HealthPartners and American Hospital
Association Partner for National Launch of Joining Forces
HealthPartners Institute for Medical Education and the American Hospital
Association (AHA) have partnered with more than a dozen national
organizations to launch an initiative designed to generate awareness among
medical professionals and others within communities about the challenges --
medical, social and emotional -- that veterans and their families face as
they return home from military service. Through the Joining Forces program
medical professionals will be provided much needed education on dealing
with the medical issues facing our nation’s troops as they return
home from service through a series of online programs.
"Our returning troops have unique medical challenges, which are
sometimes difficult to detect," said Dr. Carl Patow, executive
director of HealthPartners Institute for Medical Education. "This
series sheds light on those conditions so physicians can provide our
returning troops with the best possible care."
HealthPartners first partnered with Twin Cities Public Television, the
Minnesota Army National Guard and Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs
to create the series in 2007 after learning that many veterans were seeing
their hometown physicians instead of military doctors for treatment after
deployments. After sharing throughout Minnesota,
the groups involved decided to promote nationally in an effort to help
veterans throughout the U.S.
Since that time, the AHA and more than a dozen organizations have signed on
to help spread the word about the program and ensure our returning troops
receive proper care and treatment.
“What began as an effort to educate health caregivers in one
community in Minnesota
about the special needs of returning veterans and their families has grown
into a collaboration among national organizations involving hospitals,
doctors, nurses, social workers, clergy and many others all across our
nation. Like hospitals everywhere, HealthPartners saw a need in their
community and partnered with others to meet that need. And in the best
tradition of community service, they want to make what they did available
to every individual and organization that cares about serving the women and
men who have served our nation in the military. The American Hospital
Association is proud to help make that happen, “said Rich Umbdenstock,
President and Chief Executive Officer, the American Hospital Association.
“One look at the organizations that are coming together to spread the
word about Joining Forces tells an important story about the debt we owe
our troops and the enormous level of support they enjoy back home.”
The four-part series focuses on the most common issues our returning
soldiers face.
The program was based on the award-winning medical conference recognized by
the Alliance
for Continuing Medical Education with the 2008 Award for Outstanding
Collaboration.
Visit www.joiningforcesonline.org for more
information and resources.
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"Fair Pay Act Signed by Obama"
National Underwriter (Property & Casualty - Risk & Benefits
Management Edition) (01/29/09) Postal, Arthur D.
President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law,
reversing a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting the ability of
workers to sue their employers for wage discrimination. The president was
accompanied to the signing by Lily Ledbetter, an Alabama woman who the Supreme Court
ruled was not entitled to sue for wage discrimination because she did not
file within 180 days of the alleged illegal practice. The new law restarts
the time period for filing a claim every time the wage or benefit is paid.
The new law also prohibits sex discrimination in the form of unequal pay unless
there are job-related factors, such as seniority, justifying the pay
disparity. Experts recommend employers review their compensation plans to
make sure they are not in violation of the new law.
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"Foreign Nurses Are Urged to Stay Calm Despite
Visa Slowdown"
Advance for LPNs (02/09) Dixon,
Mark E.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the Department of
Homeland Security has placed a hold on employment-based visas for foreign
nurses because of its expansive backlog. As a result of the USCIS decision,
foreign nurses could face waits up to three years to enter the United States.
While the hold applies to all nations, the Philippines,
China, and India are expected to suffer the most because
of the ban given that they supply the most foreign nurses to the United States.
Under the new policy USCIS will not process visas for workers whose
employers petitioned the government for them after Jan. 1, 2002, especially
for nations that exceed their quotas like China,
India, and the Philippines.
U.S. Lawmakers already are working on a solution to the visa backlog
because the country continues to face a shortage of healthcare workers. In
January, U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) introduced a bill to allow unused
visas from other countries to be added to the quotas of China, India,
and the Philippines.
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"New ADA Amendments Increase Burden for
Employers"
Business First (01/09/09) Pister, Sarah Jeffords
Congress recently passed legislation designed to broaden the scope of
individuals protected under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). As
of Jan. 1, 2009, employers will be required to comply with the ADA
Amendments Act of 2008, which expands the list of impairments used to
qualify individuals as disabled. The new impairments include problems
bending, reading, and communicating as well as impairments related to
significant bodily functions of the immune system, normal cell growth,
digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, and respiratory problems.
