Legislative Network for Nurses articles from May 2005

Legislative Network for Nurses archives from May 2005

Nurses advocate for more education, research funding but not optimistic.
May 2, 2005... Nursing education and research programs may not receive the funding increases the nursing community is advocating for in fiscal year 2006, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing recently said. While AACN said its staff remains in...

Senate passes amendment allowing more foreign nurses to work in U.S.
May 2, 2005... The nursing shortage in the United States would receive some relief from foreign nurses, thanks to a recent decision in the Senate, the American Hospital Association said. The Senate's solution, however, is not the best way to go about...

State news.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... STATE NEWS. Scripps Memorial Hospital, La Jolla, Calif.; University Hospital, Augusta, Ga.; and St. Joseph Hospital, Nashua, N.H., have been awarded the Magnet designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Scripps La Jolla is the...

Senate takes up AHPs; nurses say bill may preempt state protections.(Association Health Plan)
May 2, 2005... Important protections provided by state laws and regulations may be jeopardized if Association Health Plan legislation is enacted, the ANA told LNN. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), however, said that such legislation would help small businesses...

GAO says more info is needed before 75% rule is implemented.(Government Accountability Office)
May 2, 2005... Medicare beneficiaries would be well served, and Americans could save substantial tax dollars, if the Medicare "75 percent rule" is implemented, the American Health Care Association recently said in reaction to a report from the Government...

ENA works to reduce alcohol-related injuries.(Emergency Nurses Association)
May 2, 2005... Emergency room nurses can play a key role in reducing alcohol-related injuries, according to the Emergency Nurses Association. Nurses in emergency departments and trauma centers witness firsthand the tragic results of alcohol-related...

Substituting RNs for doctors results in quality care, few savings, study says.
May 2, 2005... Nurses can provide many primary care services as well and as safely as doctors. There is, however, little proof that such a transfer of responsibilities reduces physician workload or health care costs, says a new review of evidence. "The...

Minority Health.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt recently appointed eight members to serve on the Advisory Committee on Minority Health, which will advise the Department of Health and Human Services on improving the health of...

Quality of outpatient care.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... The National Quality Forum April 21 released for comment a set of 50 proposed voluntary consensus standards for measuring and reporting the quality of outpatient care. The proposed standards include measures in seven areas: asthma/respiratory...

Turnover in CEOs.(chief executive officers)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Hospital chief executive officer turnover was 16 percent nationwide in 2004, up from 14 percent in 2003, according to recent survey results released by the American College of Healthcare Executives. Nevada hospitals experienced the highest...

Women in Healthcare.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Modern Healthcare magazine has named "The Top 25 Women in Healthcare" in its April 18 issue. To compile the list, the magazine solicited nominations from the industry, which were then reviewed by members of its editorial staff according to...

Medicare in-patient prospective system.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services April 25 released the proposed Medicare in-patient prospective system rule for fiscal year 2006 for publication in the May 5 Federal Register. CMS said acute care hospitals that submit data on 10...

Legislator of the Year Award.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... The Visiting Nurse Associations of America has selected Rep. John Peterson (R-Pa.) to receive its annual Legislator of the Year Award for his leadership in Congress last year in supporting the mission of Visiting Nurse Agencies, the...

Florida.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Florida: The University of Miami has been awarded an $850,000 challenge grant from The Kresge Foundation toward the completion of its state-of-the-art M. Christine Schwartz Center for Network for Nurses May 2, 2005 Nursing and Health Studies....

Oregon.(State News)(Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems launches website)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Oregon: The Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems has launched a Web site, Oregon PricePoint, where consumers can access information about services and charges for any hospital in the state, as well as the hospital or health...

Texas.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Texas: The Texas section of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses recently pledged its support for a bill that would investigate the costs and benefits of providing 12 months of mental health services to Texas women...

Utah.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Utah: Intermountain Health Care recently announced that it will make donations in the amount of $4.4 million to nursing schools at eight Utah universities and colleges to help train more than 600 additional registered nurses. The funds will be...

Resource for nurse practitioners.(Resources)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... The American College of Nurse Practitioners recently announced a publishing partnership with Elsevier, a health care and scientific publisher. The centerpiece of the partnership agreement is the launch of ACNPs new official journal, The...

Training programs for nursing faculty.(Resources)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium is sponsoring two upcoming training programs for nursing faculty looking to develop new expertise. On Aug. 3-5, the third ELNEC-Pediatric Palliative Care course will be held in Pasadena, Calif. On...

