Legislative Network for Nurses articles from May 2004

Legislative Network for Nurses archives from May 2004

Kerry actions for nurses.(Slants & Trends)(Kerry, John)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... KERRY ACTIONS FOR NURSES. One of the first things that Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), if elected president, would do to address the nation's severe nursing shortage would be to stop the practice of mandatory overtime for nurses, considered a major...

Bush administration agrees to add more nurses to overtime regulations.
May 3, 2004... More nurses may be eligible for overtime pay under President Bush's final overtime pay rules than previously proposed by the administration, the American Nurses Association (ANA) told LNN. In response to vocal criticism from a wide array of...

Ergonomics guidelines continue to generate support, strong opposition.
May 3, 2004... A recent General Accounting Office (GAO) report indicating that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) voluntary compliance programs have been effective in reducing the number of workplace injuries and illnesses has...

'Angels of death' prompt hospitals to step up security; nurses targeted.
May 3, 2004... The disturbing headlines of recent months have stirred debate in the medical community over the question of whether hospitals are doing enough to thwart security breaches by their own staff, particularly nurses. Last month, Efren Saldivar,...

Sen. Edwards introduces bill making telemedicine services more accessible.(John Edwards)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Underserved patients may have greater access to nurses and other health care providers through the use of telemedicine services. Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) April 24 introduced legislation that would expand telemedicine services to underserved...

Department of labor grants put more workers in health care field.(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... More nurses and other health care professionals will enter the U.S. labor market, thanks to new grants from the Department of Labor. The recipients of $13.5 million in High Growth Job Training grants will help prepare workers for skilled...

HRSA grants aim to improve health care in rural areas.(Health Resources and Services Administration)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Nurses and other providers will be able to improve the delivery of health care services to rural residents, thanks to new grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The new grants totaling $3.1 million are designed...

Health professions advisors.(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... * The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has been asked to join the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP) as the representative from the nursing profession. NAAHP is an organization of more than 900...

Fistulas.(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... * The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is leading a national initiative to increase the use of fistulas in providing hemodialysis for Medicare beneficiaries with kidney failure, which is also known as end stage renal disease...

Sexual assault nurse examiners.(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... * There are increasing opportunities for nurses to become sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs). However, in rural areas far from established SANE programs, nurses considering becoming SANEs have few opportunities to talk with or observe...

Smallpox vaccine.(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... * The developer of an investigational smallpox vaccine has stopped recruiting volunteers for Phase III clinical trials comparing the new vaccine with the currently licensed vaccine after three people who were vaccinated developed suspected...

Information Technology.
May 3, 2004... * A panel that advises Congress and the president on information technology research and development on April 13 issued draft recommendations for the use of information technology in the delivery of health care services. The health care...

Electronic prescribing.
May 3, 2004... * A report released April 14 by the eHealth Initiative provides data on the use and benefits of electronic prescribing. It reviews e-prescribing techniques and best practices, and includes electronic prescribing guides and an outline for a...

National Patient Safety Goals.(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... * The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has released its proposed 2005 National Patient Safety Goals and Requirements for public review. Among the changes for hospitals, JCAHO is proposing new goals for...

Health disparities.(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... * The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks to eliminate health disparities among minorities, not just reduce them, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson told an audience at the National Minority Health Month Leadership Summit in...

Web site.(Resources)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... * The Program for the Study of Health Care Relationships (HCR), a partnership between Yale University and the University of Connecticut Schools of Nursing, has launched a Web site to make new resources available to patients, health care...

Online survey.(Resources)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... * The Bernard Hodes Group and CampusRN have completed an online survey of 1,380 undergraduate nursing students to gain insight into the characteristics of the future health care workforce currently enrolled in college nursing programs. Results...

Connecticut.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... * Connecticut: Adult acute care hospitals in Connecticut achieved the national Quality Initiative's recommended goals for heart attack care 92 percent of the time, heart failure 84 percent of the time and pneumonia 73 percent of the time in...

Maryland.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... * Maryland: During its annual spring meeting held in Washington, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) honored Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) for her leadership and dedicated service on behalf of nursing education. Janet Allan,...

Pennsylvania.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... * Pennsylvania: Gov. Edward Rendell recently announced the creation of the Pennsylvania Center for Health Careers to address the state's critical shortage in nursing and other key health care careers. The center will serve as a catalyst for...

Texas.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... * Texas: Heather Becker, professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing, was awarded a $150,000 grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research to study hormone therapy decisions in women with disabilities, including...

Medical privacy rule.(Legislation)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... * On the one-year anniversary of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's medical privacy rule, the American Hospital Association (AHA) recommended changes needed to eliminate problems with the rule that interfere with...

