antitrust laws in ohio

[memehehe]

Its been brought to my attention that ohio hospitals are comming together(collusion) and forcing price caps on what travel nurse agencies and agencies in general can charge the hospital. The hospitals are forcing the agency to sign a contract that says they will charge no more then say $40 per hour. I say force because if they do not sign they don't get any business. This is very clearly an attemt to artificially lower wages for nurses. NOW! antitrust laws were designed to prevent anything that would interfere with natural free market forces and promote competition. It dose not take a rocket scientist to figure out that this will effect supply and quality of nursing care long term. How can these hospitals get away with this? Please, dose anyone have more info on these issues. I'm pretty sure that the federal trade commision and specifically the antitrust division has oversite on this issue.

[menetopali]

the Sherman Act (1890) is probably the most recognizable law that the hospital's apparent actions violate. the Department of Justice is responsible for Anti-Trust law enforcement (not oversight as the hospitals are presumably private entities). contact DOJ anti-trust enforcement division for your region at:

Plaza Nine Building

55 Erieview Plaza, Suite 700

Cleveland, Ohio 44114-1816

[phone]

you can also contact FTC who regulates trade under the FTC Act through civil proceedings.

Suite 200

1111 Superior Avenue

Cleveland, Ohio 44114

[phone]

If the practice is strictly an Ohio one, perhaps contacting state government would be your most expediant route. also, if you have personally sufferred damaged you may, as much as it pains me to say, want to consult an attorney and file suit against the hospitals that you believe are acting illegally and have caused you damages.

hope this helps a little.

"Liberals want the government to be your Mommy. Conservatives want government to be your Daddy. Libertarians want it to treat you like an adult." - Andre Marrou

[Lanceman]

It probably won't last long when they can't get an agency or travel company to come to their hospital. Travelers will just go somewhere else. After their agency takes their cut the nurse would probably be looking at making the same as a staff nurse, not going to get many travelers/agency nurses that way for sure. Two of the top incentives for travelers are housing allowances and higher pay, the company can't do that on 40 dollars an hour. Here's an article from the hospitals about travel nurses and what they pay.

http://www.hpae.org/whatnew1020041.htm

[barefootlady, ADN, RN]

Ohio is just one of many states determined to cap their costs and boost profits on the backs of their most "expensive" labor costs. Nv, Az, Fla, and

pockets in other states are attempting to force travel nursing placement agencies to sign this type of contract. With the new ratio law in effect in Ca, there is much speculation this will happen there next. HCA owns All About Staffing and has several areas they recently acquired exclusive contracts to staff non-HCA facilities. Travel nurses are being asked to take pay cuts if they extend on current contracts because AAS has subcontracted with the nurses current company. Right now there are enough facilites that still offer a proper wage for travel nurses but if these actions continue there will no place for the travel nurse left to go but home.

Be assured, if this happens to the travel nurse, the regular staff nurse will be shafted also. :angryfire

[lindarn]

Ohio is just one of many states determined to cap their costs and boost profits on the backs of their most "expensive" labor costs. Nv, Az, Fla, and

pockets in other states are attempting to force travel nursing placement agencies to sign this type of contract. With the new ratio law in effect in Ca, there is much speculation this will happen there next. HCA owns All About Staffing and has several areas they recently acquired exclusive contracts to staff non-HCA facilities. Travel nurses are being asked to take pay cuts if they extend on current contracts because AAS has subcontracted with the nurses current company. Right now there are enough facilites that still offer a proper wage for travel nurses but if these actions continue there will no place for the travel nurse left to go but home.

Be assured, if this happens to the travel nurse, the regular staff nurse will be shafted also. :angryfire

The cure forths situation is for th4e nurses who desire to be travel nurses to obtain a state business license ( about 25 - 35 $), malpractice insurance,($99 from NSO), and become contracters for the hospitals. Regular staff nurses should be looking at this option as well. Nurses are independant practitioners by virtue of the state nurse practice act, unlike LPN/LVN's. I have called the state board of nursing here in Washington State, and asked them abotu it. I was told that as long as I practiced within the guidelines of my sxope of practice as a Registered Nurse, I would be fine. My insurance company, Seabury and Smith told me the same thing.

There is no reason that an RN needs to play the power games hospitals want us to do, THEY NEED YOU MORE THAN YOU NEED THEM. And tell them so too. And ask twice what the staff nurses make there, as benefits add up to 50 -60 % to your paycheck. That should be enough to purchase a personal medical insurance policy if you are not covered by a spouse.

There si s nurse in Montana woho does just this, and makes alot of $$.

Lindarn, RN ,BSN, CCRN

Spokane, WA

[barefootlady, ADN, RN]

Yes, I have seen info from independent nurse contractors, they do seem to do well in salary. We were not taught in school that until the Great Depression nurses were considered independent contractors and arranged with families to care for their sick ones. Of course, salaries were not like today, food and lodging was taken into account is necessary, and institutions were very strict on behaviors but still they were needed and did well for the most part.