Cultural-competence training.(Resources)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and the Association of American Medical Colleges May 12 will host a Webcast titled "Cultural Competence in Health Professions Training: Considerations for Implementation." This program aims to...

The Health Resources and Services Administration.(Opportunities)
May 2, 2005... The Health Resources and Services Administration is accepting applications for a new grant program titled "Grow Your Own Health Center (HC) Nurse." This program was launched to help address the nursing shortage and recruitment problems...

Danya International.(Opportunities)
May 2, 2005... Danya International seeks qualified consultants to participate in monitoring Head Start programs. Danya is a health communications and technology company responsible for managing the Head Start Monitoring Support contract. Head Start programs...

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.(Opportunities)
May 2, 2005... The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation seeks applicants for its Local Initiative Funding Partners program. The program supports innovative community-based projects to improve health and health care for vulnerable populations. LIFP provides grants...

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.(Opportunities)
May 2, 2005... The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the National Quality Forum are accepting nominations for the 2005 John M. Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety and Quality. The Eisenberg Award recognizes the major...

The National Institute of Nursing Research.(Opportunities)
May 2, 2005... The National Institute of Nursing Research is seeking applicants for its Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award for Individual Predoctoral Fellows in Nursing Research. The grant program will provide predoctoral training support for...

The Department of Health and Human Services.(Opportunities)
May 2, 2005... The Department of Health and Human Services is seeking nominees to serve on the Advisory Committee on Minority Health, which advises the deputy assistant secretary for minority health on goals and programs to improve the health of racial and...

More from the states.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... MORE FROM THE STATES. More than 20 million working U.S. adults are uninsured, according to a report issued April 27 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation at a press conference launching Cover the Uninsured Week. Supported by the RWJF and...

Nurses week hopes to bring attention to FY06 funding, improved conditions.(National Nurses Week)
May 16, 2005... The push for increased funding in fiscal year 2006 for nursing research and education got a boost as nurses celebrated National Nurses Week May 6-12. Last week the nursing community stressed this year's theme, "Nurses: Many Roles, One...

Study says episiotomies not best option for women; nurses agree.(Women's, Children's Health)
May 16, 2005... Routine use of episiotomy for uncomplicated vaginal births does not provide immediate or longer term benefits for the mother, according to a review of scientific evidence sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The findings...

AWHONN urges Congress to pass breastfeeding promotion act.(Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... Women would have greater freedom to breastfeed their babies if a new bill becomes law, according to the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. AWHONN May 5 joined Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), the United States...

Republicans tout efforts to insure more Americans; democrats unveil own plan.(Cover the Uninsured Week)
May 16, 2005... More Americans would have access to health insurance if proposals introduced during "Cover the Uninsured Week" by Republicans and Democrats alike come to fruition. Cover the Uninsured Week was recognized May 1-8. Expanding access to health...

Pregnancy, no insurance don't mix, ACNM says during uninsured week.
May 16, 2005... Federal and state lawmakers must explore ways to broaden access to midwifery care, which has been shown to reduce overall costs while improving health outcomes of mothers and babies, the American College of Nurse-Midwives said to mark Cover the...

AACN applauds AONE decision to move RN Ed. to baccalaureate level.(registered nurse education)(American Association of Colleges of Nursing)(American Organization of Nurse Executives)
May 16, 2005... Nurses should hold a baccalaureate degree to provide the best possible care, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The National Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (N-OADN), however, disputes the study data...

NLN calls for evidence-based standards for changes in RN Ed.(National League for Nursing)
May 16, 2005... Sweeping changes in nursing education should not be made without a strong evidence base, the National League for Nursing said May 9 in a position statement called Transforming Nursing Education. The NLN position statement given to LNN urges...

Operating surgeon can supervise nurse anesthetists, CMS confirms.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... A second surgeon is not needed to supervise a certified registered nurse anesthetist who is administering anesthesia, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently clarified. Clarifying its interpretive guidelines for hospital...

Uninsured Week.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... Almost half of the more than 15 million uninsured adults with chronic health conditions forgo needed medical care or prescription drugs due to cost, according to a new report released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to kick off Cover the...

Cuts to Medicaid.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... As congressional committees hammer out the details of a budget agreement that likely will lead to cuts to Medicaid, the American Hospital Association has released a report showing Medicaid enrollment has more than doubled since 1990 to become...

