by Editor

MNA Legislative Update March 22, 2013

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.

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03.22.13

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Rallies to Protect Saturday Mail Delivery and Strengthen the Postal Service

Media Advisory from AFL-CIO

Happening in Minneapolis and Duluth on March 24

WHAT: Concerned citizens of Minnesota will rally on March 24 to protect Saturday mail delivery and demand that Congress deliver a better plan to strengthen the Postal Service for the future. Two rallies will take place in Minnesota. One rally will take place at Minneapolis Main Post Office on Sunday, 3/24/13 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at the intersection of 1st Street S and Marquette. Another rally will be held at the corner of Lake Avenue and Superior Street in Duluth on Sunday, 3/24/13 from noon to 1:00 pm. All members of the community are invited to attend.

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03.20.13

by Editor

MNA NewsScan, March 20, 2013: Hospital hierarchy; Error reporting

NOTES ON NURSING

Healing the Hospital Hierarchy Most people in health care understand and accept the need for clinical hierarchies. The problem is that we aren’t usually prepared for them; nor are we given protocols for resolving the inevitable tensions that arise over appropriate care.

LABOR UPDATE

Income Inequality Shapes MN Tax Debate Even in middle-class, middle-American Minnesota, income inequality is rising. It’s not a new phenomenon.

HEALTH CARE

New Database Reveals Thousands of Hospital Violation Reports Hospitals make mistakes, sometimes deadly mistakes. A patient may get the wrong medication or even undergo surgery intended for another person. When errors like these are reported, state and federal officials inspect the hospital in question and file a detailed report. Now, for the first time, this vital information on the quality and safety of the nation’s hospitals has been made available to the public online.

Unhealthiest Counties Lead in Preventable Hospitals Stays The least-healthy counties experienced 82.8 preventable hospital stays per 1,000 Medicare enrollees, while in the healthiest counties the rate was 57.2 per 1,000. The rest of the nation’s counties experienced 74 preventable hospital stays per 1,000 Medicare enrollees.

03.18.13

by Editor

Standards of Care Act Update

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. MNA took our proposed staffing standards out of the bill in order to improve our chances at creating the most robust reporting system reflecting real nursing hours per patient day.

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03.16.13

by Editor

MNA Legislative Update, March 16, 2013

Standards of Care Update

The Standards of Care Act, our bill to establish patient assignments limits, had its third hearing today in the House Health and Human Services Policy committee. The bill passed with amendments, despite serious objections from the hospitals. As amended, the bill has a narrower focus than its original version, but a delivers a victory for patients and nurses by laying a strong foundation for documenting the crisis of patient risk in Minnesota that nurses witness every day. In fact, Committee Chair Rep. Tina Liebling of Rochester offered a strong endorsement of MNA’s concerns when she stated “there is broad agreement that there is a problem.”

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03.15.13

by Editor

Press Release: Standard of Care Act moves on

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. The data would also go to the state Department of Health to conduct a study of staffing levels and how that correlates to patient outcomes. Despite previous protests that the reporting would be onerous, the hospital association agreed to the change.

“The amendment is a win for patients who want accountability and serves as a foundation for solving the patient care crisis that everyone recognizes-the chair, the hospitals, and especially the nurses,” Frederickson said.

Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester), committee chair, quickly put up the amendment for a vote and acknowledged, “there’s broad agreement we need to do something in this area.”

Now the Standards of Care Act moves to the Minnesota Senate. Sponsor Sen. Jeff Hayden (DFL-Minneapolis) takes his bill to the Senate Health, Human Services, and Housing Committee hearing on Monday, March 18.

Media Coverage

Pioneer Press Bill Seeks to Study on Nurse-to-Patient Ratios
MPR: Deal on Nurse Staffing?
Star Tribune: Union Reaches Compromise with Twin Cities Hospitals Over Staffing Legislation

03.14.13

by Editor

Substance Use Disorder: Implications for Nurses

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.

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03.13.13

by Editor

President Hamilton responds to the Duluth News Tribune

MNA President Linda Hamilton

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.

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03.12.13

by Editor

Next Standard of Care Act Committee Hearing Scheduled

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.

Links to the committee and the bill are below.

