Trinity Health Selects Epic For New EHR Enterprise Platform
Trinity Health, one of the largest non-profit hospital systems in the U.S., announced today it will use Epic to implement an integrated electronic health record (EHR) and revenue cycle management platform. The company plans to roll out the new EHR platform to all of the system’s hospitals, ambulatory care centers, physician offices and continuing care programs in the coming years, according to their official press release. The Catholic healthcare system, based out of Livonia, Michigan, operates 94 hospitals and 109 continuing care locations across 21 states. Trinity’s goal is to create a single, comprehensive EHR for patients, consumers and employees. Patients and consumers will have access to online scheduling, e-visit, and simplified online bill pay tools, while physicians and clinicians will have a shared patient record which should improve patient safety and outcomes, according to the release. “People deserve customized and convenient healthcare experiences, including simple access to a complete health and billing record. At the same time, physicians and clinicians need tools that make it easier to practice medicine. We look forward to implementing a single, enterprise solution enabling us to deliver excellent, people-centered care,” said Mike Slubowski, president and chief operating officer of Trinity Health, in the press release. The company plans to train more than 100,000 employees on the new EHR platform, which could provide opportunities for Epic EMR conversion travel nursing jobs within the next four years.
Travel Nurse Market: High facility turnover expected as heavy flu season winds down
This year’s brutal flu season in the U.S. has lost its edge in recent weeks, according to the most recent Center for Disease Control data, but not without leaving a heavy impact on patients and facilities during the peak mid-winter months. An estimated 160 children died from the flu between fall 2017 and spring 2018, marking the deadliest flu season since 2012-2013 with 171 deaths, according to CDC data. That number is expected to rise once the data is finalized, according to a report on USA Today. <a href=’#’><img alt=’Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza HospitalizationsPreliminary cumulative rates as of 04-21-2018 * ** ‘ src=’https://public.tableau.com/static/images/CD/CDCFluData2017-2018/Sheet1/1_rss.png’ style=’border: none’ /></a> The season also saw cumulative hospitalizations across all age ranges of 105 out of every 100,000 people as a result of the virus. People age 65 and older were affected the most, with 454 hospitalizations out of 100,000 people at the peak of the season in mid-April. Facilities were swamped trying to meet patient care needs around the country, meaning travelers who locked down their contracts at the start of the year were offered extensions much earlier than expected, LiquidAgents Healthcare director of client advisory Oren Lavi said. “There was a major push for extensions early this year,” Lavi said. “On a typical 13-week contract, hospitals will wait 30 days or longer to offer extensions to travelers, but we were getting extension offers within two weeks of them starting at a facility.” During the seasonal transition in the next few weeks, travelers who impressed their facilities could potentially see additional extension offers as hospitals plan their summer staffing needs, Lavi said. The number of back-fill opportunities should also increase as hospital evaluate their staffing needs after the difficult flu season, Lavi said. “This is the time when hospitals will cut staff that didn’t perform as well as they hoped, but they still had to hire to meet patient care demands at the facility,” Lavi said. “Once those positions are cut, hospitals will have to back-fill to keep things running smoothly.”
