A temporary-help agency nurse at SynergyHealth St. Joseph's Hospital in the town of Polk has been charged with possessing narcotic drugs without a prescription, which were found in her purse during a search on hospital grounds.
Christy Bauer, 36, of Greendale has been formally charged with two separate controlled substance possession charges, according to a criminal complaint filed in the matter, which carry a penal weight of up to three-and-one-half years.
This is is the second time in the last few months a nurse affiliated with the hospital faces felony drug charges.
Barbara Hansen, 45, of Random Lake was charged in February with six felony drug charges after she admitted taking morphine from hospital supplies to feed her addiction. She is expected to enter guilty pleas to some of those charges during an arraignment in May.
Hansen was terminated immediately after an investigation was completed, as was Bauer, said Janet Ford, a SynergyHealth spokeswoman.
In the Bauer case, according to the complaint, hospital officials became suspicious of Bauer after she allegedly checked out a large amount of hydromorphone, which is similar to morphine, and then not properly documenting when patients were given their doses.
An ensuing conversation be-tween Bauer and Mike Murphy, the head nursing official, indicated it was possible Bauer had "possibly taken seven (drug) vials," the complaint stated.
Bauer gave a Sheriff's Depart-ment investigator permission to search her vehicle parked on hospital grounds, according to the report, and a pill crusher, a small amount of Oxycodone and two straws containing trace amounts of another controlled substance were found in her purse.
Ford said the hospital has filed a formal complaint with the state Regulation and Licensing Board against the agency that Bauer was working for, and it was her understanding that that entity has begun an investigation.
The hospital’s pharmacy screens transactions from automated dispensing machines on a routine basis, according to a hospital official. The transactions are compared with electronic medication administration records for controlled substance accountability. This procedure led to the detection of some unusual activity by the external agency nurse on Dec. 5.
The external agency nurse was immediately relieved of her duties and law enforcement officials were notified. The nurse staffing agency was also notified immediately and the report filed with the Wisconsin Department of Regulation & Li-censing.
"We have zero tolerance for this type of behavior," said Michael Laird, president of St. Joseph’s Hospital. "The systems and pro-cesses we have in place were effective in detecting the unusual activity and we took immediate action to remove this agency nurse from duty."
A court date for Bauer has not been set.
This story appeared in the West Bend Daily News on April 6, 2007.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Nursing shortage has providers scrambling to fill shifts
Susan Goodwin’s mailbox is full of job offers.
Recruiters call regularly, dangling money, laptop computers and trips if she will work for them.
Goodwin isn’t a Donald Trump-style executive.
She is a registered nurse.
"Anywhere you want to go, they’ll relocate you," said Goodwin, an admissions nurse at Bristol Regional Medical Center. "They’re all offering all kinds of incentives and things."
Competition among health providers isn’t just about hospitals – it’s about nurses.
With a nationwide shortage of registered nurses, the story is no different in the Tri-Cities.
Amy Dyer, a nurse at Bristol Regional Medical Center, said she notices the shortage when not enough people are available to work a shift.
"You do see effects of it – you have to pull people from other floors because you don’t have people in your department," she said. "We don’t have enough people going into nursing."
The need is so great, hospitals are willing to make big moves to fill the gaps, from unique advertising to offering incentives.
In January, Mountain States Health Alliance hired a plane to tow a banner around the Tri-Cities for four hours.
The 100-foot-long banner read: "Join Mountain States. Great Pay and Benefits."
Whitney Calhoun, nurse recruiter for MSHA, said the airplane...more
Affordable Health Plans For Agency Nurses
Recruiters call regularly, dangling money, laptop computers and trips if she will work for them.
Goodwin isn’t a Donald Trump-style executive.
She is a registered nurse.
"Anywhere you want to go, they’ll relocate you," said Goodwin, an admissions nurse at Bristol Regional Medical Center. "They’re all offering all kinds of incentives and things."
Competition among health providers isn’t just about hospitals – it’s about nurses.
With a nationwide shortage of registered nurses, the story is no different in the Tri-Cities.
Amy Dyer, a nurse at Bristol Regional Medical Center, said she notices the shortage when not enough people are available to work a shift.
"You do see effects of it – you have to pull people from other floors because you don’t have people in your department," she said. "We don’t have enough people going into nursing."
The need is so great, hospitals are willing to make big moves to fill the gaps, from unique advertising to offering incentives.