The Health Resources and Services Administration.(Funding opportunities)
May 3, 2004... * The Health Resources and Services Administration on April 20 opened new competitive grant programs to be awarded in fiscal year 2004. They include $4.8 million for the Nurse Faculty Loan Program, which provides loans to nursing students...

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing.(Funding opportunities)
May 3, 2004... * The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the John A. Hartford Foundation of New York invite applications for the Creating Careers in Geriatric Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) program. The goals of this project are to award...

The National Institute of Nursing Research.(Funding opportunities)
May 3, 2004... * The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), along with other components of the National Institutes of Health, invite grant applications for the support of research designed to elucidate the diagnosis, epidemiology, etiology, genetics,...

The Fogarty International Center.(Funding opportunities)
May 3, 2004... * The Fogarty International Center (FIC), in partnership with the National Institute of Nursing Research and other components of the National Institutes of Health, invites applications to establish research training programs that contribute to...

The National Institute of Nursing Research.(Funding opportunities)
May 3, 2004... * The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), along with other components of the National Institutes of Health, invite research applications investigating the factors involved in long-term weight stability and/or weight regain after...

OSHA/meeting.(Federal Register)
May 3, 2004... * OSHA/Meeting. Notice. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announces that the National Advisory Committee on Ergonomics will meet May 11-12 in Washington. Contact: OSHA, (202) 693-1999. April 28 Federal Register, p. 23227....

AHRQ/priority research.(Federal Register)(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
May 3, 2004... * AHRQ/Priority Research. Notice. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) invites suggestions from interested organizations regarding the highest priorities for research, demonstration, and evaluation projects to support and...

CMS/Medicare claims.(Federal Register)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services )
May 3, 2004... * CMS/Medicare Claims. Final Rule. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) removes the written statement of intent procedures used to extend the time for filing Medicare claims. Contact: David Walczak. April 23 FR 21963.

CMS/meeting.(Federal Register)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services )
May 3, 2004... * CMS/Meeting. Notice. CMS announces that the Advisory Panel on Medicare Education will meet May 11 in Washington. Contact: Lynne Johnson, (410) 786-0090, or see the Web at: www.cms.hhs.gov. April 23 FR 22080.

CMS/meeting Notice. CMS announces dates and locations for five listening sessions to be held in various sites throughout the country to focus discussion on the next steps in the development.(Federal Register)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services )
May 3, 2004... * CMS/Meeting. Notice. CMS announces dates and locations for five listening sessions to be held in various sites throughout the country to focus discussion on the next steps in the development of an expanded set of performance measures for...

NINR/meeting.(Federal Register)(National Institute of Nursing Research)
May 3, 2004... * NINR/Meeting. Notice. The National Institutes of Nursing Research (NINR) announces that its National Advisory Council for Nursing Research will meet May 19-20 in Bethesda, Md. See: www.nih.gov/ninr/a_advisory.html. April 20 FR 21148.

Florence nightingale on late night TV.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE ON LATE NIGHT TV. David Letterman's assistant, Stephanie Birkitt, helped draw attention to the often unrecognized efforts of nurses during a May 12 appearance on CBS' "The Late Show with David Letterman." He dressed as...

President's overtime rules hit snag; more nurses may be eligible for pay.(Slants & Trends)
May 17, 2004... Nurses who could lose their overtime pay under the administration's new overtime regulations may have a second chance to change that status. The Senate May 4 voted to block the controversial new overtime regulations that would cause millions of...

House passes AHP bill; ANA is not supportive.(Association Health Plans)(American Nurses Association )
May 17, 2004... The House May 13 passed legislation allowing the creation of Association Health Plans (AHPs). The Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2004 (H.R. 4281), which includes the AHPs, passed by a vote of 252-162-1. AHPs would allow small...

Bill mandating nurse staff ratios introduced on national nurses day.
May 17, 2004... Hospitals would be required to implement minimum federal nurse-to-patient ratios, if a new bill introduced May 6 by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) becomes law. Suzanne Martin, associate director of communications at United American Nurses...

House passes medical malpractice bill; nurse groups are divided on approach.
May 17, 2004... The House May 12 passed medical malpractice legislation that includes caps on non-economic damages. The Help Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Heathcare (HEALTH) Act of 2003 (H.R. 4280) passed 229 to 197. Sheila Abood with the...

Legislation introduced on nurses day focuses on women's health care.(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... The government would be more committed to women's health issues if a bill introduced May 12 becomes law. Reps. Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio) and Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) introduced bipartisan legislation on International Nurses Day designed to further...

Blood pressure.(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... * The American Nurses Association (ANA) April 27 joined Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., the American Society of Hypertension, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in launching a national...

Environmental Leadership.(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... * The Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) program May 3 announced its annual Environmental Leadership Award winners to recognize outstanding achievement in environmental innovation in health care. From maintaining a 46 percent recycling...

