A proposed rule would save healthcare providers and health plans up to $4.6 billion over the next 10 years, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. At the center of it is a unique identifier for each health plan. It would simplify administrative processes for hospitals, health insurance plans and […]
Travel nursing can be exciting, challenging, and rewarding, but it can also be a little rough on the environment. The San Francisco Chronicle’s website has a list of tips for reducing your carbon footprint. These suggestions are geared towards travel nurses, travel therapists, and other mobile healthcare professionals who wish to be more green while […]
A study reported in the January issue of the Journal of Professional Nursing shows a decline in an important nursing skill that is more about understanding a patient’s perspective and fears than about technical ability: empathy. Empathy improves patient outcomes and patient satisfaction scores, but empathy isn’t an easy skill to learn. For example, a […]
In the Atlantic, Christine Mackey-Ross writes about the importance of improving the quality of health care, not just driving down costs, and the new breed of health care leaders that have been attracted by this challenge: physician and nurse executives. Many organizations are now forming Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) with the goal of improving quality […]
Some tests are life-savers, but some are worthless. A campaign called Choosing Wisely has been launched by nine national medical groups, with the goal of getting U.S. doctors to tell the difference. Specifically, Choosing Wisely wants health care providers to back of on 45 diagnostic tests, procedures and treatments that range from harmful to merely […]
Well, nurses, this is a very bittersweet hello to you all. This is my final newsletter with Nurse Recruiter. I have truly enjoyed writing this newsletter the past few years. It has been such a learning experience for me. I have always had a huge appreciation for nurses and have written about some of my […]
In the Huffington Post, Charles Tiffin writes about the many ways that nursing “has become more complex in ways that couldn’t have been imagined a generation ago.” To begin with, the nurses are tasked with an ever-wider range of health care responsibilities. And they’re not just caring for the sick — they’re giving TED talks, […]
In its biannual Employment Outlook report, the U.S. Department of Labor stated that the healthcare and social assistance fields would experience the highest growth for new jobs, with more than 5 million new workers needed by 2020. An estimated 33.8 million existing healthcare positions are expected to be vacated by retiring workers, which raises the […]
A study indicates that the nursing shortage is over, but that it will likely come roaring back. By 2020, it might be more difficult than ever to fill nursing vacancies. An article in the Detroit News indicates that the the number of full-time nurses grew by about 386,000 from 2005 to 2010, according to a recent […]
A study by the New England Journal of Medicine has cast doubt on a central premise of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA took inspiration from Medicare’s efforts to pay hospitals based on how they perform, which was thought to save money while improving health care. However, the study has found that the mortality […]
