Minnesota Nurses

NURSES, LABOR, HEALTH CARE

Watch live as nurses lead an international call for the Robin Hood Tax that will heal the world.   

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Nursing

Board of Nursing Seeking to Expand LPN Scope -  Listening Sessions Today  Bethel University, 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. MNBON proposals reflect a corporate health care employer’s dream to muddy the lines of responsibility between RNs and LPNs – allowing health care facilities to get more work for less money. It also pits our two practices in a fabricated fight that will only result in jeopardizing public safety.   Please attend!

NNU’s Rose Ann DeMoro Named To Most Influential Health Care Leaders List for 10th Straight Year   This year, DeMoro was placed at number 31 on the list which is dominated by government officials and corporate executives. It is put together by Modern Healthcare, a nationally-known, Chicago-based healthcare industry news weekly.

Labor

SEIU workers Get Tentative Agreement with 8 Twin Cities Hospitals   Hospital negotiators and the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Minnesota, which represents 3,500 nursing assistants, technicians and support staff, have been negotiating a contract since January. The current contract had been extended several times.

Health Care

Iraq Veteran Uses Music to Treat His PTSD   The use of music to heal war wounds is part of an emerging field of alternative treatment being embraced by military officials eager to help veterans suffering from PTSD. In Wisconsin, New Jersey, California and other states, government doctors in recent months have launched experimental music therapy programs that rely on the smoothing sounds of classical or acoustic music to help veterans get well.

Docs Ditch Rx Pad    At the end of 2011, 36 percent of all prescriptions were electronic — the doctor wrote it by computer and sent it directly to the pharmacy with the push of a button, the report found. That’s up from 22 percent of prescriptions that were paperless a year earlier.

Notes on Nursing

National Nurse Licensure is DEAD (for now).  The House adjourned for the session in the wee hours of this morning, WITHOUT taking a final vote on the National Nurse Licensure Compact. That means it’s dead for this year. It will most likely come back next session, so stay tuned, but for now, be proud of all the calls, emails, letters and visits that nurses made to stop this dangerous bill!

Chicago Tries to Revoke Nurses’ Permit to March    What in the world?  The registered nurses of National Nurses United cannot wait to welcome one of the world’s leading defenders of common people to their uncommon May 18th march and rally in Chicago.

Health Care 

Accretive May Farm Out Debt-Collection Work   Although the company says its debt-collection business represents only about 5 percent of its total revenue, the practice has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks after Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson released a blistering report, accusing the company of unsavory tactics that may have violated consumer protection and debt-collection laws.

18 Hospital Execs in CT Earn More Than $1M Annually  The health care system may be ailing, but newly compiled data show that compensation for top executives at Connecticut hospitals remains healthy.

SPEAK UP FOR OUR NURSING STANDARDS

The Minnesota Board of Nursing wants to significantly change the Nurse Practice Act to alter Scope of Practice language.

This is NOT a friendly change.

Their proposals reflect a corporate health care employer’s dream to muddy the lines of responsibility between RNs and LPNs – allowing health care facilities to get more work for less money.  It also pits our two practices in a fabricated fight that will only result in jeopardizing public safety.

For the sake of your license and the future of nursing, attend an upcoming “listening session” hosted by the Minnesota Board of Nursing.  They want to hear from us about their intention to undermine key elements of our practice, like assessement and delegation.

WE NEED TO BE HERE AND READY TO SPEAK UP

View an educational session via live webcast  at www.mnnurses.org/lpnscope

Read an in-depth discussion of the MNA perspective

Read the BON proposal and comment form. NOTE:   If you send your comments, please cc Carol.Diemert@mnnurses.org

Learn more about the listening session in your area:

Brainerd July 18

Duluth July 12

Fergus Falls July 19

Mankato May 24

Pine City June 21

Rochester July 26

St. Paul May 17   (Directions)

Willmar May 29

Worthington June 28

What is this? The MNA Daily NewsScan is a round up the day’s biggest nursing, health care and organized labor stories.  As news unfolds in real-time, we update the NewsScan with new links and info, so check back often!

Stories we’re scanning:

Notes on Nursing

OpEd:  Why Nurses Need More Authority   Allowing nurses to act as primary-care providers will increase coverage and lower health-care costs. So why is there so much opposition from physicians? 

Statement in Support of Attorney General Lori Swanson   “On behalf of our 20,000 nurses, I want to thank Lori Swanson for ignoring political pressure and corporate influence and continuing to stand up for the patients we care for,” Hamilton said. “What Accretive is doing seems to be the epitome of the ‘profits-before-patients’ type of health care delivery that needs to stop, and we’re grateful Attorney General Swanson is having none of it.”