Healthcare Roundup: Top Headlines April 23-27
As always, new technologies are introduced in the healthcare industry at what seems like a lightspeed pace, so experts and industry leaders are constantly evaluating and re-evaluating how it’s shaping the future of healthcare. This week’s top headlines reflect that trend and also point to some changes in healthcare practices among oncology patients and expectant mothers. Let’s take a look. Leaving a bad Yelp review doesn’t just affect restaurants–it impacts hospitals as well. Patients are using Yelp to gauge where they choose to receive care, and in some cases high scores match up with quality care, but some experts argue the review platform is doing more harm than good. Read the full story here. Children can run you ragged, but it’s not their fault. They have as much energy as adult high-endurance athletes. A recent study found that pre-pubescent children not only recover faster from high intensity exercise better than well-trained adults, but their muscles are actually more resistant to fatigue. Check out the full results of the study here. The FDA is going all in on pushing AI tech in medicine and drug development “AI holds enormous promise for the future of medicine,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in prepared remarks for the Health Datapalooza conference Thursday in Washington. “We’re actively developing a new regulatory framework to promote innovation in this space, and support the use of AI-based technologies.” Read the full report on CNBC here. Doctors should be seeing new mothers more frequently, and mothers should get better coverage, according to industry expert recommendations These recommendations come on the heels of growing concerns about the rising rate of pregnancy-related deaths and near-deaths in the U.S. in recent years. You can read the full NPR report here. When cancer puts a patient’s back against a wall, immunotherapy seems to be the Hail Mary–but is it effective? Desperation oncology. It sounds like a last-ditch effort to save a dying patient, and in many cases it is, but some doctors argue rolling the dice on untested immunotherapy is better than nothing. Read the full story here.
#NursesTakeDC movement closes on third year, continues push for safe nurse-patient ratios
For the third consecutive year, hundreds of nurses took to the lawn of the U.S. Capitol building this week as part of the #NursesTakeDC movement, whose goal is to raise public awareness of unsafe nurse-patient ratios and push legislation to regulate the issue. I’m rallying with #nursestakedc today in front of the Capitol to demand safe staffing ratios. Safe staffing saves lives. pic.twitter.com/yNvDjDZuJG — Jan Schakowsky (@janschakowsky) April 26, 2018 The grassroots movement has grown each year in both the number of speakers in the industry and number of attendees who support it. The movement’s goal is to combat unsafe staffing practices at hospitals, which contributes to nursing burnout, lower quality patient care and a higher risk of patient death, according to the Nurses Take DC website. Several studies have gone into the impact of high nursing-patient ratios over the years. One of the most recently published on the National Center for Biotechnology Information looking at ICU patient ratios found that “exposing critically ill patients to high workload/staffing ratios is associated with a substantial reduction in the odds of survival.” A major goal of the campaign is to lean on federal legislators to move forward with the Nurse Staffing Standards and Quality Care Act of 2017 (S. 1063 and H.R. 2392), which would amend the Public Health Service Act to establish safe nurse-patient staffing ratios across all hospitals, according to their website. Did you know @SenSanders @BernieSanders is a sponsor of safe staffing levels!? We need more sponsors…how about @SenBooker & @SenatorMenendez ?? #S1063 #safestaffing @nursestakedc https://t.co/d9G9tmjGZZ — HPAE (@hpaeaft) April 26, 2018 The bill is modeled after similar legislation for ICU nurses in California and Massachusetts, which are currently the only states with established laws limiting nurse-patient ratios. Along with establishing minimum ratios, the bill would protect “whistleblowers” who speak out against unsafe staffing conditions from being terminated, according to a press release. @SenSherrodBrown @SenWarren @SenSanders @janschakowsky @RepGutierrez @RepBobbyRush @RepMikeQuigley @keithellison @RepYvetteClarke Come out Thursday 4/26 Permit Area 1, west side of Capitol, to meet thousands of nurses. pic.twitter.com/bLaosNTf1u — Doris BSN RN-BC CCRC (@DorisCarrollRN) April 21, 2018 The bill was introduced in 2017 during the last #NursesTakeDC rally on May 5 but stalled quickly after being introduced in the House and Senate. Part of the movement’s strategies this year was to educate nurses on how to effectively lobby legislators about the issue. If you would like to learn more about the Nurses Take DC movement, visit NursesTakeDC.com #NursesTakeDC Tweets
