ER nurses collecting insurance info

[K5555]

Just curious to hear from other ED nurses. Our hospital has decided to get rid of our registration clerks and say they will now be requiring the nurses to collect ID's, insurance card info and having us have pt's sign the necessary forms for treatment, financial obligations/living will etc. We are a freestanding ER and currently have no ancillary personnel except a lab person and x-ray. The nurses are the EKG tech, phlebotomist, tech,

nursing aide, and respiratory therapist and secretary. We the staff are feeling that this creates an ethical dilemma to force us to not only try to give safe and adequate nursing care and now we will be responsible for the insurance info also. Any thoughts or help in how we can present this problem to administration? Thanks.

[SDboyy]

Ask them why they want to spend 36.00 an hour for a nurse's time on a 13.00 hr task.

But if they thought this way originally they would never have considered the possibility

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

There is no presenting anything to administration. They know exactly what they are doing. They are forcing the nurses to perform all the ancillary duties.. in order to boost their bottom line.

Experienced ER nurses are highly desirable.. vote with your feet.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Well, as nurses you have to prioritize your tasks. When it gets busy, keeping people alive will come before insurance information. I certainly complete my nursing tasks before I answer the phone when our secretary is on a break. You could very well spend several hundred dollars on someone before even thinking about insurance. This cheap move is going to cost them a lot of money.

[Guest219794]

I strongly recommend doing a really bad job of it. the kind of shoddy work that costs the company money.

That should do the trick.