In January, Mountain States Health Alliance hired a plane to tow a banner around the Tri-Cities for four hours.
The 100-foot-long banner read: "Join Mountain States. Great Pay and Benefits."
Whitney Calhoun, nurse recruiter for MSHA, said the airplane...more
Affordable Health Plans For Agency Nurses
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Emory Nursing Leader Urges U.S. to Adopt Strategies to Cure National Nurse Shortage
The future health care of millions of Americans will be compromised if the U.S. doesn’t develop innovative strategies to tackle the national nursing shortage, says Emory University nursing leader Marla Salmon, ScD, RN.
"Most of us assume that when we need nursing care, someone will be there to provide it," says Dr. Salmon, dean and professor of Emory’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. "The assumption that nurses will be there when we need them is simply no longer true. For the first time ever, this country is facing a shortage of nurses that threatens the health of each of us. And unless urgent measures are taken, this shortage will become increasingly more severe over the next 15 years."
Dr. Salmon will address the severity of the U.S. nursing shortage and what can be done about it at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on April 25 (more information on the WHSC web site).
The national deficit of registered nurses is expected to rise to 29 percent by the year 2020, leaving a gaping shortage of more than 400,000 nurses by 2010, according to estimates.
New methods for addressing the supply, utilization and support of nurses must be adopted if the U.S. is to continue to provide quality health care in the near and long-term future to people at home and abroad, says Dr. Salmon. She supports boosting student recruitment efforts and expanding academic options available for individuals interested in nursing careers.
The U.S. is facing an unprecedented shortage of nurses that is projected to increase significantly over the next decade. That deficiency coincides with the growing care needs of baby boomers and those with chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. The shortage also is compounded by a shift in nurses leaving the workforce and fewer nurses entering the field to replace them. In addition, the demand for nurses who deliver specialized care also has risen, she adds.
To address the shortage, some U.S. hospitals and health care systems have recruited nurses from the United Kingdom and Canada, and in recent years, from the Philippines and even South Africa, where the supply of nurses is already depleted. The American Nurses Association, which represents the country’s 2.6 million registered nurses, has discouraged aggressive recruitment of foreign-trained nurses, calling it a shortsighted strategy.
Dr. Salmon agrees. "This more and more of a push to recruit less and less well-prepared nurses from countries that don’t have systems like ours," she says. "I think there is great danger in that."
Dr. Salmon has played significant national and international leadership roles in health policy and workforce arenas. She is former director of the Division of Nursing and Chief Nurse for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where she led key federal programs aimed at shaping the nation’s nursing work force. Dr. Salmon also chaired the National Advisory Committee on Nursing Education and Practice and was a member of the White House Task Force on Health Care Reform. (Full bio on the WHSC web site.)
Related Links
Source:www.whsc.emory.edu/press_releases2.cfm?announcement_id_seq=9785
"Most of us assume that when we need nursing care, someone will be there to provide it," says Dr. Salmon, dean and professor of Emory’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. "The assumption that nurses will be there when we need them is simply no longer true. For the first time ever, this country is facing a shortage of nurses that threatens the health of each of us. And unless urgent measures are taken, this shortage will become increasingly more severe over the next 15 years."
Dr. Salmon will address the severity of the U.S. nursing shortage and what can be done about it at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on April 25 (more information on the WHSC web site).
The national deficit of registered nurses is expected to rise to 29 percent by the year 2020, leaving a gaping shortage of more than 400,000 nurses by 2010, according to estimates.
New methods for addressing the supply, utilization and support of nurses must be adopted if the U.S. is to continue to provide quality health care in the near and long-term future to people at home and abroad, says Dr. Salmon. She supports boosting student recruitment efforts and expanding academic options available for individuals interested in nursing careers.
The U.S. is facing an unprecedented shortage of nurses that is projected to increase significantly over the next decade. That deficiency coincides with the growing care needs of baby boomers and those with chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. The shortage also is compounded by a shift in nurses leaving the workforce and fewer nurses entering the field to replace them. In addition, the demand for nurses who deliver specialized care also has risen, she adds.
To address the shortage, some U.S. hospitals and health care systems have recruited nurses from the United Kingdom and Canada, and in recent years, from the Philippines and even South Africa, where the supply of nurses is already depleted. The American Nurses Association, which represents the country’s 2.6 million registered nurses, has discouraged aggressive recruitment of foreign-trained nurses, calling it a shortsighted strategy.