Friday, March 15, 2013 9:00 AM

*** Note: *** Change in meeting room
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Tina Liebling

Meeting Time Note: If the committee needs to meet past noon, the committee will recess and reconvene in Room 5 of the State Office Building.
*** Note: *** Change in meeting time
Health and Human Services Policy

HF588 (Atkins) Hospitals required to provided staffing at levels consistent with nationally accepted standards, and staff level reporting required.

03.08.13

by Editor

MNA Legislative Update, March 8, 2013

Standards of Care Act Update

The Standards of Care Act, MNA’s bill to establish patient assignment limits for nurses passed the Government Operations committee 8-7. The committee passed an amendment to the bill to exempt Critical Access Hospitals (rural hospitals with 25 or fewer beds that meet certain federal criteria) from the legislation. MNA continues to believe that all patients in Minnesota, regardless of their geographic location, are entitled to the same standard of safe nursing care.
In the House, the bill is now headed for the Health and Human Services Policy Committee. We will alert you when a hearing date is scheduled.

CALL TO ACTION: Contact your legislators TODAY. Legislators are telling us that they’re only hearing from hospitals about this bill. We know you’re calling and emailing, but we need to turn up the volume! If legislators only hear the hospitals’ message that staffing is fine, they’ll never pass our bill.

Use the MNA Grassroots Action Center to contact your state senator and state representative TODAY. Tell them how your patients are affected by unsafe nurse staffing, and why we need statewide standards of care to protect patients and nurses.

Nurse Practice Act

After years of discussion, MNA, the Minnesota Board of Nursing and organizations representing LPNs have come to an agreement about changes to the Minnesota Nurse Practice Act clarifying the scope of LPN practice, and the relationship between LPNs and RNs. The Minnesota Nurse Practice Act language has not been updated in over forty years, so this agreement reflects decades of advances in nursing care.

A bill based on that agreement had a hearing before the House Health and Human Services Policy Committee this morning. Thanks to chief author Representative Patti Fritz, a retired LPN, for moving this bill through the House. The bill passed the committee unanimously and will move on to a vote on the House floor. The Senate companion, SF1016 authored by Senator Chris Eaton, RN, is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Health, Human Services and Housing Committee.

Over 800 individuals participated in providing feedback on the language, including many MNA members who attended listening sessions last summer or who submitted written comments. Thanks to all of you who spoke up on behalf of your profession.

Health Insurance Exchange

After multiple hours of floor debates and over 100 amendments, the House and Senate both passed the Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange bill, creating an online marketplace for individuals and small businesses to comparison shop for affordable health care coverage. There are many differences between the two versions of the bill that will be worked out in a conference committee in the coming days.

Town Hall Meetings

Many legislators are holding town hall meetings for constituents to come learn about the legislative session and share their opinions. This is a great opportunity for you to meet your legislators and build relationships with them. It’s also a good venue to educate your legislator and your neighbors about the need for the Standards of Care Act to establish statewide patient safety standards. Check below to see if your legislator is holding a town hall meeting. (If you know of other meetings that aren’t listed here, please contact Geri Katz at 651-414-2855 or geri.katz@mnnurses.org.)

Saturday, March 9

Representative Shannon Savick Coffee and Conversation

Saturday, March 9, 9:00 am

Prairie Wind Coffee, 211 South Broadway, ALBERT LEA

Senator Kevin Dahle and Representative Kelby Woodard

Saturday, March 9, 10 am

Belle Plain Library, 125 West Main Street, BELLE PLAINE MN 56011

Senator Kevin Dahle and Representative Kelby Woodard

Saturday, March 9, 11:30 am

Le Sueur Library, 118 Ferry Street, LE SUEUR MN 56058

Senator Kevin Dahle and Representative Kelby Woodard

Saturday, March 9, 1 pm

Le Center City Hall, 10 West Tyrone Street, LE CENTER MN 56057

Senator Kevin Dahle and Representative David Bly

Saturday, March 9, 2:30 pm

Northfield Library, 210 Washington Street, NORTHFIELD MN 55057

Saturday, March 23

Representative Barb Yarusso Coffee and Conversation

Saturday, March 23, 9:00am – 11:00am

Raz’s Coffee and Ice Cream Café, 1048 Highway 96 W, SHOREVIEW, MN 55126

Monday, March 25