Legislative Network for Nurses articles from March 2005

Legislative Network for Nurses archives from March 2005

Nurses hail stroke bill introduced in house.(STOP Stroke Act of 2005)
March 7, 2005... Nurses and other health care professionals would become better educated on new approaches for preventing and treating stroke, if a recently introduced bill in the House becomes law. Reps. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) and Chip Pickering (R-Miss.)...

New bill would make permanent federal women's health offices.(Women's Health Office Act of 2005 )(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... The federal government would give more attention to health issues specific to women, if a bill introduced recently in the House becomes law. Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio) Feb. 18 introduced the Women's Health...

Schwarzenegger backs off plan to 'terminate' nursing board.(Board of Registered Nursing in California)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... The Board of Registered Nursing in California is no longer in jeopardy of being abolished. The American Nurses Association said it is pleased with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) recent decision to pull back his proposal to...

More nurse groups are supporting senate malpractice tort reform bill.(Nurse Midwifery)(Help Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2005)
March 7, 2005... More nurses are getting behind a medical malpractice reform bill recently introduced by Sens. John Ensign (D-Nev.) and Judd Gregg (R-N. H.). The Help Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2005 is designed to...

Midwives urge payment equity under Medicare.(Nurse Midwifery)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Nurse-midwives would receive more equitable Medicare reimbursement rates, if a recent bill becomes law, the American College of Nurse-Midwives recently told LNN. The Improving Access to Nurse-Midwifery Care Act was introduced by Reps. Ed...

More RNs providing better EOL care thanks to AACN education program.(Nurse Midwifery)(End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium)
March 7, 2005... More nurses are providing better end-of-life (EOL) care thanks to the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC), a spokesperson for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing recently told LNN. ELNEC, a national initiative to...

Health-related privacy.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Duke University Nursing Informatics graduate students are conducting an online survey to learn more about nurse and patient perceptions of health-related privacy. There are two surveys --the nurse/health care provider survey and the health care...

Deep Vein Thrombosis.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... The ANA has joined with the more than 35 members of the Coalition to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) in an effort to raise awareness of this medical condition among consumers, health care professionals, policy makers and public health...

Disparities in health care.(2004 National Healthcare Quality Report)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released its second annual reports on the quality of and disparities in health care in America. The reports measure quality and disparities in four key areas: effectiveness, patient...

Health care spending.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Within the next decade, public spending will account for nearly half of the country's health care spending, according to a new study posted on the Health Affairs Web site. Written by economists and actuaries from the Centers for Medicare and...

Patient satisfaction survey.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... The National Quality Forum (NQF) is seeking comments on a proposed patient satisfaction survey that would be used by CMS for public reporting and comparisons among hospitals. The Hospital CAHPS was developed by CMS and the Agency for Healthcare...

Employment at the nation's hospitals.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Employment at the nation's hospitals rose 0.15 percent in February to a seasonally adjusted 4,334,800 people, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported March 4. That is 6,400 more than in January and 74,400 more than a year ago. Those numbers...

Health care-associated infections.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... A federal advisory panel on Feb. 28 issued guidance for policymakers and others creating public reporting systems for health care-associated infections, noting insufficient evidence exists to recommend mandatory reporting. The guidance from the...

"Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day".(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... The Department of Health and Human Services is open to considering a name change to the annual "Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day" campaign held on the third Tuesday of each September. In a Jan. 28 letter from Garth Graham, acting deputy...

Public Service Award.(Americans for Nursing Shortage Relief Public Service Award)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Sens. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) March 1 received the first-ever Americans for Nursing Shortage Relief (ANSR) Public Service Award for their successful efforts to increase funding for nursing programs. The awards were...

Public health workers.(Legislation Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) March 3 re-introduced The Public Health Preparedness Workforce Development Act. This legislation aims to increase the pipeline of qualified public health workers at the federal, state, local...

Allied health professionals.(Legislation Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... The AHA March 1 expressed its support for the Allied Health Reinvestment Act (S. 473), which aims to address the growing national shortage of allied health professionals, such as occupational and physical therapists, clinical laboratory...

