Author: Admin

The #1 Reason Nurses Leave Their Jobs

Nurse turnover remains a problem for hospitals year after year. So, what is the main factor driving nurses away from their jobs?

What is the most common reason nurses leave their jobs? It’s their work environment, or so says the Press Ganey Nursing Special Report, Optimizing the Nursing Workforce: Key Drivers of Intent to Stay for Newly Licensed and Experienced Nurses.

The study, which explored responses from nearly a quarter of a million RNs, identified trends in nurse retention and turnover, as well as intent to stay in their jobs, based on age, tenure, and unit type. Nurses across all ages and experience levels who planned to leave their job within the next year most commonly cited dissatisfaction with their work environment as their reason for leaving. Poor work environment was followed by home or personal reasons as the second most popular reason for leaving, and then a change in nursing career.

If you’ve left your job recently, or are planning to leave, has your work environment played a role in your decision?

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

1 in 6 Insured Americans Get a Surprise Bill for Hospital Care

Patients often aren’t aware they are being treated by an out-of-network doctor while in a hospital, and the cost of such can be quite unexpected.

Rachel Bluth, Kaiser Health News

About 1 in 6 Americans were surprised by a medical bill after treatment in a hospital in 2017 despite having insurance, according to a study published Thursday.

On average, 16% of inpatient stays and 18% of emergency visits left a patient with at least one out-of-network charge. Most of those came from doctors offering treatment at the hospital, even when the patients chose an in-network hospital, according to researchers from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Its study was based on large employer insurance claims. (Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)

The research also found that when a patient is admitted to the hospital from the emergency room, there’s a higher likelihood of an out-of-network charge. As many as 26% of admissions from the emergency room resulted in a surprise medical bill.

“Millions of emergency visits and hospital stays left people with large employer coverage at risk of a surprise bill in 2017,” the authors wrote.

The researchers got their data by analyzing large-employer claims from IBM’s MarketScan Research Databases, which include claims for almost 19 million individuals.

Surprise medical bills are top of mind for American patients, with 38% reporting they were “very worried” about unexpected medical bills.

Surprise bills don’t just come from the emergency room. Often, patients will pick an in-network facility and see a provider who works there but isn’t employed by the hospital. These doctors, from outside staffing firms, can charge out-of-network prices.

“It’s kind of a built-in problem,” said Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation and an author of the study. She said most private health insurance plans are built on networks, where patients get the highest value for choosing a doctor in the network. But patients often don’t know whether they are being treated by an out-of-network doctor while in a hospital.

“By definition, there are these circumstances where they cannot choose their provider, whether it’s an emergency or it’s [a doctor] who gets brought in and they don’t even meet them face-to-face.”

The issue is ripe for a federal solution. Some states have surprise-bill protections in place, but those laws don’t apply to most large-employer plans because the federal government regulates them.

“New York and California have very high rates of surprise bills even though they have some of the strongest state statutes,” Pollitz said. “These data show why federal legislation would matter.”

Consumers in Texas, New York, Florida, New Jersey and Kansas were the most likely to see a surprise bill, while people in Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Maine and Mississippi saw fewer, according to the study.

Legislative solutions are being discussed in the White House and Congress. The leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee introduced a package Wednesday that included a provision to address it. The legislation from HELP sets a benchmark for what out-of-network physicians will be paid, which would be an amount comparable to what the plan is paying other doctors for that service.

That bill is set for a committee markup next week.

Other remedies are also being offered by different groups of lawmakers.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Do “Rude” Surgeons See Worse Patient Outcomes?

Not all surgeons are unprofessional. But when they are, do their patient outcomes suffer? It seems so, according to a new study published this week.

We can just get this out of the way, right up front: No, not all surgeons are jerks. Or unprofessional. Or think that they are God. But the stereotype persists. Surgeons, whether it is earned or not, do not have the strongest reputation for being warm, friendly paragons of professionalism. And, when this is true, when they are actually that way, it may mean worse outcomes for their patients, or so says a new study published in JAMA Surgery.

The study posed the following question: Do patients of surgeons with a higher number of coworker reports about unprofessional behavior experience a higher rate of postoperative complications than patients whose surgeons have no such reports?

The answer? It seems so.

For the study, researchers examined data on nearly 13,700 surgical patients and 202 surgeons from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, and analyzed post-op reports to identify any complication during the 30-day postoperative period, as well as whether or not the surgeons’ colleagues reported four kinds of unprofessional behavior: concerns about poor or unsafe care, unclear or disrespectful communication, lack of integrity, and an absence of professional responsibility.