Employers will be prohibited from disqualifying employee's ADA status based on the employee's
corrected state. This change means that employees can still claim
disability if they are in remission or are dependent on a medication or a
device designed to control their symptoms.
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"Nursing Careers: Enjoying Healthy Growth
Despite an Ailing Economy"
Courier-Journal (02/22/09) Ungar, Laura
In the face of the economic downturn, employees around the country are
facing layoffs. However, one sector, nursing, appears to be holding steady,
even thriving. Despite the economic recession, hospitals are still
recruiting new nurses out of necessity as they deal with a current shortage
of qualified practicing and registered nurses, which will only get worse as
more Baby Boomers retire. Nursing offers workers a stable career, and some
government officials are calling the healthcare industry recession-proof.
Even colleges note an uptick among students interested in healthcare
careers, which is good news for hospitals attempting to fill vacancies. The
Kentucky Hospital Association says that almost 2,000 of the more than
20,000 nurses working in the state's hospitals are over the age of 55 and
in 2005 about half the registered nurses in Indiana were over the age of 45. While
many of these nurses may choose to delay retirement in the unstable
economy, they will eventually need to be replaced by younger workers, say
experts.
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"Workers Say 'No' to Giving up Work/Life Balance
in 2009"
Miami Herald (01/08/09) Goodman, Cindy Krischer
According to a recent "Finding Better Balance" survey conducted
by FedEx Office, workers rate work/life balance as more important to them
in 2009 than they did in 2008. With the economic recession in place,
employers are going to have to adopt a strategy that provides workers with
that work/life balance while at the same time ensuring business needs are
met. Workers plan to take all of their vacation time, prioritize their
projects, create weekly to-do lists to stay on track, leave work at
reasonable hours, and take a lunch break at the same time daily. Although
work/life balance is more important to workers in 2009, only 30 percent of
workers age 50 and over cite it as more important compared to 58 percent of
workers between the ages of 18 and 34. FedEx's Tracy Brightman recommends
workers set priorities and stick to them, garner support from other staff
early on in projects, and use technology to its fullest.
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"Back Benefits"
Health Facilities Management (02/09) Vol. 22, No. 2, P. 35; Brown, Lance
Ergonomics issues not only apply to nurses and nurse's aides, but to
environmental services (ES) workers and others. As a result, many
healthcare facilities are adopting ergonomics policies and equipment to
reduce employee-injuries. Janitors and ES workers are most at risk in the
healthcare setting for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) because they lift
heavy pails of floor finish and often use tools that are not specifically
fitted to their motions. According to Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) statistics, MSDs cost the nation's employers as much
as $50 billion annually. Hard floor cleaning is particularly hazardous for
ES workers, and MSDs can cause pains, numbness, tingling, and other
ailments among workers that lead to losses in productivity and absenteeism.
Human resource experts, however, have a number of options available to
them, including equipment solutions that are lightweight and easy-to-use.
Moreover, some of these products can reduce water use and reduce
floor-finish waste. A recent study found that, when compared to traditional
mop and bucket cleaning methods, ergonomically designed equipment reduced
forearm flexor effort by 36 percent, deltoid effort by 35 percent,
trapezius effort by 23 percent, and erector spinae by 36 percent.
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"Officials at Nonprofit Hospitals Say
Experience, Competition Key to Pay"
Dayton Daily News (OH) (02/22/09) DeBrosse, Jim
Compensation for nonprofit hospital executives and for-profit hospital
executives has become similar in recent years, as nonprofits work to
recruit and retain top executives without stock options, country club
memberships and other perks. In Dayton,
Ohio, for example, the
average compensation for nonprofit hospital executives surged 59 percent to
$922,000 in 2007 from $647,000 in 2002, reports the Dayton Daily News.
Critics insist the tax-exempt status of nonprofit hospitals means they
should not be competing with for-profit facilities, and they are calling
for federal and state lawmakers and state attorneys general's offices to
institute restrictions if boards of trustees do not. However, Jim Nelson, a
Minneapolis, Minn.-based compensation consultant for nonprofit entities,
says hospital chief executive officers have a high turnover rate, so
executives staying on for many years will accumulate hefty bonuses and
retirement benefits.
