language in the House with an understanding that we would work on adding more detail with respect to reporting requirements.

We learned that legislators had too many questions about the staffing situation, and not enough hard data specific to Minnesota hospitals. So we shifted our focus to a framework that would improve transparency by requiring hospitals to report their staffing on a quarterly basis.
… Read more about: Standards of Care Act Update  »

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In: Nurses, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

New Amendments empower patients, require hospital reporting

 

(St. Paul) – March 15, 2013 – The Standards of Care Act passed the Minnesota House Health and Human Services Policy Committee with amendments.  Negotiations between the Minnesota Nurses Association and the Minnesota Hospital Association resulted in an agreement that recognizes the crisis of patient safety and creates a plan to add transparency to patient care.

“It’s the consumers of health care that really benefit from this,” said Walt Frederickson, RN, MNA Executive Director.  Right now this data has been non-existent to us and the public.”

During a brief recess of the committee, the nurses union suggested that hospitals would report online the actual direct patient care hours for regulators as well as consumers to examine. 
… Read more about: Press Release: Standard of Care Act moves on  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses

MNA-NNU-spot-logo (WEB)

MNA’s Ethics Committee presents

Substance Use Disorder: Implications for Nurses

Addressing Substance Use Disorder on Our Own Units

Thursday, April 18, 2013 8:45 – 4:00 p.m.

It could be you or a colleague, but it is likely within your career that you will be challenged by Substance Use Disorder. It is a growing crisis.

Like any addiction, Substance Use Disorder is a disease
and deserves to be treated as such. This program, designed for the unique circumstances posed to health care professionals, offers a path of awareness,
admission and action.
… Read more about: Substance Use Disorder: Implications for Nurses  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Nursing, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/261298/group/Opinion/

I am perplexed how some hospitals seem to fear having standards imposed on them when nurses comply to professional standards every day. (Our View: “Steer state clear of nursing mandates,” March 7).

Nurses know that hospital claims of safety records mask a precarious workplace filled with errors and near-misses. Patients suffer and die because we’re taking care of three patients even though our standards, knowledge and ethics tell us one patient needs our exclusive care.

Duluth does have a great reputation for great hospitals, and we deliver quality health care. But we’re holding on by the skin of our teeth to guarantee that care.
… Read more about: President Hamilton responds to the Duluth News Tribune  »

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The Standards of Care Act has received its next hearing date.  MPR listeners may have heard recently that the bill to set a minimum standard of care for patients across Minnesota would not get an important hearing in the House health policy committee, but pressure on legislators has resulted in nurses, patients, and policy experts getting an opportunity to be heard.  Please support the Standards of Care Act by attending the hearing or sending a message to your state legislator that patients deserve a minimum standard of care, regardless of where they’ve chosen to receive care.

Contact your Legislator here:  https://votervoice.net/MNA/Address

Join the Wednesday lobbying sessions at the Capitol and meet your legislators.
… Read more about: Next Standard of Care Act Committee Hearing Scheduled  »