The researchers found that when surgeons had one or more reports of unprofessional behavior during the previous 36 months, their patients were 12% to 14% more likely to experience surgical or medical complications during or following surgery.

The study concludes that, “It would seem that organizations interested in ensuring optimal patient outcomes should focus on addressing surgeons whose behavior toward other medical professionals may increase their patients’ risk for adverse outcomes.”

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

How Much PAs and NPs Make in Every State

How much do PAs and NPs make across the U.S.? We found out. How does your salary stack up against the average?

Using the latest data available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, we dug up the average salaries for PAs and NPs across the United States.

Some quick takeaways from the findings are:

  • NPs earn the most, on average, in California, Alaska, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.
  • PAs see top pay, on average, in Connecticut, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, and California.
  • On average, the least lucrative states for NPs are Alabama, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Kansas, and Kentucky.
  • For PAs, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama pay the least, on average.
  • PAs are paid more than NPs in the majority of the country, including 25 states, as well as the District of Columbia, though NP salaries outpace PA salaries in terms of dollar amount, as a whole.

How does your salary stack up against the average? Find out below.

State Physician Assistant
Average Annual Salary:		 Nurse Practitioner
Average Annual Salary:
Alabama $92,880 $95,970
Alaska $122,260 $122,880
Arizona $101,590 $110,750
Arkansas $99,280 $104,300
California $117,230 $133,780
Colorado $102,770 $111,210
Connecticut $125,610 $118,020
Delaware $105,300 $108,340
District of Columbia $114,740 $109,800
Florida $105,930 $101,100
Georgia $103,190 $106,750
Hawaii $121,120 $120,570
Idaho $109,090 $102,600
Illinois $108,260 $105,800
Indiana $96,090 $103,200
Iowa $110,550 $106,290
Kansas $104,720 $99,430
Kentucky $91,010 $99,790
Louisiana $85,990 $105,340
Maine $110,030 $103,220
Maryland $108,180 $115,060
Massachusetts $108,700 $122,740
Michigan $110,240 $106,880
Minnesota $116,200 $119,160
Mississippi $81,130 $109,700
Missouri $94,480 $102,470
Montana $106,130 $103,510
Nebraska $106,700 $103,800
Nevada $116,850 $112,540
New Hampshire $111,080 $109,460
New Jersey $116,270 $122,100
New Mexico $108,610 $109,810
New York $117,000 $120,970
North Carolina $104,680 $104,100
North Dakota $107,340 $106,200
Ohio $105,410 $101,970
Oklahoma $104,200 $103,280
Oregon $113,570 $110,010
Pennsylvania $98,510 $98,250
Rhode Island $103,710 $109,290
South Carolina $103,710 $99,910
South Dakota $102,830 $100,690
Tennessee $87,700 $95,990
Texas $109,590 $111,060
Utah $102,710 $105,840
Vermont $106,520 $106,000
Virginia $99,340 $105,170
Washington $123,980 $117,650
West Virginia $104,180 $100,690
Wisconsin $107,920 $106,790
Wyoming $116,890 $116,030

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

FCC Sets Vote on $100M Telehealth Program for Rural U.S.

The FCC will vote next month on a $100 million program that aims to expand telehealth to rural patients and veterans by funding technology for providers.

The Federal Communications Commissions will vote next month on the Connected Care Pilot Program, an effort to develop and expand telehealth programs for the United States’ underserved rural residents and veterans that comes with a $100 million price tag. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr announced the July 10th vote yesterday during a visit to a rural health clinic in Laurel Fork, VA.

The three-year program, which has the backing of multiple health organizations, focuses on funding healthcare providers through the Universal Service Fund to secure broadband services to enable low-income patients and veterans to access telehealth services.

“With advances in telemedicine, healthcare is no longer limited to the confines of traditional brick and mortar health care facilities With an Internet connection, patients can now access high-quality care right on their smartphones, tablets, or other devices, regardless of where they are located. I think the FCC should support this new trend towards connected care, which is the healthcare equivalent of moving from Blockbuster to Netflix,” Carr said in a statement released yesterday. He went on to explain that the program, which was revealed nearly a year prior to the proposed vote in July of 2018, “will focus on ensuring that low-income Americans and veterans can access this technology.”

