A White House petition was generated February 21, 2013 to “remove barriers that prevent advanced practice registered nurses from practicing to their full scope.” In order for this petition to move forward, there still needs to be more than 95,000 signatures. Please circulate the petition to your colleagues and friends of nursing. The deadline for the current petition is April 22, 2013. Sign the petition today.
Monthly Archives: March 2013
ANA and the National Association of Neonatal Nurses Co-Publish Neonatal Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 2nd Edition
ANA and the National Association of Neonatal Nurses Co-Publish Neonatal Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 2nd Edition
Reminder: ANA Urges Nurses to Vote in “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare”
Navigate Nursing Webinar – Reducing Staff Turnover and Increasing Job Satisfaction
Navigate Nursing Webinar – Reduce Staff Turnover & Increase Job Satisfaction
MNA NewsScan, March 27, 2013: AG Swanson sets public hearings on Fairview-Sanford merger
NOTES ON NURSING
RN Grad Student: “The $4450 Urgent Care Visit “This was one patient on one day in one healthcare facility incurring every form of systemic waste Fineberg puts forth in his article and is also illustrated by Stephen Brill’s lengthy account of overcharging, particularly those who are uninsured or underinsured.”
HEALTH CARE
Fairview-Sanford Merger Talks Bring Scrutiny Fairview Health Services, the Twin Cities’ second-largest hospital and clinic group, is weighing a merger with South Dakota-based Sanford Health in negotiations that have triggered concerns on the part of Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson. Editor’s Note: Nurses, consider adding your thoughts about this merger in the article’s Comment Section. Related: Attorney General Swanson to hold April 7 public hearing regarding Fairview/Sanford Health. Full Story. Click Here for letter announcing hearing.
State Lax in Overseeing MinnesotaCare Eligibility Minnesota has failed to properly vet people enrolling in a $550 million taxpayer-subsidized health insurance program despite a decade of warnings that it was breaking state and federal law, according to the Legislative Auditor.
Mental Health System Feeling the Hard Punch of Sequestration According to the White House, if sequestration is fully implemented 373,000 mentally-ill adults and children across our nation will have to go untreated. Mental Health America reports that over the past three years, states across the country have had to cut approximately $4 billion in mental-health budgets — yet there are more cuts on the way with sequestration.
21 Graphs That Show America’s Health Care Prices are Ludicrous This is the fundamental fact of American health care: We pay much, much more than other countries do for the exact same things. For a detailed explanation of why, see this article. But this post isn’t about the why. It’s about the prices, and the graphs.
LABOR UPDATES
MI Republicans May Slash University Funds in Revenge for Union Contracts
But majority Republicans on the state House’s higher education subcommittee were furious at what they perceived as an attempt to get around the new right-to-work law. So they voted to slash both schools’ state aid by 15 percent.
Six Charts That Illustrate Just How Much Higher Health Care Costs Are For Americans
By: Jeffrey Young Become a fan
Originally Posted: 03/26/2013 3:30 pm EDT
Having a baby is just one medical cost that’s higher in the United States than in other countries, according to a new report.
Decades of data have shown time and again that the U.S. has the costliest health care system in the world by a variety of measures.
Still, a report released by the International Federation of Health Plans (i.e., health insurance companies) today provides a striking reminder of just how much more expensive health care is for Americans.
The report compared prices in the U.S. with prices in 11 other nations. It found that average prices in the United States are higher for most medical services cited in the report, but at the top end of the range, U.S. health care prices can be staggering compared to what citizens of other nations pay.
Planning to have a baby? At an average price for a normal delivery of $9,775, you’ll pay more than a woman in the 10 other countries in the report — and possibly as much as $16,653, or double what it would cost an Australian woman and more than 14 times the price for a woman in Argentina. The average price of a Cesarean section in the U.S., $15,041, is also higher than any other country — and it could cost as much as $26,305.
Need life-saving coronary artery bypass surgery? Again, the U.S. average price is the highest at $73,420, and may reach $150,515. The average American price is more than $30,000 higher than the second-place price (in Australia), and more than eight times higher than in Argentina.
The price per-day of being the hospital also finds the U.S. leading the pack. The average daily cost of a U.S. hospital stay is $4,287 — almost 10 times Argentina — and it can be more than twice that amount.
How about a basic doctor’s appointment? In the U.S., the average price is $95, and it ranges to $176 or more. In second-place Chile, it comes to $38.
There are more examples in the International Federation of Health Plans report, including prescription drugs, diagnostic testing and joint replacement surgeries. The results are pretty consistent across the board.
So what’s the total effect of these high prices on the U.S.? This chart showing the share of nine countries’ gross domestic product that goes to health care offers a summation of the entire report.
READ THE FULL REPORT:
International Federation of Health Plans 2012 Comparative Price Report by Jeffrey Young
Maternity Practice in Infant Care
This report provides data from the 2011 mPINC survey for Pennsylvania. It describes specific opportunities to improve mother-baby care at hospitals and birth centers in Pennsylvania in order to more successfully meet national quality of care standards for perinatal care.
Announcing the 2013 Nurses Week Banquets!
Alaska Nurses Association is excited to announce that we are putting on TWO Nurses Week Banquets this year!
All are welcome to attend the District 1 Banquet in Anchorage or the Kenai Peninsula Banquet in Kenai.
“Delivering Quality and Innovation in Patient Care”
The District 1 Banquet will be held Monday, May 6th at 5:30 pm at the Kincaid Park Outdoor Center
The Kenai Peninsula Banquet will be held Tuesday, May 7th at 6:00 pm at the Kenai Senior Center
Both events will feature legendary nurse-humorist, Patty Wooten