Nursing Shortage May Get Worse With Visa Slots Running Out
The State Department recently announced that most green card allocations for foreign nurses have been filled, and that only people who applied before June 2022 will be considered for the remaining slots — even if the applicant has a job offer in the U.S. Health groups worry this will exacerbate the already stretched corps of nurses in this country.
The Hill:
Health Groups Sound The Alarm Over Foreign Nurse Visa Freeze
Newly announced limits on visas for foreign nurses threatens to further a staffing strain on hospitals, nursing homes and other major health employers. The State Department in its May Visa Bulletin announced that nearly all the available green card slots that nurses are eligible for had been filled. Only people who applied prior to June 1, 2022 will be eligible to continue with visa interviews, even if an applicant already had a job offer in the U.S. (Weixel, 4/25)
The Baltimore Sun:
Notre Dame Of Maryland, Mount St. Mary’s Universities Partner To Help Address Nursing Shortage
Aiming to help ease a statewide nursing shortage, Notre Dame of Maryland University and Mount St. Mary’s University have partnered to make it a bit faster to become a nurse. The two schools signed an agreement Tuesday morning that will simplify the enrollment process from Mount St. Mary’s pre-nursing track into Notre Dame’s fast-track bachelor of science in nursing program. After graduating from Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, students can complete the Notre Dame program in a minimum of 15 months. (LeBoeuf, 4/25)
Becker's Hospital Review:
RN Average Wage For All 50 States
Registered nurses receive $42.80 on average, according to data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment statistics survey. RNs in California had the highest average annual wage, followed by Hawaii and Oregon. The data was gathered in May 2022. (Robertson, 4/25)
More news about health care workers —
Los Angeles Times:
Alleged Phony Doctor May Have Illegally Treated Thousands
A Studio City man is facing criminal charges after investigators say he illegally provided medical care to thousands of patients at his Toluca Lake facility without a license, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. (Toohey, 4,/25)
Houston Chronicle:
Houston Doctor, Pharmacy Ordered To Pay $7M To Settle False Claims
A Houston doctor and Texas-based pharmacy were ordered to pay more than $7 million to the U.S. government Monday to settle false claims submitted for unnecessary medications, including compounding creams, gels and pain patches. (Limehouse, 4/25)
Stat:
Students Leading A Nascent Climate Movement In Medical Education
When Cecilia Sorensen was an emergency medicine resident practicing at Denver Health in Colorado a few years ago, summer was known as “trauma season.” Gunshot and motor vehicle accident victims, people with heart attacks and COPD would stream into the ER. Later, on a fellowship, she witnessed the health impacts of drought in Syria. The common driver, she realized, was climate change and its impact, both locally and globally. (Pennar, 4/26)
In other health care industry news —
Becker's Hospital Review:
Hospitals Will Spend Up To 3% More On Drugs In 2023, Study Finds
Nonfederal hospitals' costs have hovered around $35 billion to $40 billion since 2018, and in 2023, overall prescription drug spending is expected to be about $38 billion, or a 1 percent to 3 percent increase from the prior year. This increase is moderate compared to the previous year's change; in 2021, hospital drug spending grew 8.4 percent from 2020. (Twenter, 4/25)
The Washington Post:
Hospital That Faced Lawsuit Provides Irvo Otieno Records To Va. Nonprofit
The private hospital in Virginia where Irvo Otieno was taken days before his death at a different, state-run facility has turned over records to a nonprofit group investigating his treatment while in custody, short-circuiting a lawsuit over the materials. The disAbility Law Center on Monday requested to withdraw the lawsuit it had filed in Richmond federal court against Parham Doctors’ Hospital, saying the records the hospital was withholding had since arrived in the mail. (Rizzo, 4/25)
CBS News:
"Less About People And More About Profits": Investors' Role In Next Week's Closure Of San Antonio Hospital Under Scrutiny
A 356-bed San Antonio medical center set to shut down next week is the latest hospital closure raising questions about the role of private equity in the health care sector. (Lappok, Kaplan and Samu, 4/25)
KFF Health News:
How A 2019 Florida Law Catalyzed A Hospital-Building Boom
In BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel’s 86 private rooms, patients can use voice-activated Alexa devices to dim the lights, play music, or summon a nurse. BayCare boasts some of the latest high-tech equipment. Yet, the company said, its $246 million facility that opened here in March doesn’t provide any health care services beyond what patients could receive at a hospital just 2 miles away. BayCare Wesley Chapel’s luster as the newest hospital in this fast-growing Tampa suburb of 65,000 people won’t last. Another general hospital is on the way — the third within a five-minute drive. (Galewitz, Sausser and Chang, 4/26)