Getting The Right Experience To Land Your First Travel Nurse Job
Picture this; you pick up a call from a recruiter at a staffing agency, and the conversation is going great. You are answering each of their clinical questions with confidence and the connection is perfect between the two of you. They’re asking if you have your ACLS, BLS, PALS, and you even start filling out the skills checklists with them over the phone. They can’t hide their excitement as they promise you $2,500 weekly take home at a level I trauma facility in the city, and you think you have finally made it to the big leagues. Then they ask exactly how long you have been a nurse, so you reply honestly, “Well, I just graduated with my BSN about 6 months ago, but I am ready to hit the floor running.” Just like that, the mood shifts. The recruiter shuts down and starts rushing you off the phone. “Ok, just send me your resume, I will follow up this week. Don’t call me, I’ll call you.” You know something has gone terribly wrong. You think to yourself, “How could I have been so gullible? Will I ever get a high-paying travel nursing gig?” Get the right travel nurse experience When you graduate from nursing school, you are so eager to find a job and start putting those hard-earned skills to use. Not so fast. The experience you gain post-graduation can determine your future as a travel nurse. If you see a fast-paced, high paying travel nurse gig in your future, you must pave the way for that early on. Urgent care clinics, correctional care, home health and SNF/rehab facilities can all be rewarding positions, but they aren’t exactly the experience that a facility is looking for in a potential traveler. For example, if you see yourself working at a Level I trauma center and teaching facility, your externship or first job should be at a facility with those same qualifications. Use this to get your foot in the door with your recruiter, and make sure to highlight it on your resume. Travel nurses are expected to adapt quickly, and if you have not been in bedside care or worked the floor of a hospital, your resume will fall to the bottom of the barrel quickly. Direct bedside care is the most important thing that facilities want to see in your experience. Travel nurse charting Charting can be an obstacle for even the most seasoned travel nurses. If you can show that you know multiple mainstream charting programs, you will get a big leg up on your competition. Soak up this knowledge early on in your career, or take some classes on the commonly used systems. Since you will not get as detailed of an orientation as a staff nurse, you are expected to be familiar with the facility’s charting program upon arrival. Some facilities even require that you are proficient in their program before you ever receive a job offer. Lynda.com is a great resource for either learning or brushing up on specific computer charting software. Here are some of the main charting programs used in facilities today: Meditech Cerner McKesson EPIC Systems Siemens Travel nurse certifications You know we had to bring these up. They’re not always cheap–and some are a pain to obtain–but being overly certified is never a bad thing when trying to stand out amongst a crowd of like-minded applicants. As a newly graduated nurse, obtaining as many certifications as you can within your specialty is a great way to boost your knowledge and highlight your resume. Facilities look to their travel nurses to be well educated and up-to-date with the latest clinical topics. Proving you’re certified solidifies your credibility. Cleaning up your travel nurse resumé Let’s face it; you lack experience, the one thing that a resume is supposed to highlight. Or do you? Here are a few tips from Oren Lavi, the director of client advisory at LiquidAgents Healthcare that will help transform you into a marketable candidate within the travel nursing industry: Add your externships and internships. If you graduated with any type of honors, such as magna cum laude, list that under your education. Get to know your managers. Detailed references are very important, especially if they take the time to write a positive comment about your work. Your agency will use those to really sell you to their clients. List any and all special