Old but important: District Judge Rules Against Overturning Ban on Implementation of Medi-Cal Reimbursement Rate Reduction; -and- Staffing Improves at Hospitals Following Implementation of Nurse-to-Patient Ratios, Union Survey Finds

CAL/AAEM News Service pottsbri@yahoo.com
Wed, 10 Mar 2004 13:40:30 -0800 (PST)


--0-76459467-1078954830=:67438
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii


 -----Original Message-----

From: California Healthline [mailto:CALIFORNIAHEALTHLINE@ADVISORY.COM] 

Sent: Friday, February 13, 2004 10:16 AM

 

District Judge Rules Against Overturning Ban on Implementation of Medi-Cal Reimbursement Rate Reduction 

 

U.S. District Court Judge David Levi this week ruled that the state "had not presented enough evidence to warrant reconsideration" of a previous ruling blocking the implementation of a 5% reduction in Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for some health care providers, the San Jose Mercury News reports. http://www.californiahealthline.org/members/basecontent.asp?contentid=50942&collectionid=3&contentarea=41617

=======================================================

 

NOTE: This "survey report" does not define what constitutes "Staffing conditions", what has "improved" and has been reported by the advocates for staffing ratios...





-----Original Message-----

From: California Healthline [mailto:CALIFORNIAHEALTHLINE@ADVISORY.COM] 

Staffing Improves at Hospitals Following Implementation of Nurse-to-Patient Ratios, Union Survey Finds 

02/09/2004 



 

One month after new nurse-to-patient ratios took effect, registered nurses are reporting improvements in staffing conditions at California hospitals, according to a survey by the California <http://www.calnurse.org/> Nurses Association, the http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82%257E1865%257E1936909,00.html Oakland Tribune reports (Vesely, Oakland Tribune, 2/5). Under the new staffing rules, nurses will not have to care for more than eight patients at a time. The rules also call for one nurse per five patients in medical-surgical units by 2005, as well as one nurse per four patients in specialty care and telemetry units and one nurse per three patients in step-down units by 2008. In addition, the regulations state that licensed vocational nurses can comprise no more than 50% of the licensed nurses assigned to patient care and that only registered nurses can care for critical trauma patients. The rules also require at least one registered nurse to serve as a triage n!
 urse in
 emergency departments ( http://www.californiahealthline.org/members/basecontent.asp?contentid=50785&collectionid=3&program=1 California Healthline, 1/15). The survey was based on interviews with RNs at 111 general acute care hospitals -- nearly 30% of the total in the state -- and found that 59% were in compliance with the ratios (Oakland Tribune, 2/5). The survey also found that staffing conditions had improved at 68% of hospitals surveyed since the rules took effect (CNA release <http://www.calnurse.org/cna/press/>, 2/4). CNA praised Kaiser Permanente and the University of California Medical Centers for their efforts to meet the new standards (Oakland Tribune, 2/5). 




Brian Potts 
Managing Editor, CAL/AAEM News Service 
MD/MBA 2004, UC-Irvine


---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Search - Find what you’re looking for faster.
--0-76459467-1078954830=:67438
Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii

<DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>
<P>&nbsp;-----Original Message-----</P>
<P>From: California Healthline [</FONT><A href="mailto:CALIFORNIAHEALTHLINE@ADVISORY.COM"><U><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>mailto:CALIFORNIAHEALTHLINE@ADVISORY.COM</U></FONT></A><FONT size=2>] </P>
<P>Sent: Friday, February 13, 2004 10:16 AM</P>
<P></FONT><FONT size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</P>
<P><FONT size=2>District Judge Rules Against Overturning Ban on Implementation of Medi-Cal Reimbursement Rate Reduction </P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>U.S. District Court Judge David Levi this week ruled that the state "had not presented enough evidence to warrant reconsideration" of a previous ruling blocking the implementation of a 5% reduction in Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for some health care providers, the San Jose Mercury News reports. </FONT><A href="http://www.californiahealthline.org/members/basecontent.asp?contentid=5"><U><FONT color=#0000ff size=2><A href="http://www.californiahealthline.org/members/basecontent.asp?contentid=50942&amp;collectionid=3&amp;contentarea=41617">http://www.californiahealthline.org/members/basecontent.asp?contentid=5</U></FONT></A><FONT size=2>0942&amp;collectionid=3&amp;contentarea=41617</A></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>=======================================================</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>&nbsp;</P><FONT size=2>
<P>NOTE: This "survey report" does not define what constitutes "Staffing conditions", what has "improved" and has been reported by the advocates for staffing ratios...</P>
<P></P>
<P></P>
<P>-----Original Message-----</P>
<P>From: California Healthline [</FONT><A href="mailto:CALIFORNIAHEALTHLINE@ADVISORY.COM"><U><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>mailto:CALIFORNIAHEALTHLINE@ADVISORY.COM</U></FONT></A><FONT size=2>] </P>
<P>Staffing Improves at Hospitals Following Implementation of Nurse-to-Patient Ratios, Union Survey Finds </P>
<P>02/09/2004 </P>
<P></P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>One month after new nurse-to-patient ratios took effect, registered nurses are reporting improvements in staffing conditions at California hospitals, according to a survey by the California &lt;</FONT><A href="http://www.calnurse.org/"><U><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>http://www.calnurse.org/</U></FONT></A><FONT size=2>&gt; Nurses Association, the </FONT><A href="http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82%257E1865%257E1936909,00"><U><FONT color=#0000ff size=2><A href="http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82%257E1865%257E1936909,00.html">http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82%257E1865%257E1936909,00</U></FONT></A><FONT size=2>.html</A> Oakland Tribune reports (Vesely, Oakland Tribune, 2/5). Under the new staffing rules, nurses will not have to care for more than eight patients at a time. The rules also call for one nurse per five patients in medical-surgical units by 2005, as well as one nurse per four patients in specialty care and telemetry units and o!
 ne nurse
 per three patients in step-down units by 2008. In addition, the regulations state that licensed vocational nurses can comprise no more than 50% of the licensed nurses assigned to patient care and that only registered nurses can care for critical trauma patients. The rules also require at least one registered nurse to serve as a triage nurse in emergency departments ( </FONT><A href="http://www.californiahealthline.org/members/basecontent.asp?contentid=5"><U><FONT color=#0000ff size=2><A href="http://www.californiahealthline.org/members/basecontent.asp?contentid=50785&amp;collectionid=3&amp;program=1">http://www.californiahealthline.org/members/basecontent.asp?contentid=5</U></FONT></A><FONT size=2>0785&amp;collectionid=3&amp;program=1</A> California Healthline, 1/15). The survey was based on interviews with RNs at 111 general acute care hospitals -- nearly 30% of the total in the state -- and found that 59% were in compliance with the ratios (Oakland Tribune, 2/5). The surv!
 ey also
 found that staffing conditions had improved at 68% of hospitals surveyed since the rules took effect (CNA release &lt;</FONT><A href="http://www.calnurse.org/cna/press/"><U><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>http://www.calnurse.org/cna/press/</U></FONT></A><FONT size=2>&gt;, 2/4). CNA praised Kaiser Permanente and the University of California Medical Centers for their efforts to meet the new standards (Oakland Tribune, 2/5). </FONT></P></FONT></DIV></DIV><BR><BR><DIV><FONT face=arial><STRONG>Brian Potts <BR>Managing Editor, CAL/AAEM News Service</STRONG> <BR>MD/MBA 2004, UC-Irvine</FONT></DIV><p><hr SIZE=1>
Do you Yahoo!?<br>
Yahoo! Search - <a href="http://search.yahoo.com/?fr=ad-mailsig-home">Find what you’re looking for faster.</a>
--0-76459467-1078954830=:67438--