Dr. Salmon agrees. "This more and more of a push to recruit less and less well-prepared nurses from countries that don’t have systems like ours," she says. "I think there is great danger in that."
Dr. Salmon has played significant national and international leadership roles in health policy and workforce arenas. She is former director of the Division of Nursing and Chief Nurse for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where she led key federal programs aimed at shaping the nation’s nursing work force. Dr. Salmon also chaired the National Advisory Committee on Nursing Education and Practice and was a member of the White House Task Force on Health Care Reform. (Full bio on the WHSC web site.)
Related Links
Source:www.whsc.emory.edu/press_releases2.cfm?announcement_id_seq=9785
Johnson & Johnson Steps Up To Help End Nursing Shortage
Johnson & Johnson Steps Up To Help End Nursing Shortage
The Health Resources and Services Administration says by the year 2020, Mississippi will suffer a nursing shortfall of 22 percent. That's reason enough for corporate giant Johnson & Johnson to step in to help.
"It's always about the patient and we have a philosophy here of "whatever it takes." And that's pretty much the way we address each day as whatever it takes to get through," says Bill Lawson, a nurse at the Biloxi Regional Medical Center.
Lawson has been a nurse at the hospital for five years. He says the fast paced environment leaves him very little time to think about the shortage.
But others say it's not something you can ignore.
"You hear that the nursing shortage goes in cycles. I have not ever experienced where there are enough nurses," says Cindy Kinsey, Assistant Chief Nursing Officer at Biloxi Regional Medical Center.
The nursing staff at Biloxi Regional says Katrina only made matters worse.
"Maybe four to six months after the storm, when the rest of the country figured we were probably okay and everything was back to normal, when in fact we know that it wasn't, that's when things started to get very tough," says Pam McVey.
McVey is the Chief Nursing Officer at Biloxi Regional. She says the hospital lost 150 nurses after the storm. But her staff pulled together to help heal South Mississippi.
Now Johnson & Johnson is honoring state nurses for their bravery. It's all a part of the "Campaign for Nursing's Future."
"Our very first responsibility is to doctors, nurses, mothers and all others who use our products and services," says Andrea Higham with Johnson & Johnson.
Leaders say the national campaign is committed to recruitment and retention in the nursing profession in hopes of ending the nationwide shortage and to start a new era of caring. To learn more about the campaign, visit http://www.discovernursing.com/
By Elise Roberts
Affordable Health and Dental Plan For Agency Nurses
The Health Resources and Services Administration says by the year 2020, Mississippi will suffer a nursing shortfall of 22 percent. That's reason enough for corporate giant Johnson & Johnson to step in to help.
"It's always about the patient and we have a philosophy here of "whatever it takes." And that's pretty much the way we address each day as whatever it takes to get through," says Bill Lawson, a nurse at the Biloxi Regional Medical Center.
Lawson has been a nurse at the hospital for five years. He says the fast paced environment leaves him very little time to think about the shortage.
But others say it's not something you can ignore.
"You hear that the nursing shortage goes in cycles. I have not ever experienced where there are enough nurses," says Cindy Kinsey, Assistant Chief Nursing Officer at Biloxi Regional Medical Center.
The nursing staff at Biloxi Regional says Katrina only made matters worse.
"Maybe four to six months after the storm, when the rest of the country figured we were probably okay and everything was back to normal, when in fact we know that it wasn't, that's when things started to get very tough," says Pam McVey.
McVey is the Chief Nursing Officer at Biloxi Regional. She says the hospital lost 150 nurses after the storm. But her staff pulled together to help heal South Mississippi.
Now Johnson & Johnson is honoring state nurses for their bravery. It's all a part of the "Campaign for Nursing's Future."
"Our very first responsibility is to doctors, nurses, mothers and all others who use our products and services," says Andrea Higham with Johnson & Johnson.
Leaders say the national campaign is committed to recruitment and retention in the nursing profession in hopes of ending the nationwide shortage and to start a new era of caring. To learn more about the campaign, visit http://www.discovernursing.com/
By Elise Roberts
Affordable Health and Dental Plan For Agency Nurses
Independent Contractors Vs. Employees
Independent Contractors vs. Employees
Before you can determine how to treat payments you make for services, you must first know the business relationship that exists between you and the person performing the services. The person performing the services may be -
An independent contractor
A common-law employee
A statutory employee
A statutory nonemployee
In determining whether the person providing service is an employee or an independent contractor, all information that provides evidence of the degree of control and independence must be considered.