Medicaid.(Legislation Briefs)(Medicaid Act of 2005)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) has introduced the Bipartisan Commission on Medicaid Act of 2005 (H.R. 985), a companion measure to S. 338, AHA-backed legislation that would create a bipartisan commission to study how best to reform Medicaid. The...

Georgia.(State News; Jimmy Carter address)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Georgia: Former President Jimmy Carter recently praised nurses as "the epitome of the highest level of moral values" for their dedication to others. On Feb. 24, Carter spoke to about 100 Emory University nursing students, detailing the impact...

Rhode Island.(State News)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Rhode Island: The Rhode Island General Assembly is considering a bill that would prohibit nurses from being required to work beyond their regular shift, except in the case of an emergency. The bill, which would not prohibit nurses from...

South Carolina.(State News)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... South Carolina: Hospitals in South Carolina are focusing on creative approaches to enhance the work culture and environment in an effort to improve nurse recruitment and retention in the state, according to an article published last week in The...

Texas.(State News; Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital award)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Texas: Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital has received the Magnet Recognition Program Award for excellence in nursing services from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The hospital is the 142nd in the U.S. to earn this honor. "To cope...

West Virginia.(State News)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... West Virginia: Health care providers in southeastern West Virginia appear to have averted a future shortage of nurses by collaborating with educators and the region's workforce investment board (WIB) to increase the educational pipeline for...

Medicare preventive services.(Resources)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... CMS has posted a new resource to help health care professionals understand the new Medicare preventive services, from coverage and billing requirements to information on filing claims and educating patients about benefits for which they may be...

Malnutrition.(Resources)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... While most health care providers have heard of the Mini Mental State Exam, many may not be aware of the Mini Nutritional Assessment, a three minute test that can assess a patient's nutritional status and risk for malnutrition. It is estimated...

The American Academy of Nursing.(Funding Opportunities)
March 7, 2005... The American Academy of Nursing is now accepting nominations for new fellows for induction in 2005. Nominations can be submitted online or via e-mail. Nominations are due March 21. Contact: www.aannet.org.

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.(Funding Opportunities)
March 7, 2005... The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the National Quality Forum are soliciting nominations for the 2005 John M. Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety and Quality. The Eisenberg Award recognizes major achievements...

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing.(Funding Opportunities)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... The American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing are accepting nominations for the Baccalaureate Education in Geriatric Nursing awards program. The program recognizes model...

The American Hospital Association.(Funding Opportunities)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... The American Hospital Association, Baxter International Foundation and Cardinal Health Foundation seek nominations for the Foster G. McGaw Prize, which is designed to honor health delivery organizations (hospitals, health systems, integrated...

Judge upholds 'safe staffing' law in California, nurses victorious.(Nurse Staffing)
March 21, 2005... Two California health care groups are polarized on whether a Sacramento Superior Court judge's decision to uphold the state's "safe staffing law" is good for patients. Patients in California hospitals will now have better care, thanks to the...

Nurses hail introduction of 'safe staffing' bill in House.
March 21, 2005... There would be adequate registered nurse staffing in health care facilities if a recently introduced bill in the House becomes law, according to the American Nurses Association. The Quality Nursing Care Act of 2005 (H.R. 1372) was...

Nurses Week 2005 focuses on geriatrics, producing faculty.(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... Nurse groups are in agreement with the focus of this year's National Nurses Week. The theme for the week will be "Nurses: Many Roles, One Profession." Nurses' Week 2005 intends to stress the importance of advanced nursing education and its...

Data confirms shortage of RN faculty hinders efforts to end nurse shortage.(registered nurses)
March 21, 2005... Nursing school enrollment is up, yet too many qualified applicants are being turned away, thus exacerbating the nursing shortage, a spokesperson for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing recently told LNN. According to new survey...

Bill would help women, providers find gynecologic cancers earlier.(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... Nurses, other providers and women themselves could help detect gynecologic cancers earlier, thus saving women's lives, if a bill recently reintroduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) becomes law. "Johanna's Law: The Gynecologic Cancer...

Flu vaccination.(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... Making flu vaccination convenient and available for free can markedly increase the proportion of health care workers who receive the vaccine, based on studies in California and Minnesota reported by the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly...

