Legislative Network for Nurses articles from September 2005

Legislative Network for Nurses archives from September 2005

We've got the power.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... WE'VE GOT THE POWER. This year marks Modern Healthcare's fourth annual ranking of the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare, and nurse leaders once again made the list. Coming in at number 29 is Barbara Blakeney, president of the American...

RNs call for integrated health system that includes mental health care.
September 5, 2005... Patients would benefit from the integration of behavioral and mental health services into the nation's primary and public health systems, under a proposal offered by a coalition of 24 health care provider, public health and consumer groups. ...

HHS, providers offer resources for workers to help Katrina victims.(Department of Health and Human Services)
September 5, 2005... Nurses and other health care professionals that want to assist Hurricane Katrina victims in the Gulf Coast area of the country now have several resources to consult for information on how they can best help. The Department of Health and...

New SBA study renews push for AHP legislation; ANA maintains opposition.
September 5, 2005... While Republicans cite new evidence that Association Health Plans help small businesses and their employees, nurses maintain that AHPs hurt workers. Citing a new Small Business Administration report on the cost of employee benefits to...

Study says gaps in continuity of care threaten patient safety.
September 5, 2005... The fragmented nature of patient care in the United States contributes significantly to medical errors and presents an ongoing challenge for medication management, according to a Aug. 22 report published in the American Journal of Health-System...

JCAHO campaign tells patients to 'speak up' regarding follow-up care.
September 5, 2005... Patients discharged from the hospital can have better outcomes if they are informed about their condition and their follow-up treatment, according to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. JCAHO Aug. 17 launched...

Influenza vaccine.
September 5, 2005... The Food and Drug Administration Aug. 31 approved Fluarix, an influenza vaccine for adults that contains inactivated virus. Fluarix is approved to immunize adults 18 years of age and older against influenza virus types A and B contained in the...

Cardiovascular disease.
September 5, 2005... Regardless of their cholesterol level, men can cut their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease in half by being physically fit, according to a study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. "The message for men is that...

Reducing safety risks.(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and its international consulting and accreditation division will collaborate with the World Health Organization on an international center aimed at reducing safety risks to...

Hospital Compare Web site.
September 5, 2005... The Hospital Quality Alliance on Sept. 1 updated its Hospital Compare Web site with the latest data from participating hospitals. The site now enables patients and families to compare the performance of virtually all the nation's acute care...

Public Health Nursing.
September 5, 2005... The American Nurses Association invites comments about the draft "Public Health Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice" available for review on the ANA Web site. Comments must be submitted electronically by Oct. 10. Contact:...

Electronic health care data.
September 5, 2005... The majority of state, regional and community-based health information exchange (HIE) initiatives are already beginning to exchange electronic health care data, and they identify funding as their major barrier, according to a study recently...

AHA board of trustees.(American Hospital Association adds American Organization of Nurse Executives President Marilyn Bowcutt to its board)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... The American Hospital Association has named American Organization of Nurse Executives President Marilyn Bowcutt to the AHA board of trustees for a term beginning Jan. 1, 2006, and ending Dec. 31, 2008. The board of trustees is the policy-making...

Racial disparities.
September 5, 2005... Despite some encouraging signs, significant racial disparities persist in the country's health care, suggests a series of studies published in the Aug. 18 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. A study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson...

Public hospitals.
September 5, 2005... America's public hospitals are closing at a faster rate than other hospitals, according to a study released by the State University of New York's Downstate Medical Center, a public hospital and medical college in Brooklyn. The study shows that...

Doctorate of Nursing Practice.
September 5, 2005... The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has released the first draft of the Essentials of the Doctorate of Nursing Practice for field review and comment. The document represents the results of the first stage of development of the...

Illinois.(State News)(health reforms)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Illinois: Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) recently signed legislation enacting caps on non-economic damages in medical liability cases and making other reforms that hospitals and other supporters say will preserve and enhance access to health care for...

Massachusetts.(State News)
September 5, 2005... Massachusetts: Dianne Anderson, senior vice president of clinical operations at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Jeanette Ives Erickson, senior vice president for patient care and chief nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, have...

New Hampshire.(State News)
September 5, 2005... New Hampshire: The National Council of State Boards of Nursing has announced that New Hampshire recently passed legislation to become the 19th state to join the Nurse Licensure Compact. The state will begin the rule writing process to work...

The Welcome Back Awards.(Opportunity)
September 5, 2005... The Welcome Back Awards were established in 1998 to fight the stigma associated with depression and to promote the understanding that depression is treatable. Each year the program celebrates advances made in the depression community and...

National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act.(Legislation)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... * President Bush Aug. 11 signed legislation sponsored by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) designed to help states prevent prescription drug abuse. The National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act creates a federal grant program to...