The Connected Care Pilot Program aims to expand access to care, improve outcomes, and reduce costs by creating a “a model for the adoption of connected care technologies and bridging the doctor divide in rural America,” per the statement released by Carr.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

4 Ways to Make a Healthcare Facility Cleaner and Safer

Maintaining a clean and sanitary healthcare facility is vital, both for the patients being treated there and the medical professionals working.

by Anita Ginsburg

Maintaining a clean and sanitary healthcare facility is vital, both for the patients being treated there and the medical professionals working. If the facility is not as clean as possible, patients and employees alike can suffer from illness thanks to the high volume of bacteria around them, which impedes both your professionals’ ability to work and your patients’ healing.

Even clean medical establishments should always be looking to improve in terms of sanitization. The following tips can help industry professionals protect and promote the health and wellbeing of employees and patients.

Disinfect Daily

Bacteria builds up in public spaces and on public objects, especially in the fall and winter months. Doctors and other health experts have stated many times that disinfecting these public spaces and objects—waiting rooms, bathrooms, doorknobs—will minimize the chances of sickness spreading. Healthcare facilities’ cleanliness can be improved by diligently cleaning surfaces with antibacterial wipes and sprays.

Encourage Sick Employees to Stay Home

The urge to power through an illness and go to work is commendable, but doing so will only compromise the cleanliness of a facility and make things more dangerous for coworkers and patients. Those who are in charge of medical facilities should make clear to employees that it’s better to stay home and heal than it is to work while ill.

Utilize and Maintain an Industrial Boiler

Industrial boilers play a crucial part in the day-to-day operation of healthcare facilities. Along with heating the buildings, providing hot water to the kitchens and laundry rooms and maintaining ideal humidity levels, boilers are essential for sterilization. All instruments that come into contact with patients must be sterile, especially surgery equipment. Boilers pump the steam that aids in cleaning that equipment. Keeping your facilities’ boilers operating at peak efficiency will help keep your whole facility running smoothly.

Place Reminders around the Facility

While most people know about healthy habits, they often forget and fail to keep these habits in the midst of the average day’s hustle and bustle. Placing reminders around the facility helps to remind visitors, patients, and even professionals to keep these habits in mind, especially while in your facility.

Waiting room signs can remind visitors to cover their mouths while sneezing, and bathroom signs can remind people to wash their hands thoroughly. Hand sanitizer stations can also go a long way towards making a facility as clean as possible.

Anita Ginsburg is a freelance writer from Denver, CO. She studied at Colorado State University, and now writes articles about about health, business, family and finance. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family whenever she isn’t writing.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

PT, OT, and SLP Salaries in Every State

Using the latest data available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, we dug up the average salaries for PTs, OTs, and SLPs across the United States.

Using the latest data available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, we dug up the average salaries for PTs, OTs, and SLPs across the United States. How does your salary stack up against the average? Find out below.

State Physical Therapist
Average Annual Salary:		 Occupational Therapist
Average Annual Salary:		 Speech Language Pathologist
Average Annual Salary:
Alabama $90,620 $83,810 $71,240
Alaska $99,180 $86,860 $83,620
Arizona $88,800 $94,800 $74,710
Arkansas $81,430 $81,810 $73,660
California $97,110 $95,160 $93,510
Colorado $82,560 $89,770 $90,980
Connecticut $96,010 $90,780 $92,280
Delaware $93,880 $86,020 $81,440
District of Columbia $89,750 $94,360 $93,570
Florida $87,410 $81,520 $76,820
Georgia $86,320 $82,060 $77,730
Hawaii $90,540 $83,010 $76,330
Idaho $77,700 $81,230 $74,740
Illinois $90,690 $83,940 $77,120
Indiana $83,680 $79,870 $73,780
Iowa $82,960 $80,740 $76,020
Kansas $85,250 $78,720 $70,280
Kentucky $84,630 $79,460 $72,440
Louisiana $89,860 $85,490 $71,270
Maine $76,910 $72,160 $65,540
Maryland $85,170 $89,230 $84,960
Massachusetts $91,750 $87,160 $85,720
Michigan $91,160 $77,940 $78,220
Minnesota $83,750 $74,050 $75,590
Mississippi $89,720 $81,590 $64,560
Missouri $81,330 $75,120 $77,790
Montana $79,050 $74,940 $64,580
Nebraska $80,130 $76,850 $69,110
Nevada $107,920 $100,970 $77,620
New Hampshire $82,880 $79,850 $73,630
New Jersey $97,770 $96,600 $95,000
New Mexico $97,210 $81,660 $74,800
New York $87,470 $88,370 $90,820
North Carolina $87,560 $84,390 $75,310
North Dakota $78,120 $67,420 $67,340
Ohio $86,690 $85,720 $78,200
Oklahoma $84,860 $82,240 $81,700
Oregon $85,890 $90,720 $87,610
Pennsylvania $87,050 $81,030 $79,530
Rhode Island $83,850 $83,600 $80,450
South Carolina $85,450 $78,470 $71,600
South Dakota $76,200 $69,390 $58,860
Tennessee $82,920 $84,870 $77,140
Texas $92,940 $89,360 $75,800
Utah $85,940 $85,300 $78,840
Vermont $75,010 $76,840 $73,550
Virginia $91,700 $93,010 $86,090
Washington $85,930 $81,250 $73,220
West Virginia $89,420 $81,080 $61,070
Wisconsin $85,200 $73,390 $70,560
Wyoming $87,510 $82,010 $80,470