Hand-rub dispensers.(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... * The standards council of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), which sets fire safety standards used in 38 states, on April 28 announced amendments to the NFPA Life Safety Code effective May 5 that permits hospitals and other...

Quality measures.(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... * The National Quality Forum (NQF) has announced the availability of its report, "National Voluntary Consensus Standards for Nursing Home Care." The report details quality measures endorsed by the NQF's 200-plus member organizations through its...

Chronic disease.(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... * Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson has announced a "Blueprint for Action" to reduce and prevent chronic diseases, outlining steps that individuals, groups, communities and other organizations can take to...

Uninsured Americans.(Legislation)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... * Republican and Democratic lawmakers in a May 5 "Congressional Crossfire" debate at the American Hospital Association (AHA) annual meeting in Washington sparred over the best way to reduce the number of uninsured Americans, agreeing only that...

Funding to health care.(Legislation)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... * A coalition of 298 health care organizations has implored House and Senate appropriators in a May 3 letter to allocate the highest possible funding to health care in fiscal year 2005. In the letter to leaders of the House and Senate...

Web site.(resources for nurses)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... * Nursing Knowledge International, a new subsidiary of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International has launched a Web site designed to give nurses a resource to develop careers, increase leadership skills, earn continuing...

A group of medical, nursing and physician assistant students at schools across the country have launched a student-run, student-created Web site as part of an advocacy effort to improve substance abuse training on their campuses.(Resources)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... * A group of medical, nursing and physician assistant students at schools across the country have launched a student-run, student-created Web site as part of an advocacy effort to improve substance abuse training on their campuses. The newly...

Florida.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... * Florida: The Workforce Plus program in several Florida counties announces completion of a second year of the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). The program trains seniors over the age of 55 to be certified nursing assistants...

Maryland.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... * Maryland: The American Association of Colleges of Nursing's (AACN's) Government Affairs Committee (GAC) recently named Janet Allan, dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing, as Maryland's liaison to its new state Grassroots...

Michigan.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... * Michigan: All 15 U.S. House members from Michigan on April 27 urged Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Tom Ridge to delay a new DHS rule scheduled to take effect July 26 that will require nurses and other health professionals...

New York.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... * New York: Hospitals in New York City and surrounding areas continued to experience high vacancy rates for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and nurse aides in 2003, according to the latest annual survey by the Greater New York...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.(Funding Opportunities)
May 17, 2004... * The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the availability of FY 2004 public health research funds for institutional training grants to eligible institutions to develop or enhance training programs to provide research...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the availability of FY 2004 public health research funds to support innovative public health research that addresses priority health protection issues.(Funding Opportunities)
May 17, 2004... * The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the availability of FY 2004 public health research funds to support innovative public health research that addresses priority health protection issues. Health protection should be...

The Health Resources and Services Administration.(Funding Opportunities)
May 17, 2004... * The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) seeks applications for a Rural Health Best Practices and Community Development Cooperative Agreement. The program will develop and continue a number of projects that help identify and...

CMS/"75 percent rule.".(Federal Register)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services )(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... * CMS/"75 Percent Rule." Final Rule. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) revises the classification criterion, known as the "75 percent rule," used to classify a hospital as an inpatient rehabilitation facility. Contact: Robert...

CMS/long-term care hospital PPS.(Federal Register)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(prospective payment system )(Brief Article)
May 17, 2004... * CMS/Long-term Care Hospital PPS. Final Rule. CMS updates the annual payment rates for the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient hospital services provided by long-term care hospitals. Contact: Tzvi Hefter, (410) 786-4487....

OIG/HIPDB.(Federal Register)(Office of Inspector General)(Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank)
May 17, 2004... * OIG/HIPDB. Notice. The Office of Inspector General (OIG), Department of Health and Human Services, announces a two-dollar decrease (to $8) in the fee to practitioners, providers, and suppliers who request information about themselves...

AHRQ/nursing home care.(Federal Register)
May 17, 2004... * AHRQ/Nursing Home Care. Notice. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) solicits a voluntary submission by researchers, survey firms, stakeholders and other interested parties of survey instruments, or items from survey...

Uninsured Week produces events, plans from both sides of the aisle.
May 31, 2004... Americans without health insurance may eventually gain better access to affordable health care, thanks to an array of activities and legislative proposals announced during Cover the Uninsured Week (May 10-16). The American Nurses...

House bill requires disclosure of information on nurse staffing.(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... Patients would have greater assurances of receiving safe, quality nursing care, and nurses would have whistleblower and staffing-related workload protections under a bill introduced May 17 in the House, the American Nurses Association (ANA)...

Nursing assistants are vulnerable to injuries causing time off work.(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... Being a nursing assistant is a very dangerous job, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says. Nursing aides and orderlies are second only to truck drivers in the percentage that suffer nonfatal injuries and illnesses, BLS says. Nursing...

