Two sides are warring over the passage of a bill mandating nurse-to-patient ratios and increasing transparency in work protections.
Senate Bill 182, sponsored by Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, D-Las Vegas, passed through the assembly on June 2 and is awaiting a signature from Gov. Joe Lombardo. The bill is aimed at reducing nurse burnout and increasing patient safety by establishing maximum limits on the number of patients nurses can be assigned to in various hospital units, policies for additional compensation and keep records of any refusals, objections and requests to be relieved.
Registered nurses at Henry Ford Rochester Hospital plan to strike June 9-June 14 following a breakdown in contract negotiations with the hospital's administration.
It is believed to be the first time in Henry Ford's 110-year history that there has been a labor strike, said the hospital's spokesperson, Lauren Zakalik.
Key issues in negotiating a new contract for the union nurses are wage increases and implementing nurse-to-patient ratios that they say will ensure safer staffing and prevent burnout among workers.
The health plan that covers some 750,000 current and former state employees and their families has hit a stone wall in negotiations with its pharmacy benefit manager, CVS Caremark, and is pondering legal action against the company, the Office of the State Treasurer announced on June 5. The company owes the state tens of millions of dollars and is trying to rewrite their contract to get out of having to pay it back.
More than a month after the Crozer Health system collapsed, some laid-off employees are struggling to get the unemployment benefits they're entitled to. A total of 2,651 employees were laid off when Taylor Hospital shut down on April 26 and Crozer Chester Medical Center permanently closed on May 2. Julia Simon-Mishel, supervising attorney at Philadelphia Legal Assistance, says many people face challenges when trying to access unemployment benefits.
By prolonging the search for a provider, ghost networks can delay patients' ability to get diagnosed and treated, or cause them to forgo care altogether. But regulatory efforts to force insurance companies to update their directories or penalize them for inaccurate provider information have fallen short, prompting some patients to turn to the courts.
A U.S.-based biotech company has unveiled a new IVF option that allows parents to select embryos based on genetic markers tied to health and longevity. DNA testing and analysis company Nucleus Genomics has announced the world's first genetic optimization software that 'helps parents pursuing IVF see and understand the complete genetic profile of each of their embryos.'