the minnesota nurse's association dropped their demand for mandatory staffing ratios, but both sides agreed to address the staffing concerns through existing committees.
the hospitals dropped their cuts to pensions, health insurance and other staffing changes.
both the hospitals and the unions come out looking pretty bad on this one - to the general public anyway. the hospitals have had to deflect accusations of understaffing - to the chagrin of some nurses who say their departments are well staffed.
the nurses dropped demands on what they always said was the primary issue: staffing ratios. this prompted many cynical observers to claim the strike was "always about money" since the nurses did not have their pensions or benefits cut. the nurses, however, did accept the hospitals proposal of pay raises of 0, 1 and 2 percent.
i'm glad they came to an agreement, but i am disappointed that it took so long and that the one-day strike cost me a competitive internship with allina i had worked hard to win and cannot get back.
It's all about the money. Don't think for a second that the nurses were striking for "patient care." That's the laughable statement really.
I couldn't agree more. It is almost as bad as when physicians try to scare patients by threatening not to treat them if Medicare reimbursements get cut. That's pretty laughable too, isn't it?
That would be really smart now, wouldn't it? Complain about someone cutting your revenues and then decide to cut them further yourself? I would love to see all of them try to take cash and insured patients only. Then maybe you would see a large number of them starving and going out of business.
Medicaid wasnt much of a revenue to begin with much less now with it being cut 21%. If I ever decided to hangout my own shingle, medicaid and medicare would not be a part of the equation. Regardless of what you think, this is a growing trend:rolleyes:
Medicaid wasnt much of a revenue to begin with much less now with it being cut 21%. If I ever decided to hangout my own shingle, medicaid and medicare would not be a part of the equation. Regardless of what you think, this is a growing trend:rolleyes:
I would guess that has something to do with the reason for not hanging out your shingle. You lack the business acumen to understand how things work out there in the real world. You think it is as simple as saying "I won't accept it" and that solves the problem. Let me tell you something, it isn't that simple. As far as it being a growing trend, it can't grow that much. Do you really think that a majority of doctors could go out there and say I won't see anyone over 65 and they would all stay in business? It just doesn't work that way. I guess people who go to medical school have a hard time understanding business.
I would guess that has something to do with the reason for not hanging out your shingle. You lack the business acumen to understand how things work out there in the real world. You think it is as simple as saying "I won't accept it" and that solves the problem. Let me tell you something, it isn't that simple. As far as it being a growing trend, it can't grow that much. Do you really think that a majority of doctors could go out there and say I won't see anyone over 65 and they would all stay in business? It just doesn't work that way. I guess people who go to medical school have a hard time understanding business.
I am not a physician. THe trend is larger than you think. There is also a trend of physicians selling their practices and going to work for hospitals where they dont have to worry about reimbursement..let the hospital deal with it.
BTW, I was in doctor's office this week and they were informing patients as they came through the door that they were no longer accepting medicaid or medicare..interesting..maybe it was just a vision....................
I am not a physician. THe trend is larger than you think. There is also a trend of physicians selling their practices and going to work for hospitals where they dont have to worry about reimbursement..let the hospital deal with it.
BTW, I was in doctor's office this week and they were informing patients as they came through the door that they were no longer accepting medicaid or medicare..interesting..maybe it was just a vision....................
So you honestly think that all physicians can do this at will and there will be no adverse affects for them? Is that what you are trying to say? I understand there is a trend of physicians selling their practices to hospitals. Do you honestly think that they would do that if it were such a terrible business to be accepting medicare and medicaid? BTW, I never said they weren't doing it, just that they are pipe dreaming if they think that is a long term solution to all of the problems that they have caused.
Patients and big govt have caused our problems! Healthcare is a priviledge not a right. It is terrible business to try and make it on what they reimburse. They are walking away in droves. It would be easier for them to make the change to insurance and cash only than to waste their time and resources on an endless mountain of paperwork to get reimbursed $x for services that are worth substanially more.
Patients and big govt have caused our problems! Healthcare is a priviledge not a right. It is terrible business to try and make it on what they reimburse. They are walking away in droves. It would be easier for them to make the change to insurance and cash only than to waste their time and resources on an endless mountain of paperwork to get reimbursed $x for services that are worth substanially more.
I agree that patients and big govt have contributed to our problems, but so have doctors, big pharaceutical companies, and hospitals. You can try to blame the problems on patients all you want, but you don't have healthcare without patients. I think that whether healthcare is a priveledge or a right is central to the healthcare debate. Glad you have it figured out. Who is walking away in droves and from what? How do you determine what services are worth substantially more? That doesn't even make any sense. Worth more than what? and based on what?
Patients and big govt have caused our problems! Healthcare is a priviledge not a right. It is terrible business to try and make it on what they reimburse. They are walking away in droves. It would be easier for them to make the change to insurance and cash only than to waste their time and resources on an endless mountain of paperwork to get reimbursed $x for services that are worth substanially more.
The idea that Medicare is harder to deal with than private insurance is totally imaginary. I've done both when I was in management and there's no comparison. I know a bunch of physicians who have left private practice in the last year or two, and every single one of them places the blame primarily on the hassle of dealing with the private insurance companies. With Medicare and Medicaid, you may be paid lass than you like, but if you follow the rules you will be paid, and the rules are knowable. With the private insurers, the rules are unknown and subject to instant change. Doctors spend hours trying to get authorization to do procedures or refer patients to the specialist they need to see, or they are told they can do a procedure and then, after doing it, find payment denied on some bizarre technicality - often newly invented after the fact. And it isn't Medicare that pays employees bonuses for finding excuses to take someone's coverage away.
Jstand
225 Posts
I couldn't agree more. It is almost as bad as when physicians try to scare patients by threatening not to treat them if Medicare reimbursements get cut. That's pretty laughable too, isn't it?