BPI Special report: cancer center nurses maintain quality care.
May 31, 2004... Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia is a model for cancer care and managing its patients' pain. A recent Press Ganey survey at Fox Chase reported that patients rated their overall care in the 99th percentile. Additionally, in 2000 the...

Principi announces plan to modernize VA health system.(Anthony Principi)(Department of Veterans Affairs)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plans to expand its health services over the next several years, as part of a major modernization effort. Since the VA is the country's largest employer of nurses, the expansion is likely to increase the...

Studies find fewer RNs in hospitals translate into poorer patient outcomes.(Registered Nurse )
May 31, 2004... Hospitals with lower nurse staffing levels, with nurses who spent less time with patients, or with fewer registered nurses compared with licensed practical nurses or nurses' aides tend to have higher rates of poor patient outcomes. These...

Studies find fewer RNs in hospitals translate into poorer patient outcomes. <TISpecialized nursing care.(Registered Nurses)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * A new study funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research shows that when elderly heart-failure patients receive specialized nursing care throughout their hospital stay and at home following hospital discharge, the patients have a...

Bioterror.(Department of Health and Human Services preventive measures)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * HHS will award $498 million to states, territories and four major metropolitan areas (New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles County and Washington, D.C.) to strengthen the ability of hospitals and other health care facilities to respond to...

Alabama.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * Alabama: University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) nursing students are making house calls as part of an ongoing program to ensure elderly adults are able to access the needed resources to live at home. The Healthy Elders Liaison Project (HELP)...

California.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * California: A California superior court judge on May 26 sided with the state in a California Healthcare Association challenge to the state's new nurse staffing ratios. CHA filed suit against the state Department of Health Services last...

Connecticut.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * Connecticut: Republican Gov. John Row-land May 18 signed legislation that would limit mandatory overtime for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and nurses' aides. The bill would take effect in October 2005. The legislation would...

Massachusetts.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * Massachusetts: The Massachusetts Senate has passed an amendment to its version of the state budget that would phase in minimum RN-to-patient ratios at the state's acute-care hospitals over three years. The legislation would establish minimum...

Michigan.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * Michigan: Sen. Bruce Patterson (R-Canton; 7th Senate District) May 6 introduced Senate Bill 1190 to ensure that patients in Michigan hospitals receive safe patient care. S.B. 1190 aims to improve the quality of patient care in Michigan by...

North Dakota.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * North Dakota: Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) thanked graduates of MedCenter One's College of Nursing for their commitment to helping others and advancing public health and called for a strong national effort to help ease the nursing shortage in...

Pennsylvania.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * Pennsylvania: About eight in 10 registered nurses working in health care in Pennsylvania are satisfied with their jobs and careers, according to a survey released by the Pennsylvania Health Department. Carolyn Scanlan, president and CEO of...

South Carolina.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * South Carolina: A coalition of Columbia hospitals will donate $1 million over three years to boost nursing education at the University of South Carolina (USC). Palmetto Health Baptist Hospital, Palmetto Health Richland Hospital, Providence...

Undocumented immigrants.(Legislation)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * The House of Representatives May 18 voted 331-88 to overwhelmingly reject H.R. 3722, a bill sponsored by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), that would have required hospitals to identify and report undocumented immigrants to federal agencies...

Medicaid.(Legislation)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * House and Senate budget conferees recently agreed on a budget blueprint for Fiscal Year 2005 that excludes the House version's instruction that the Energy and Commerce Committee find $2.2 billion in savings from FY 2005-2009, which likely...

Web site.(Resources)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * The Merck Institute of Aging and Health has a new feature on its Web site. "Nurse's Notes for Healthy Aging" is a bi-weekly article written by DeAnne Zwicker, a senior adviser for the John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric...

Guidelines.(Resources)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * The National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care, a consortium of five palliative care organizations, has released a set of clinical practice guidelines to promote quality palliative care in the United States. The "Clinical Practice...

Online journal.(Resources)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * A new online journal was launched at the Annual Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association Conference in Charlotte, N.C. The journal addresses issues across the life span of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in...

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing.(Funding Opportunities)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has available Excellence in Academics Nursing Scholarships. The collaborative program provides scholarships to nursing students in their junior year of an accredited Bachelor of Science...

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration.(Funding Opportunities)
May 31, 2004... * The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is accepting proposals for approximately $1.3 million available for the Targeted Topic Training Grants category of Susan Harwood grants. Nonprofit organizations, including...

The National Institute of Nursing Research.(Funding Opportunities)(Brief Article)
May 31, 2004... * The National Institute of Nursing Research, along with other institutes at the National Institutes of Health, is soliciting grant applications for research on developing and testing interventions to reduce or overcome barriers to the delivery...