experience, specialized skills or traits that you have picked up in your nursing career. Even though you are relatively new to the field, you can still learn a lot in a short period of time on the floor. Don’t be shy about your skills! Find a travel nurse recruiter and agency that understands your needs When you’re looking for your first job, jumping on the first opportunity offered, especially if you haven’t gotten a ton of other offers, seems like the right thing to do. Wrong! Rushing into a contract just to get some extra lines on your resume is the fastest route to burnout. Compromising too much could mean you’ll end up stuck 13 weeks in a city you hate at a hospital that isn’t traveler friendly. Now that doesn’t mean to wait for your fairytale travel nurse job to come along, because you’ll be waiting forever. Realistically, most contracts will come with a bit of compromise, but you shouldn’t have to give up everything just to make a travel job work. This is where your recruiter and agency should come to the rescue. What you don’t want is a recruiter or agency who are pushing you to take jobs at facilities or locations you don’t want just to fill a quota. A good recruiter who knows the market should be able to find you a position that fits most, if not all, of your criteria and will work with you to make your first experience a great one–and a good agency should provide multiple opportunities in the market for that recruiter to choose
4 Steps For Filing A Tax Extension Before The Deadline
The average American may be able to do some last minute homework and get their taxes filed on time, but for travelers, it can be a major challenge to track down all the necessary information and documents since they work at multiple facilities and states every year. Even if you have all the necessary paperwork and can file right away, travelers should still apply for an extension, which will give you until October 15 to properly file your taxes, tax advisor and TravelTax.com owner Joseph Smith said. Reason being–It’s always better to take the extra time provided from an extension to file everything correctly than rush it and be at risk of potential massive penalties from an IRS audit in the future. “Multi-state professionals should make extensions a part of their lives as they usually don’t get their documents until late,” Smith said. For all of those forgetful folk and procrastinators out there, here are four easy steps to properly file your extension. Step #1: Breathe Just because you forgot to file earlier doesn’t mean the IRS audit fairy will knock down your door the next morning and steal the money from your wallet. An estimated 10 million Americans file for extensions every year, both to ensure accuracy and to get the most out of their tax returns. Extensions will help you avoid a failure-to-file penalty, which starts at five percent of your unpaid taxes for each month or part of a month that it’s late, up to a maximum of 25 percent. Keep in mind that this doesn’t excuse you from the late payment penalty if you owe money, but the penalty for paying late is much lower than filing. It’s typically one-half percent of your unpaid taxes, but it also maxes out at 25 percent. Step #2: Get Your Extension Form You can download the extension form by clicking here, or by visiting the IRS website. You can file your extension online or by mail. If you choose to file by mail, make sure to double check the bottom of the form because it has the mailing address where you will send the form. Also, make sure the mail is postmarked by April 17, or April 18 if you live in Maine or Massachusetts. Step #3: Check your state tax extension rules If you worked in a different state last year, you’ll also need to file state tax extensions. It gets a bit tricky here because some states will automatically grant you an extension if you file for a federal extension, but not all of them do, and the failure to file penalty is sometimes even harsher at the state level. You can find a full list of tax extension rules by state here. Step #4: Do your homework Now that your extension is squared away, it’s time to actually file your taxes. There are a wide variety of filing software programs you can use, but TurboTax is the most popular choice. If the process seems too complicated or you’re not sure what information you need, consider getting help from a tax professional who understands how to properly file for travelers. Consulting with a tax pro can help you avoid errors on your forms, and can also set you up for success by helping you establish a tax home or avoid filing mistakes on your forms because of the new tax reform changes.