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"Compensation Teams and Corporate Health"
Trustee (02/09) Vol. 62, No. 2, P. 27; Bolster, C.J.; Wageman, Ruth
Allowing compensation committees to not only consult with chief executives,
but also the executive team about compensation can ensure goals are set,
rewards are tied to performance goals and compensation plans are effective
at retaining top talent and defensible. Children's National
Medical Center
in Washington, D.C., recently shifted from its
traditional format of allowing the CEO to make pay and performance standard
recommendations to the compensation panel to a system in which senior
managers present their strategic plans to the compensation committee in
detailed presentations including goals and metrics. The committee not only
receives information from executives, but also those managers dealing with
community service, operations, finance, patient services and IT. CEO Edwin Zechman
says, [We] decided that the committee should dig into the goals--make sure
they're real, stretch measurable metrics and do external
benchmarking," since the compensation plan applies to executives and
middle managers. This process ensures executives and board members are
aware of performance goals and rewards and independent fiduciaries are
prepared to make appropriate fiscal decisions.
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"Evolving Processes Optimize Staffing and
Productivity"
Advance for Health Information Executives (01/09) Vol. 13, No. 1, P. 39;
Trzcinski, James; Graves, Brian
The Ohio State University Medical Center (OSUMC), one of the Leapfrog
Group's 50 "Top Hospitals" with regard to quality and safety, has
made workforce productivity a top priority. With 8,800 employees, five
hospitals, a primary care network, and an affiliated cancer hospital, OSUMC
finds monitoring and measuring staff performance to be crucial for
clinical, financial, and operational purposes. OSUMC's performance
improvement efforts began in 1993, when it installed an automated time and
attendance system. Additionally, OSUMC implemented the Visionware labor
management solution in 1998, and a few years later integrated the system
with its budgeting process. The integrated solution was able to shave $1
million off labor costs in 2004, and its flagship hospital reported labor
costs that were $8 million under budget in 2007 and $5 million under budget
in 2008. When productivity levels in the nursing departments fell to 90
percent, the labor management solution helped the hospital calculate that
it was overstaffed by five full-time equivalents and that agency nurses
accounted for 15 percent of the nursing staff. OSUMC was able to replace
registered nurses with patient care associates in certain situations, and
it developed new staffing grids to coincide with budget and productivity
goals. In the future, OSUMC plans to bolster performance by launch a
structured process-improvement mechanism and use the labor management
solution to prioritize improvement opportunities and monitor their impact
on labor performance.
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"Training on a Shoestring"
HR Magazine (01/09) Vol. 54, No. 1, P. 66; Tyler, Kathryn
In the face of the current economic downturn, many HR professionals feel
pressured to reduce their training budgets. There are a number of
strategies that can streamline training operations without jeopardizing
important educational goals for employees. The first step to cutting
training expenses is to prioritize. Any training that is safety-related
and/or government-mandated should receive first priority followed by
training that affects the customer or influences the organization's brand.
Discrimination and sensitivity training programs should be continued
because, according to the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission, economic
turmoil often leads to an uptick in discrimination claims. Employers may
consider restricting formal training to pivotal and front-line employees
and consolidating training classes so that more employees can receive
training during fewer sessions. Organizations can reduce costs during each
session by eliminating catering and travel costs. One of the best ways to
achieve this goal is to invest in Internet-based training modules and
video-conference educational sessions using free services such as Skype,
Wiki databases, and Moodle. Free university programs offered online by
institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California,
Berkeley,
also are helpful in reducing training expenses.
Return to Headlines
"New Jersey Hospitals Gang Up On Ed
Violence"
Nurse.com (02/23/09) Thompson, Laura Eckert
After the New Jersey Hospital Association contacted the State Parole Board
in 2006, the board worked on creating teaching seminars to help healthcare
workers deal with the increasing risks related to gang members and
prisoners in hospitals. The parole board has been diligently teaching these
seminars at hospitals, universities, public schools and police departments
across the state to contain the spillover from gang violence. Gang signs,
colors, language and markings evolve constantly, which requires the parole
board to make sure its seminars include up-to-date information. A large
portion of the four-hour sessions is for training, while another chunk of
time is spent covering common gang markings. Specifically, the number
"232" inscribed within a pit bull tattoo indicates that a person
is involved with the Brick City Brim sect of the Bloods. A different Bloods
set will use a tattoo with the number "252." Once healthcare
workers identify potential gang members, these patients should be kept
separate from the general patient population. Workers learn awareness
through these seminars, while not being pushed toward a specific policy or
procedure, which hospitals can create on their own to address these issues.