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Hiring Spotlight: CoreMedical Group

In this Hiring Spotlight, learn more about CoreMedical Group and the thousands of openings they have available for nurses, therapy professionals, and physicians.

Welcome to the Hiring Spotlight, a feature that takes a deeper look at companies that are offering excellent opportunities for you across the country.

Company Profile

For more than 25 years, CoreMedical Group has been a leader in healthcare staffing and recruiting for registered nurses, physical and occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, respiratory therapists, physicians, and medical management roles for placement in hospitals and healthcare facilities across the country. Their mission to “Connect People, Improve Lives, and Give Back” is the foundation of everything they do. With thousands of openings across all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, if the right position for you is out there, you can very likely find it with CoreMedical Group.

Take a look at a handful of their openings below, or view thousands of CoreMedical Group’s available jobs by clicking here.

Featured Openings

Nursing Jobs:

RN, Med/Surg $10K BONUS – Muskogee, OK

Immediate need for experienced Med/surg RN’s to join a leading hospital system. Prefer RN’s with 2+ years clinical experience in Medical/Surgical unit or related specialty. Active OK license, BLS Certified.

RN – Registered Nurse – Honolulu, HI

Client in HI seeking HI- TELE (RN) to work 12 hour shifts, Rotating Day / Night. Must work weekends. May be asked to be on-call at times. If voluntary on-call from regular scheduled shift, and called to report, hours will be paid at straight time for regularly scheduled shift.

RN, Nurse, Critical Care, ICU – Frisco, TX

Immediate need for a Registered Nurse with 2 or more years Critical Care / ICU experience in a fast-paced, high acuity setting to join a leading hospital system. BSN Degree preferred. ACLS, BLS Certified. Active TX license.

RN – Registered Nurse – Washington, D.C.

Client in DC seeking RN OR (RN) to work Weekends, Days (05:00-08:00)

RN – Registered Nurse – Los Angeles, CA

Client in CA seeking Staff Nurse Inpatient-CVICU/Coronary-Fast Response (RN) to work 07:00 AM to 07:00 PM

Advanced Practice Jobs:

Nurse Practitioner – Houston, TX

Immediate opening for an experienced Acute Care Nurse Practitioner to join a leading hospital. Qualified candidates will have 3 or more years experience. Must have TX License and prescriptive authority.

Physician Assistant – Albuquerque, NM

CoreMedical Group has partnered with a client in New Mexico that needs ongoing coverage for their Urgent Care. If you do not currently have a NM license but are interested, we can help facilitate this process for you.

Nurse Practitioner – Colorado Springs, CO

CoreMedical Group has partnered with a client in Colorado that needs ongoing coverage for their Neonatal program. This opportunity requires an active CO license.

Nurse Practitioner – Altoona, PA

CoreMedical Group has partnered with a client in Western Pennsylvania that needs ongoing APP coverage for their Hospital Medicine program. If you do not currently have a PA license but are interested, we can help facilitate this process for you. Night Shifts 7p-7a. Block Scheduling. Ongoing Need. Full Sub-specialty support. Market Competitive Rates.

Physician Assistant – Santa Clara, CA

CoreMedical Group has partnered with a client in California that needs ongoing coverage for their Urgent Care. If you do not currently have a CA license but are interested, we can help facilitate this process for you. Mon- Fri- 9 hr day- no weekend, no call. Must see all ages. Minor procedures. Market competitive rates.