Location and Legislation: Factors Impacting the Traveler Job Market (Part 2)
In this two-part series, HCT Today asked Oren Lavi, director of client advisory at LiquidAgents Healthcare, about what major factors impact where travel nurses tend to work and why. To read Part 1, click here. Fewer staff nurses, more jobs One of the more obvious factors that drive travel nurses to a location is to fill the gaps at understaffed or overworked facilities around the country. The aging Baby Boomer population is the primary catalyst for this staffing void; as the senior citizen population grows, demand for ongoing care will skyrocket. Aging also affects the staff nurse population, as one-third of the current nursing workforce is expected to retire over the next decade. It’s not all doom and gloom–the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of registered nurses to climb 15 percent by 2026, meaning more than 435,000 nurses are expected join the workforce. Until then, hospitals will lean on travelers to ease the employment shift. “Just generally speaking there’s a nursing shortage,” Lavi said. “When I started in this market 10 years ago, there was a demand, but it has just exploded recently. The volume of needs has increased. Not only the numbers of facilities that use travelers in general but the number they’re asking for has actually increased.” Hospitals are also seeking travelers as a cost-effective stop-gap to hiring permanent staff, according to a 2017 U.S. hospital nursing labor cost study conducted by KPMG. While staff nurses typically see a much lower base wage, hospitals also have to account for insurance, training and recruiting costs–things that are handled by staffing agencies for travel nurses. Since these extra costs are handled by agencies, travel nurses actually end up costing less on average than staff nurses, according to the study. Mergers and acquisitions Hospital and staffing agency mergers were announced at a record-breaking pace in 2017, and that trend is expected to continue this year. These mergers can be a double-edged sword for the market, Lavi said. Hospital mergers could bring benefits to nurses, depending on if they are acquired by larger hospital systems. In most cases, a larger hospital system that is already used to having supplemental staff will implement the same policies at new facilities they acquire, Lavi said. Hospitals acquired by smaller entities will often try to cut down on supplemental staff to manage operating costs–but this usually has a negative effect on full-time nurses, which generates even more need for travelers. “It creates a complete 180 [degree] effect,” Lavi said. “Hospitals realize their permanent staff is overworked; they’re working with higher ratios; they’re working too hard, and they actually now need more supplemental staff than if they had supplemented just a little more in the beginning.” The goals of the traveler It’s up to individual nurses to decide where they want to work and why, but knowing these market factors can help travelers plan proactively, Lavi said. One of the best ways to stay informed is to find a source you can trust, like a good recruiter, and to ask plenty of questions. “If a nurse is not asking questions, sometimes their recruiter will be so focused on finding their next position that they forget to give them the information to make the proper decision,” Lavi said. Sometimes the best question a traveler should ask themselves is why they are traveling in the first place. “Some nurses want to go to a destination because that’s where they want to go,” Lavi said. “Some of them have family in the area and it’s a good way to spend 13 weeks. Some nurses want to try out a state before potentially relocating there, and some nurses just want to go for the adventure. “It could be just about anything, but really it’s the nurse’s individual preference as to what factors guide them to either get into travel nursing or traveling to certain destinations.”
Managing Travel Healthcare Compliance Documents Digitally
The healthcare industry has more than its fair share of paperwork, and compliance documentation relating to healthcare professionals is a large part of that. The number of credentialing documents required increases annually, thanks in large part to the increased usage of vendor management systems by many hospitals. This volume of documentation is critical to your employment and not having the right paperwork can be impactful. If documents are missing or have expired, you may not be able to start an assignment. If already on assignment, you could be removed from the schedule until the document has been updated. Gathering, securely sending, and storing all these clinical documents and skills checklists can be a challenge for both facilities and individuals. Healthcare providers spend tens of thousands of dollars each year on software to manage these compliance files; individuals, thankfully, can do so for free. And, yes, you need to be storing your own documents. When you rely on an agency to do it for you, you could wind up scrambling if there are certain documents they won’t release to you, like the documents they paid to have completed. Manage Travel Nurse Compliance, Allied Health Compliance Digitally While a flash drive is a handy tool to keep documents, it can be lost or damaged. As an alternative (or, better, as a back up), there are several web-based tools for nurses to use. Many of these are likely familiar. Dropbox: Free for up to 2GB of storage, more than enough for all of your compliance documentation. If, however, more space is needed, it’s just $10 a month for up to 1,000 GB of storage. Google: Google provides 15GB of free storage across all of its online programs, including Gmail, Drive, and Photos. Additional storage is inexpensive: 100GB of space for just $1.99 a month and $9.99 for a massive 1TB. Microsoft OneDrive: Microsoft keeps making tweaks to its OneDrive online storage plans, but for now, the company is offering 5GB of storage for free. For 50GB of space, it’s going to cost you $1.99 a month. Online compliance document management services The only problem with these online tools is that the person you are sending documents to may have trouble opening or accessing them without login credentials. Luckily, there are other tools, like those from StaffDNA, that are free and allow individuals to securely store career documents and paperwork in one central location. Documents can then be shared from the site with a single click, passing a complete file to whoever needs it in a format that’s accessible without the need to log in anywhere. Where these sites differ from other online storage options, though, is that in addition to being easily shareable with prospective employers, nurses are notified of expiring documents, so everything is kept up to date. These tools are very helpful when working with a new employment recruiter or prospective employer, making it easy to complete much of the credentialing work required at the start of a relationship.