Return to Headlines
"Agree to Disagree"
Modern Healthcare (02/23/09) Vol. 39, No. 8, P. 22; Jain, Sachin
Although they are by no means limited to the health sector, recruiting
errors can lead to a number of problems for healthcare organizations.
Errors can occur when job candidates have different objectives or
motivations than the organization's leadership or when selection committee
members fail to execute due diligence during the recruitment process. In
some cases hiring decisions are based upon prior hiring experience, which
may not mirror the current leadership or cultural situation. In other
cases, selection committee members may not assess the new recruit's
commitment to the position. To combat these difficulties in the hiring
process, recruitment committees should be allowed to have open and honest discussions
about candidates, permitting members to voice disagreements about
particular candidates. Due diligence should be preformed for each candidate
and candidates should be assessed in how they fit with the organization,
its mission, and culture. Members on the selection committee should be
allowed to voice concerns about candidates and hiring managers will want to
assess candidates' commitments to the job prior to hiring.
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"Health Cure"
Fortune Small Business (02/09) Vol. 19, No. 1, P. 57; Gray, Patricia B.
Premiums on group healthcare policies have risen by as much as 30 percent,
in addition to double-digit increases in each of the past five years, and
coverage is shrinking. Insurer consolidation means that policy choices are
more limited than ever, and the seller's market gives small business owners
little room to negotiate prices or terms. Rising healthcare costs come at a
time when sales and profit margins are down, preventing small businesses
from passing healthcare costs on to their customers. Small businesses
generally pay 18 percent more for health insurance than large companies,
and the number of small businesses that provide health insurance is
shrinking. However, many entrepreneurs are finding innovative ways of
covering themselves and their employees, providing them with a competitive
advantage. In some states, small businesses have joined together to qualify
for lower group rates on insurance. For example, in Cleveland, companies with fewer than 500
employees can buy health insurance through the Council of Smaller
Enterprises (COSE), a partner of the regional chamber of commerce. COSE
rates are about 8 percent lower than on the open market, and about 14,000
companies participate in the pool. Other small businesses are bypassing the
health-insurance market and covering employee medical costs directly,
though this is risky and could expose them to paying for lengthy illnesses
and treatments. Health insurance costs also can be pared in several ways,
including encouraging employees to switch to generic medications, taking
preventative measures during flu season, and limiting doctor visits for
colds and mild maladies. Some companies also penalize employees with
unhealthy habits such as smoking. Sixteen percent of the nation's largest
employers make workers who smoke contribute more to health-insurance
premiums.
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"Dental Coverage Reaches 60 Percent of
Consumers, Study Finds"
Insurance & Financial Advisor (03/01/09) Vol. 12, No. 1, P. 11
According to a recent report from The Long Group, conducted for Delta
Dental Plans Association, nearly 60 percent of Americans have dental
coverage, but about 6 million people deferred dental care in the last 12 months
because the cannot afford to pay for care and lack insurance coverage. In
many cases, workers see dental benefits as important as medical coverage,
retirement benefits, and prescription drug coverage. Those workers without
dental coverage are those earning less than $35,000, has only a high school
education, and is either older than 65 and retired or between the ages of
25 and 34. The study also found that the nation's at-risk dental population
makes up 11 percent of those without dental benefits or dental care.
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"While DC Plans Are Primary for Retirement,
Employers May Modify Designs to Cut Costs"
BNA Daily Report (02/10/09)
The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) has released a report that
indicates employees view defined contribution plans, such as tax code
Section 401(k) plans, as their primary retirement plan type. The report
adds that as these types of plans grow in importance, it is likely worker
contributions to such plans will need to grow even faster if workers expect
to be able to afford to maintain their current lifestyle in retirement.
Another report, by Hewitt Associates, indicates that many companies are
looking for ways to lower the costs of their retirement benefits in light
of today's economic climate. Strategies include not automatically enrolling
employees in the company's Section 401(k) plan or even eliminating company
matches. "It is important to remember that many of these changes are
temporary, especially regarding company matches," says a Hewitt
spokesperson. "There is a need to get the economy stabilized not only
to put people back to work but to help solidify workers' retirement plans
as their balances start going back up," says Craig Copeland, EBRI's
senior research associate and author of the EBRI report.