Fake inspectors.(Department of Homeland Security)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... The Department of Homeland Security has issued an information bulletin about recent reports of fake inspectors alleging to represent the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations or other organizations and asking for access...

Medicare's progress and deficiencies.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... Despite success in ensuring access to needed care and improving the provision of preventive services, Medicare can do more to ensure patients are screened for colorectal cancer, treated for depression, immunized against pneumonia, and protected...

Executive walk rounds.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... According to a recent article published in BMC Health Services Research, executive walk rounds (EWRs) can have a positive impact on nurses' assessment of the safety climate in hospitals. EWRs vary from hospital to hospital but generally consist...

Foreign nurses.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... Congress May 11 passed a fiscal year 2005 Defense Department supplemental appropriations bill that allows more foreign nurses to work in the United States (LNN, May 2, p. 66). The provision would allow U.S. hospitals to reclaim half of the...

California.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... California: Knott's Berry Farm Heiress Marion Knott has made a $700,000 donation to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Newport Beach, in support of nursing education. The gift will fund The Marion Knott Nursing Education Center at the...

California: Kaiser Permanente is awarding $580,000 in forgivable loans to Mount St. Mary's College and Azusa Pacific University in Los Angeles to help students pay the cost of nursing school.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... California: Kaiser Permanente is awarding $580,000 in forgivable loans to Mount St. Mary's College and Azusa Pacific University in Los Angeles to help students pay the cost of nursing school. The award includes $440,000 for 17 accelerated BSN...

Colorado.(State News)(shortage of nursing faculty)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... Colorado: Nurse educators, health care providers and policymakers face substantial challenges related to the current supply of nursing faculty and the ability to educate enough nurses to meet the state's growing needs, according to a new report...

Maine.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... Maine: A bill introduced in the Maine House of Representatives would provide financial assistance to nurses who are interested in becoming nurse educators, according to the April 26 Portland Press Herald. The proposal would provide up to $4,500...

Michigan.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... Michigan: A recent report from the Michigan Center for Nursing shows that the state's nursing education programs are graduating fewer nurses, even though the demand for nurses has been increasing. According to the report, there was a 7.2...

Oklahoma/Texas.(State News)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... Oklahoma/Texas: The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Mercy Health Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., have joined the ranks of hospitals that have been awarded the Magnet recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center....

Advance directives.(Resources)(patient education)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... The American Hospital Association, joined by American Organization of Nurse Executives and five other national health care organizations, has launched a national campaign to educate patients and the public on patient self-determination and...

Patient safety.(Resources)
May 16, 2005... The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Department of Defense have released Advances in Patient Safety: From Research to Implementation, the federal government's first compendium of studies on patient safety and medical error...

Clinical performance measures.(Resources)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... The Ambulatory Care Quality Alliance, a coalition that includes organizations that represent clinicians, consumers, purchasers, health plans and others, has released a "starter set" of 26 clinical performance measures for the ambulatory care...

Quit smoking.(Resources)(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... In recognition of National Nurses Week, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality released a new tool designed to give nurses evidence-based information that they can use to help their patients quit smoking. The pocket guide, Helping...

Delegation.(Resources)(Correction Notice)
May 16, 2005... In the March/April 2005 issue of Urologic Nursing, Susanne Qualich makes recommendations to nurses for delegation that can be applied to nearly any situation where delegation is an option, and not only in the health care setting. For many RNs,...

The Employment and Training Administration.(Opportunities)
May 16, 2005... The Employment and Training Administration is accepting applications for $125 million in grants to community colleges who partner with employers and others to train more people for high-growth fields, such as health care. Announced May 3, the...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.(Opportunities)
May 16, 2005... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seeks applications for Interventions for Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Transitioning Science to Community Projects. Goals include 1) improving developmental outcomes, 2) preventing...

The National Patient Safety Foundation.(Opportunities)
May 16, 2005... The National Patient Safety Foundation has issued a call for letters of intent for its 2005 Research Grants Program. Its objective is to promote studies leading to the prevention of human errors, system errors, patient injuries and the...

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.(Opportunities)
May 16, 2005... The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is looking for hospitals willing to test the latest draft of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Plans. This 27-item survey will be given a dry run later this year; in the meantime, testers...

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.(Opportunities)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2005... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, for the year starting July 1, updates its reimbursement rates for long-term care hospitals, sometimes defined as hospitals where the average length of stay is at least 25 days. Contact: Tzvi...