Shortage of registered nurses.(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has published its first series of commissioned issue papers providing an analysis addressing the global shortage of registered nurses. The first papers to be released are International Migration of...

Medication errors.(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... A new study published in the March 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems can actually increase the risk of medication errors. While published studies have...

Emergency department overcrowding.(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... Emergency medicine researchers at Oregon Health and Science University have found that increasing the number of Intensive Care Unit beds alleviates some aspects of emergency department overcrowding, as published by the Annals of Emergency...

Uninsured Americans.(health insurance)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... The proportion of uninsured Americans can and should be reduced to 8 percent in 10 years, less than half the current rate, according to the second Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders survey. Most of the experts say that...

Digitally advanced hospitals.(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... Technologically advanced hospitals have greater potential to improve processes and outcomes in patient care, reduce medical errors, increase productivity and compete for market share against other hospitals, according to a paper by...

Pharmaceutical research.(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... In an effort to create more transparency in pharmaceutical research, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Finance Committee, has introduced legislation that would force the FDA to make public its internal drug safety reviews. The...

Maryland.(State News)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... Maryland: The Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation, the Aaron and Lillie Straus Foundation and the Clayton Baker Trust recently pledged a total of $400,000 to support the "Maryland Initiative: Hospitals for a Healthy Environment," a grant to...

New Jersey.(State News; nurse anesthetists)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... New Jersey: The Supreme Court of New Jersey has granted a petition by the New Jersey Association of Nurse Anesthetists to stay an appellate decision limiting the authority of certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). The court has agreed...

Ohio.(State News)(donations to Kent State's College of Nursing )(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... Ohio: The National Institute of Aging, an arm of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded researchers in Kent State's College of Nursing a $778,000 grant to study the effects of osteoporosis prevention techniques on men. Osteoporosis,...

Pennsylvania.(State News)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State Nurses Association has announced that it will participate in a national promotion to build awareness for the nursing profession through the use of the popular awareness bracelets during National Nurses Week,...

Utah.(State News; nursing education)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... Utah: The Utah Legislature has approved $2 million in new funds for nursing education to match $1 million that have been pledged by the state's hospitals, according to the Utah Hospitals and Health Systems Association. The combined $3 million,...

Environmental contaminants.(Resources)
March 21, 2005... The Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) has developed a free primer, "Our Health and the Health of the Environment: How Are They Connected? What Can We Do to Improve Both?" Through the examples of asthma, learning disabilities and...

Developmental disorders.(Resources)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will launch a "Learn the Signs. Act Early" campaign to help parents identify the important developmental milestones for young children. The campaign is designed to help parents recognize how...

Autism Speaks, a new organization to raise funds to facilitate research on autism.(Resources)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... Autism Speaks, a new organization to raise funds to facilitate research on autism, plans to create a network of academic centers to collaborate in the development of large-scale clinical trials for autistic children. Contact: (888) AUTISM5,...

Heart failure.(Resources)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... The American Heart Association has developed a quality improvement program to help hospitals consistently implement guidelines to improve the care of heart failure patients. Get with the Guidelines-Heart Failure (GWTG-HF) is based on guidelines...

Nurse-physician communication.(Resources)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... The Gerontological Society of America and partners have developed a 60-minute Web cast, which highlights research on the relationship between nurse-physician communication and safety and quality of care; components of effective communication;...

The Institute of Medicine.(Funding Opportunities)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is accepting nominations for the twentieth annual Gustav O. Leinhard Award. The award, a medal and $25,000, recognizes individuals for outstanding achievement in improving health care services in the United...

The Missouri Hospital Association.(Funding Opportunities)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... The Missouri Hospital Association (MHA) is offering 83 two-year scholarships totaling $500,000 in 2005 for students pursuing careers in nursing and the allied health care professions. The scholarship program is administered by the MHA Center...

In memoriam.(of Edith Lewis and Nell Watts)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2005... IN MEMORIAM. The nursing community recently lost two prominent members with the deaths of Edith "Pat" Lewis, who died Feb. 25, and Nell Watts, who died Feb. 28. Lewis, trained as a psychiatric nurse, was a former editor of the American Journal...