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"Physicians: A Prescription for Physician
Reengagement"
FutureScan 2009 (ACHE) (01/01/09) P. 23; Wong, Brian
A healthcare organization's leaders can get to the root cause of physician
disengagement by asking: What is preventing your professional fulfillment?
Within a two-year period, researchers from the American College
of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) surveyed more than 1,500 doctors and found
that physicians primarily seek three things--meaningful work with tangible
results, workplace camaraderie, and validation through positive feedback.
Hospital leaders must change the way they identify leaders who bring these
necessary attributes to a medical community. A "TRUSTED
colleague" is a physician who is a team player, respectful and
responsive, understanding and reserving of judgment, safe to approach in
stressful situations, talented, an executor of tasks, and dedicated. By
carrying out these changes within small groups of physicians, a hospital
can restore cooperation and trust between doctors and administrators and
foster a more rewarding work atmosphere over the long term. A maintained
focus on creating the absolute best environment in which to work and
receive care invigorates the staff, fostering a sense of community.
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Management and Leadership
"Developing Leadership Talent in Healthcare
Organizations"
Healthcare Financial Management (01/09) Vol. 63, No. 1, P. 66; Wells,
Wendy; Hejna, William
As the Baby Boomer generation nears retirement, leadership development
programs are more important to an organization's long-term success.
However, a recent survey revealed that just 41 percent of healthcare
executives are satisfied with the potential leaders they have developed. To
develop successful leaders, hospitals must first identify what attributes
are common among effective leaders. Most often effective leaders exhibit
integrity and strong interpersonal communication skills, but these leaders
also must effectively manage resource development and process improvement
initiatives. Executives also need to develop a preferred leader profile
that strategically defines leadership roles and assignments. Hospitals must
focus on recruitment and retention if they hope to cultivate successful and
effective leaders, say experts. Top leaders need to be engaged in talent
management and adequate resources need to be provided for recruitment and
retention efforts. It also is important to implement leadership development
at all levels of the organization to promote a culture of excellence. A
leadership assessment program must be place to determine how the leadership
development program impacts business operations. Focusing on the
fundamentals of leadership can help executives create a team that is
engaged and focused on the same mission and vision.
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"In Challenging Times, Leadership Skills and
Leader Development Matter"
Workforce Management (02/09) Emery, James; Sitkin, Sim; Siang, Sanyin
According to a recent Duke Executive Leadership Survey, ethical and
inspirational leadership is tied to organizational performance, and in
these harsh economic times, optimizing performance is essential.
Inspirational leaders are those who engage workers in the organization's
strategy and encourage employees to improve upon their own goals, while
ethical leaders are those who promote responsibility for all members of the
organization. Among the skills essential in a viable leader are the ability
to foster honesty, act with genuineness, accurately measure competition and
generate trust among all partners. Leaders must place long-term
organizational interests above personal gain because it leads to long-term
stability and prosperity for organizations, according to researchers. Even
in the midst of a recession, organizations should evaluate the performance
of leaders and ensure training is available to help them hone their skills.
Researchers note that more senior managers are willing to participate in
mentoring and coaching programs than in internal or external training
programs.
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"Picking the Right Transition Strategy"
Harvard Business Review (01/09) Vol. 87, No. 1, P. 46; Watkins, Michael
D.
There is no panacea for a smooth leadership transition, but there are many
ways to make the process less burdensome. Executives, who often rely on
past experiences when evaluating present circumstances, need to readjust
and consider the problems at hand to create specialized solutions to solve
those dilemmas. STARS is an acronym for the five most common situations
incoming executives are likely to face: start-up, turnaround, accelerated
growth, realignment and sustaining success. This model details the
challenges that may result from beginning a new project; rescuing a failing
business or business model; managing rapid growth; keeping a leading
organization competitive in the face of a changing market; and carrying the
torch after a successful and well-liked leader has departed. Once the
specific challenges are identified using the STARS model, the new leader
can apply a series of tested strategies to facilitate a smooth transition
and increase the chances for long-term growth. The problems an organization
faces also may require the incoming leader to change his or her management
style, depending on whether she or he is a “steward” or a
“hero.” In transitions, people are generally eager for change,
inspiration and vision, and are happier to support a leader exhibiting
these qualities. On the other hand, realignments require a more diplomatic
approach that emphasizes consensus-building, patience and pragmatic
decision making.
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