Therapy Jobs:

Physical Therapist – PT – Portland, OR

Client in OR seeking Temp – PT – Home Health (Days) Portland, OR (PT) to work Days

Occupational Therapist – OT – Syracuse, NY

Client in NY seeking OT – Ongoing Saturdays (OT) to work Days

Speech Language Pathologist – SLP – York, PA

Client in PA seeking Temp – Rehabilitation – Speech Language Pathologist (Days) York, PA (SLP) to work Days

Occupational Therapist Outpatient Clinic – Rock Hill, SC

Immediate need for a Licensed Occupational Therapist to join a dynamic team of therapists. Prefer an OT with 1 or more years of experience working with pediatric patients. SC License.

Physical Therapist – PT – Macon, GA

Client in GA seeking Travel – PT – Physical Therapy (762) – Days (PT) to work 07:00-19:00

Physician Jobs:

Pediatric Practice Physician – Sidney, OH

Seeking a board certified or board eligible Pediatrician to join a very successful practice. Provider will see approximately 20 to 25 patients per day and enjoy a 1 in 4 call rotation with other employed pediatricians. The practice opportunity is about a 95 percent outpatient and 5 percent inpatient opportunity.

Urology Physician – Machias, ME

This is an opportunity to join a critical access, hospital affiliated multi-specialty group in a small town in Eastern Maine. The practice has been going strong for many years and continues to grow and progress with the times. This is a permanent position. Pay Rate median $450,000 annually and will be dependent on qualifications and experience. Incentive compensation based on WRVU generation. Relocation $10-15k. Sign on bonus $25k.

Physician – Sitka, AK

CoreMedical Group has partnered with a client in Alaska that needs ongoing coverage for their Emergency Medicine program. This opportunity requires an active AK license.

Physician – Punta Gorda, FL

CoreMedical Group has partnered with a client in Florida that needs ongoing coverage for their Neuro-Interventional Radiology program. If you do not currently have a FL license but are interested, we can help facilitate this process for you.

Physician – Williamstown, MA

Outpatient Primary Care. Board Certified FM or IM or BE within 2 years. BLS. Mon- Fri- 8a-5p with weekend call. October start date ongoing. Market competitive rates.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Is Your Nursing Career Making You Fat?

Is your nursing career making you fat? A new study says it could be. Take our poll and let us know just how much weight you think this study holds.

Employees with substantial workloads who experience exhaustion or burnout are more likely to emotionally eat and exercise less, behaviors that promote weight gain, according to a study published May 30th in the Journal of Health Psychology.

That sure sounds like a career in nursing, doesn’t it?

This isn’t the first time weight gain has been tied to the profession, either. Previous studies have found that nurses have a high rate of being overweight or obese, and that working the night shift can be linked to an increase in body weight. Though the job comes with many physical demands, and physical activity is a tried and true factor in maintaining a healthy weight, that doesn’t seem to help keep the pounds off when it comes to the emotional weight of nursing.

Have you packed on pounds since becoming a nurse, or do you feel as if this study doesn’t hold weight for you? Tell us below.

Have you gained weight, lost weight, or maintained your weight since becoming a nurse?:

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Trump’s Immigration Policies Bad for U.S. Elder Care Industry

Immigrants account for a quarter of the long-term care workforce. Who will care for the elderly, if Trump has his way on immigration?

The Trump administration’s proposed immigration policies could mean bad news for the long-term care industry.

According to a study published this month by Health Affairs, immigrants account for nearly a quarter of the long-term care workforce, which historically has seen high turnover and poor retention rates. The study found that immigrants make up 23.5% of the long-term care workforce, including 12% naturalized citizens, 8% legal non-citizens, and 3.7% undocumented immigrants, as well as accounting for 18.2% of healthcare workers as a whole.

“We rely heavily on immigrants to care for the elderly and disabled, particularly in their everyday care,” said Dr. Leah Zallman, the study’s lead author, an assistant professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School and the director of research for the Institute for Community Health at the Cambridge Health Alliance. “These policies are going to leave millions of elderly and disabled stranded without care.”

The study concludes by saying, “Curtailing immigration will almost certainly move us in the wrong direction, worsening the shortage and the availability of high-quality care for elderly and disabled Americans.”

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.