Health Care

Study:  Bigger Hospitals Drive Cost Increases  For everyone out there worried that President Barack Obama’s health reform law  will spur monopolies and make it easier for hospitals to raise their prices, a  new study says it’s already happening, and it’s not because of the health law.

Health Care Increasingly Out of Reach for Millions of Americans    Having trouble finding a doctor?  You’re not alone.Tens of millions of adults under 65 — both those with insurance and those without — saw their access to health care dramatically worsen over the past decade, according to a study released Monday.

House GOP Bill Cuts Medicaid, Social Programs to Protect Military Spending   The Republican-led House this week will lay bare the choice between social programs and Pentagon spending in an age of austerity when it takes up legislation to slice $261 billion from food stamps, Medicaid, social services and other programs for struggling Americans over the next decade to stave off more than $50 billion in military spending cuts scheduled to take effect next year.

Labor Updates

CEOs Earn 343 Times More than Typical Workers   “Despite the collapse of the financial market at the hands of executives less than 3 years ago, the disparity between CEO and workers’ pay has continued to grow to levels that are simply stunning,” said Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO president.

Rally with SEIU  – Tell Fairview that quality care should be at the center of hospitals – not big banks.  Date:  May 10.  Time:  3:30 p.m.

HAPPY NURSES WEEK!

National Nurse Licensure Compact

The National Nurse Licensure Compact bill passed both the House and the Senate last week, and this week a Conference Committee of House and Senate members met to iron out differences between the two bills. MNA opposes the resulting conference report, which did little to address our concerns with the original bill. Signing on to the Compact will be bad for Minnesota patients, bad for our high nursing standards, and bad for nurses who want to organize or bargain fair contracts. Please use the link below to contact your state senator and state representative and ask them to vote against the Compact when it comes to a final floor vote.

Jobs Rally

Nurses joined hundreds of other union members at the Capitol yesterday to demand the Legislature pass bills that will put Minnesotans back to work. The clock is ticking on the 2012 Legislative session. Despite being in session for months, the Legislature has failed to act on real job creation projects like a large infrastructure bill and a Vikings stadium. These projects would create thousands of family-sustaining, union jobs to help Minnesota’s economy recover.

LPN scope of practice listening sessions

MNA has serious concerns for the safety of patients and for the practice of nursing regarding the Board of Nursing’s proposal to expand the scope of practice for Licensed Practical Nurses to include assessment and delegation. This proposal reflects corporate health care’s desire to muddy the lines of responsibility between RNs and LPNs – allowing hospitals to get more work for less money.  It also pits our two practices in a fabricated fight that will only result in jeopardizing public safety.

The Board of Nursing will be holding “listening sessions” about this proposal where nurses can voice their concerns. For the sake of your license and the future of nursing, attend the upcoming “Listening Session” hosted by the Minnesota Board of Nursing.

Please click here for more information and to see the schedule of listening sessions. In addition, MNA is holding education sessions about this issue on May 11, 8:30 am & 4:00 pm at the MNA office or webcast at www.nursetv.org (no password or pre-authorization necessary).

Regional Action Councils – Nurses mobilizing around policy and politics                                                     
As you’ve followed the action during this legislative session and campaign season have you wondered how you can get involved on behalf of nurses and patients?

Nurses are forming six Regional Action Councils around the state to mobilize around policies and candidates that are good for nurses, patients and working families. The RACs will soon begin screening and accountability process for candidates seeking MNA’s endorsement. It is critical that nurses take advocacy beyond the bedside, and weigh in on the policies that affect our practice and patients.

If you are interested in learning more about the Regional Action Council for your area, please contact:

• Grant Bendix (NW and NE      Minnesota): grant.bendix@mnnurses.org or 651-414-2830
• Geri Katz (W Metro and E Metro): geri.katz@mnnurses.org or 651-414-2855
• Julia Donnelly (SW and SE      Minnesota): Julia.donnelly@mnnurses.org or 651-414-2833

Attorney General:  Fairview Put Squeeze on Patients   Attorney General Lori Swanson said employees of the hospital system tried to collect upfront money from patients before treatment.

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Wisconsin Loses More Jobs Than Any Other State   The bureau’s figures show the state lost 23,900 jobs from March 2011 to March 2012. No other state lost more than 3,500 jobs, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (http://bit.ly/IpnExl).

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Live Tweeting:  Jill Burcum from the Congressional hearing on HMO spending.

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National Nurse Licensure Compact
The Compact is still moving on two different tracks. 1) A stand-alone bill is moving in both bodies, and passed a key committee in the House on Wednesday and passed the full Senate on Thursday. We anticipate it will be up for a full floor vote in the House very soon.  2) The Compact is also part of the Senate version of the Health and Human Services Omnibus Bill.