3 Signs Your Travel Nurse and Recruiter Relationship is Healthy
You’ve likely heard the complaints from another travel nurse: “I can never get in touch with my recruiter when I need her. She only calls when it’s time to find my next job.” Or the equal but opposite complaint: “I can’t ever get my recruiter off the phone. Doesn’t he understand that I’ll call him if I need something?” The travel nurse and recruiter relationship, like any other relationship, is whatever the participants make of it, and it only works if both sides are happy. So, while each traveler may have their own preferences around style and frequency of communication, there are a few higher-level hallmarks that a successful recruiter-traveler relationship is going to have. Open and honest communication Not every job is going to go well, you and your recruiter hope that it will, but they don’t always. When you have a good relationship with your recruiter they can help with that. Maybe it’s just having someone to vent to, release some of that frustration so you don’t explode. But your recruiter can be more than a sounding board. They can communicate your concerns or frustrations to the hospital and be your champion. They can help you turn around a bad situation. Or, if it comes to it, help you get out of your contract without ruining your reputation. Like-mindedness There’s nothing like having that person who knows what you’re thinking without you having to say it. It’s great in a spouse. It’s great in a friend. And it’s great in a recruiter. It comes from a like-mindedness that cuts out the round and round that too often happens when it’s time to find your next placement. When a travel nurse and their recruiter are on the same page, you won’t get those jobs that seem to come out of left field. You see jobs that your recruiter knows you’ll like and meet established criteria, not because it’s going to pay them well if they fill it. Availability Your recruiter should be available when you need them. And they should be ready to communicate in the ways that you prefer. But whether that’s through a text message, an email, or a phone call, your recruiter should be responding to you in a timely manner when you try to get in touch. If they don’t get back to you or are never available, it’s a sign that maybe you aren’t as valuable to them as you should be. How do you get these 3 things? It’s pretty simple: Set expectations at the beginning. A recruiter can’t read your mind, so tell them to what it will take to make you happy. Help them help you. Let them know how you prefer to communicate. Maybe you want a weekly call to check in. Maybe you only want a call as your contract wraps up. Maybe you don’t want calls at all and prefer text messages. Tell them early, that makes open and honest communication much easier. Tell your recruiter what you want from an assignment. Let them know what you want to be doing and where you want to be doing it. Let them know what will make you happy. This builds like-mindedness and allows them to look for those things in your next placement, so you spend less time saying no and more time working.
Enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact Update: Questions Answered
After we posted our story about how new enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact states are handling the transition process, we got some specific questions from readers about the topic. We are still working to answer some of those, but we did want to answer what we could. Q: “I was told some Florida hospitals are still requiring travel nurses to have an actual FL license. I was planning on not renewing my Florida license because I have an Iowa compact license.” -Madonna A: Thanks for writing in, Madonna. We’ve got some good news and bad news. The bad news is that rumor seems to be correct. Some hospital systems in Florida are not accepting nurses who have multi-state licenses at this time. We’ve reached out to them to figure out why. The good news is if you are from out of state and hold an active single-state license for Florida, it’s still valid. There are also no shortages of hospitals to choose from when looking for places to work in the state. It’s important to remember, however, that once your single state license expires, you won’t be able to renew as long as you have a multi-state license from a compact state, according to eNLC rules. Do you need answers to your burning enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact questions? Check out our enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact coverage for more info, or send us an email with your question. Got a great story or news tip about the travel healthcare industry? Reach out to us today.