8-hour shifts save money?

[MunoRN]

I am no billing expert, so I'm hoping some of you out there are. Hospitals in my state are pushing to move to 8-hour shifts claiming that they can increase revenue/save money, although they won't reveal how. (Supposedly $6 million a year at a 250 bed hospital). Does anyone know where this savings/increased revenue comes from?

It's been suggested that they can increase their medicare reimbursements by using 3 Nurses a day instead of 2, even though the total Nurse hours are the same either way, anybody know if this is true? Any other ideas how this saves money?

[tntrn, ASN, RN]

In some places OT is only accrued after 40 hours of work.....so you might work 16 one shift and 16 the next and and none of that would be OT.

We get OT after 8, if we are sheduled for 8, over 12 if we are scheduled for 12. Personally, I don't want someone who's worked 12 or maybe 3 12's taking care of me or mine.

[MunoRN, RN]

. Personally, I don't want someone who's worked 12 or maybe 3 12's taking care of me or mine.

Any particular reason for that?

[PMFB-RN, RN]

Well there you have it. I live in California , and I assumed that was the way it works everywhere. Now I don't have an answer for the original question... I'm not really sure how it saves money if you already don't have to pay overtime.

*** Nurses working 12 hour shifts in California don't get 4 hours of overtime either. There is an exception in the law for those who are under contract. I spent 9 weeks doing per diem work in Ca and got OT for ever hour over 8 cause as a per diem I wasn't under contract. Howver the staff nurses I was working with did not make OT for their regularly scheduled 12 hour shifts.

[lrobinson5]

*** Nurses working 12 hour shifts in California don't get 4 hours of overtime either. There is an exception in the law for those who are under contract. I spent 9 weeks doing per diem work in Ca and got OT for ever hour over 8 cause as a per diem I wasn't under contract. Howver the staff nurses I was working with did not make OT for their regularly scheduled 12 hour shifts.

That I didn't know, but it makes so much sense. I always wondered why any hospital would offer longer shifts if they had to give overtime. Turns out they don't .