The Omnibus bill is currently in conference committee, where legislators are working out the differences between the two versions. As the conference committee wraps up its work, we are hopeful that the Compact will be removed from the HHS omnibus bill.

The most important thing you can do to stop the Compact from putting your patients and your profession at risk is to CALL THE GOVERNOR TODAY at 651-201-3400. The Governor is on record opposing this bill and has not to our knowledge changed his position. But we need to give him as much support as we can so he can do the right thing with confidence. If you haven’t done this already, it will just take a minute. Tell the person who answers (or the voicemail) your name, that you’re a registered nurse, and that you oppose the Nurse Licensure Compact, and thank the Governor for his position on the issue.

Health and Human Services Omnibus/Willmar
In addition to the Compact, the fate of the Willmar State Operated Services mental health facility is at stake in the HHS Omnibus Bill conference committee negotiations. Last session as part of the budget balancing deal, Willmar was slated for closure in March of 2012. MNA nurses and lobbyists have worked together with lobbyists and workers from other unions to keep Willmar open, and as a result the House version of the HHS Omnibus Bill contains language to keep the much-needed facility open. MNA lobbyists and nurses are working to keep the language in the final bill.

Felony Criminal Neglect of Vulnerable Adult
MNA nurses helped make history this week, as Minnesota became the first state to declare criminal neglect of a vulnerable adult a felony while also protecting the rights of healthcare workers. Gov. Mark Dayton signed the bill, SF1586, Criminal Felony Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult, into law on Wednesday.

This bill was truly a bipartisan and cooperative effort, and a great example of how legislators can reach across the aisle to work together and improve the lives of the people they are elected to represent.

MNA nurses worked closely with Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman (DFL), Health and Human Services Reform Chair Steve Gottwalt (GOP-St. Cloud), other health care unions and long term care facilities to come to a compromise over strengthening the punishment for those guilty of criminally neglecting a vulnerable adult. The compromise was an effort between all parties to protect the rights of workers in cases of understaffing, while giving the county attorney the right to charge someone who intends to neglect a vulnerable adult with a felony as opposed to a gross misdemeanor. Minnesota is the first state to make this crime a felony while protecting the rights of the workers.

Right to Work
There was a brief, failed attempt during a Vikings stadium debate to resurrect the Right to Work amendment earlier this week, and today Rep. Doug Wardlow (GOP-Eagan) introduced a new and more extensive “Right to Work” bill. There are several procedural hoops the author would have to jump through to move the bill, so MNA and other labor lobbyists are busy confirming that all of our DFL and GOP allies are aware and present to vote down any attempts to pass this new bill.

Regional Action Councils – Nurses mobilizing around policy and politics
As you’ve followed the action during this legislative session and campaign season have you wondered how you can get involved on behalf of nurses and patients?

Nurses are forming six Regional Action Councils around the state to mobilize around policies and candidates that are good for nurses, patients and working families. The RACs will soon begin screening and accountability process for candidates seeking MNA’s endorsement. It is critical that nurses take advocacy beyond the bedside, and weigh in on the policies that affect our practice and patients.

If you are interested in learning more about the Regional Action Council for your area, please contact: 

• Grant      Bendix (NW and NE Minnesota): grant.bendix@mnnurses.org      or 651-414-2830
• Geri Katz      (W Metro and E Metro): geri.katz@mnnurses.org      or 651-414-2855
• Julia      Donnelly (SW and SE Minnesota): Julia.donnelly@mnnurses.org      or 651-414-2833

MNA member Mary Kirsling wrote to her representative about her opposition to National Nurse Licensure.  Here’s why it is important to be alert and involved – we get results that mean the world to our patients!

A Note from Mary Kirsling:  “It is gratifying to have one’s representatives read and respond. And if anyone thinks that these emails lack power, I think the responses tell otherwise…

On Mon, 4/2/12, Kerry Gauthier <rep.kerry.gauthier@house.mn> wrote:

From: Kerry Gauthier <rep.kerry.gauthier@house.mn>
Subject: Re: national nurse licensure
Date: Monday, April 2, 2012, 9:50 AM

Thank you for contacting me to share your opposition to Minnesota’s participation in the Nurse Licensure Compact, which was proposed in 2011 with the introduction of House File 462.

This legislation was first introduced in 2008 and has been reintroduced every year since then.  It has not received a hearing until last session.  I understand that House File 462 would allow nurses to use their licenses across state lines, both physically and electronically, as long as they establish a primary residence and obtain a state license in a state that has joined the compact.  Supporters of this legislation have indicated that this may help alleviate the nursing shortage and increase the overall efficiency of healthcare.

