[Zookeeper3]

Originally Posted by CritterLover

And on an inpatient level, the hospital isn't even able to bill for supplies.

Insurance companies pay according to DRGs, not what the patient received. Connecting the supply with the patient via "charging" systems does three main things:

1. Helps to support what the billers code for, DRG-wise
2. Helps with inventory
3. Helps with allocation of the budget throughout the hospital

For outpatients (including the ER), it is a little different and those departments can bill for certain supplies, but not all of them.

next admit, ask for an itemized bill. From a personal perspective, some billable supplies were denied as "unnecessary" from my own admit. Now, I'm not suggesting that every billable item is covered by insurance... this varies too off topic from the post. How the insurance company reimburses is not the issue... I

[rgroyer1RNBSN]

I also insert Piccs, but Im certified, Im also a Supervisor. No radial is not the only art line my nurses do. Art lines can be a pain to insert, sometimes more difficult then an IV.

[hrvojefranjic]

Originally Posted by suzanne4

If the nurse can draw an arterial blood gas, then this is not any more painful and not much different in the technique in placing an a-line.

That`s the right answer. What`s a difference between "simple" art-line placement and complicated art blood sampling for ABS? No difference.
From patient point of view, this procedure should be done by licenced expert. Nurse or MD?...Hm...whatever...just to be skilled.

[nursejill155]

I never have heard of an RN doing an A-line! I thought it was a MD responsibility only! I have seen some pretty bad outcomes of a-lines that people have messed up because of a hard stick! I don't think I want that responsibility!

[PageRespiratory!]

Originally Posted by KC531

....RN's can twiddle with the vents all day long......

>
Yikes!

[registerdin2006]

RT's do the a-lines at my facility. We also have CV-techs, who are further trained RT's-they do our PICC lines and set up our PA caths when a pt. returns from OR, they also line out our balloon pumps when a pt. returns from OR. They are an excellent resource when we are busy hanging/titrating gtts and don't have time to mess with time consuming procedures.

[PageRespiratory!]

Originally Posted by CactusFlower

Any of you starting your own artlines? At my current facility this is under the realm of respiratory. Have had too many bad experiences for some reason and I want to get my hospital to get the P&P started with an instructional program for the ICU RNs.

>
What kind of problems?

[RN1980]

we can insert them here only after you attend a 8 hr work shop/inservice of "icu skills". once you get signed off on it you have to do atleast 1 under supervision of the icu doc or anesthersia, after that if you get a order for a-line by all accounts you can attempt placement. when i was new, i'd do them every chance i'd get, heck i'd do others nurses lines. but now i'm older and it's lost it's appeal to me so i tell everyone that i've let my skill certification lapse. and yes they can be messy and difficult, but if you keep your head and make for certain there is adequate circulation thiings will turn out ok, for the most part that is.....

[msjangir]

In my facility a-line insertion done by doctors most of times. RN can insert a-line with doctors consent.