In 2011, House File 462 was heard, and approved, by the House Health and Human Services Reform Committee and the Government Operations and Elections Committee.  The MNA argued that allowing nurses who do not have a Minnesota license to practice in this state would inspire a “race to the bottom” and that it would allow nurses from states with less-comprehensive licensing systems to work in here.  In addition, the MNA believes that the bill poses a threat to patient safety. They argue that the coordinated licensure information system has not always worked and have examples of nurses with suspended licenses being allowed to practice in other states.

Ultimately, the proposal made in House File 462 was included in the Health and Human Services omnibus finance bill, Senate File 760, which was vetoed by Governor Dayton on May 24^th, 2011.  In fact, Governor Dayton specifically indicated his concern about the inclusion of policy matters, such as the Nurse Licensure Compact, in his veto letter:

“We must agree that budget bills cannot be vehicles for divisive policy provisions.  SF 760 includes several problematic policy provisions.  Of particular concern in this bill are:

Nurse licensure compact: The Nursing Compact will introduce multi-state licensure and compromise Minnesota’s high quality nursing standards by issuing an open invitation to any nurse practicing anywhere in the country, while ignoring our academic and clinical requirements.”

The measure was not included in the final budget agreement that was enacted during the 2011 special session.  This year, H.F. 462 was again heard in the Health and Human Services Finance Committee on March 29^th and re-referred to the Ways and Means Committee.  In addition, I understand that the measure is available to be taken up on the Senate floor.

If this proposal advances to the House floor, I will certainly keep your opposition in mind as I make my final voting decision.

Thanks again for your email and please stay in touch.

Sincerely,

Kerry Gauthier
State Representative

Note:  The Legislature is tentatively planning to adjourn today (April 5)  for a short spring recess

HMO Accountability
Great news! The four Healthcare Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) have returned $73 million dollars in excess profits to the taxpayers. Nurses played an integral part in holding HMOs accountable and advocating for further transparency. Please follow the link below to find out more information.

http://mnablog.com/2012/04/03/mna-rns-have-helped-lead-charge-in-holding-hmos-accountable/

National Nurse Licensure Compact
In addition to being part of the Senate HHS Omnibus bill, the National Nurse Licensure Compact is moving as stand-alone bills in the Senate and House (SF230-Gerlach/HF462-Norton). MNA opposes this bill because it will decrease nursing standards, put patients at risk, abdicate state’s rights to regulate nursing practice and potentially lead to job loss. There continues to be strong union opposition to this bill. Encourage your State Senator to vote NO by clicking the link below.

http://www.mnnurses.org/grassrootsaction

Criminal Felony Neglect of Vulnerable Adult
The conference committee on SF1586 – making the neglect of a vulnerable adult a felony – met on Wednesday to work out minor differences between the House and Senate bills. The committee resolved a few technical differences without changing the majority of the bill and then passed the bill back to the floor. The final product still includes MNA’s language protecting nurses and other health care workers from being punished for decisions outside of their control, such as staffing. We expect final passage tomorrow and a signature by the Governor.
This was a rare example of bipartisan cooperation on behalf of patient safety, and we are proud that MNA was able to contribute to a bill that advocates for patients and protects health care workers.

Willmar
Over the past four years, the Willmar State Operated Services mental health facility has undergone numerous changes to both its staff and the services it provides, and last session the legislature mandated closure of the facility by April 1, 2012.
However, MNA nurses and lobbyists, AFSCME Council 5 and the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE) – all of whom represent employees at the facility – have worked closely with Representative Bruce Vogel and Senator Joe Gimse to bring forth legislation (SF2544/HF2503) that would keep the Willmar site open for another year while the DHS has an opportunity to do a full review of the State Operated Services division. That language was included in the House Health and Human Services Omnibus bill. Because MNA has been working so closely with Department of Human Services officials and Governor Mark Dayton’s office to find the best possible solution for the situation in Willmar, the legislation is likely to pass.

Regional Action Councils – Nurses mobilizing around policy and politics
As you’ve followed the action during this legislative session and campaign season have you wondered how you can get involved on behalf of nurses and patients
Nurses are forming six Regional Action Councils around the state to mobilize around policies and candidates that are good for nurses, patients and working families. The RACs will soon begin screening and accountability process for candidates seeking MNA’s endorsement. It is critical that nurses take advocacy beyond the bedside, and weigh in on the policies that affect our practice and patients.
If you are interested in learning more about the Regional Action Council for your area, please contact:

• Grant Bendix (NW and NE Minnesota): grant.bendix@mnnurses.org or 651-414-2830
• Geri Katz (W Metro and E Metro): geri.katz@mnnurses.org or 651-414-2855
•  Julia Donnelly (SW and SE Minnesota): Julia.donnelly@mnnurses.org or 651-414-2833