It is critical that you, the employer, correctly determine whether the individuals providing services are employees or independent contractors. Generally, you must withhold income taxes, withhold and pay Social Security and Medicare taxes, and pay unemployment tax on wages paid to an employee. You do not generally have to withhold or pay any taxes on payments to independent contractors.
Caution: If you incorrectly classify an employee as an independent contractor, you can be held liable for employment taxes for that worker, plus a penalty.
Who is an Independent Contractor?A general rule is that you, the payer, have the right to control or direct only the result of the work done by an independent contractor, and not the means and methods of accomplishing the result.
Example: Vera Elm, an electrician, submitted a job estimate to a housing complex for electrical work at $16 per hour for 400 hours. She is to receive $1,280 every 2 weeks for the next 10 weeks. This is not considered payment by the hour. Even if she works more or less than 400 hours to complete the work, Vera Elm will receive $6,400. She also performs additional electrical installations under contracts with other companies, that she obtained through advertisements. Vera is an independent contractor.
How should I report payments made to independent contractors?
You may be required to file information returns to report certain types of payments made to independent contractors during the year. For example, you must file Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income, to report payments of $600 or more to persons not treated as employees (e.g. independent contractors) for services performed for your trade or business. For details about filing Form 1099 and for information about required electronic or magnetic media filing, refer to information returns.
Who is a Common-Law Employee (Employee)?Under common-law rules, anyone who performs services for you is your employee if you can control what will be done and how it will be done. This is so even when you give the employee freedom of action. What matters is that you have the right to control the details of how the services are performed.
To determine whether an individual is an employee or independent contractor under the common law, the relationship of the worker and the business must be examined. All evidence of control and independence must be considered. In an employee-independent contractor determination, all information that provides evidence of the degree of control and degree of independence must be considered.
Facts that provide evidence of the degree of control and independence fall into three categories: behavioral control, financial control, and the type of relationship of the parties. Refer to Publication 15-A, Employer's Supplemental Tax Guide for additional information.
Who is an Employee?A general rule is that anyone who performs services for you is your employee if you can control what will be done and how it will be done.
Example: Donna Lee is a salesperson employed on a full-time basis by Bob Blue, an auto dealer. She works 6 days a week, and is on duty in Bob's showroom on certain assigned days and times. She appraises trade-ins, but her appraisals are subject to the sales manager's approval. Lists of prospective customers belong to the dealer. She has to develop leads and report results to the sales manager. Because of her experience, she requires only minimal assistance in closing and financing sales and in other phases of her work. She is paid a commission and is eligible for prizes and bonuses offered by Bob. Bob also pays the cost of health insurance and group-term life insurance for Donna. Donna is an employee of Bob Blue.
Statutory EmployeesIf workers are independent contractors under the common law rules, such workers may nevertheless be treated as employees by statute ( statutory employees ) for certain employment tax purposes if they fall within any one of the following four categories and meet the three conditions described under Social security and Medicare taxes , below.
A driver who distributes beverages (other than milk) or meat, vegetable, fruit, or bakery products; or who picks up and delivers laundry or dry cleaning, if the driver is your agent or is paid on commission.
A full-time life insurance sales agent whose principal business activity is selling life insurance or annuity contracts, or both, primarily for one life insurance company.
An individual who works at home on materials or goods that you supply and that must be returned to you or to a person you name, if you also furnish specifications for the work to be done.
A full-time traveling or city salesperson who works on your behalf and turns in orders to you from wholesalers, retailers, contractors, or operators of hotels, restaurants, or other similar establishments. The goods sold must be merchandise for resale or supplies for use in the buyer s business operation. The work performed for you must be the salesperson s principal business activity. Refer to the Salesperson section located in Publication 15-A, Employer s Supplemental Tax Guide for additional information.
Statutory NonemployeesThere are two categories of statutory nonemployees: direct sellers and licensed real estate agents. They are treated as self-employed for all Federal tax purposes, including income and employment taxes, if:
Substantially all payments for their services as direct sellers or real estate agents are directly related to sales or other output, rather than to the number of hours worked and
Their services are performed under a written contract providing that they will not be treated as employees for Federal tax purposes.
Refer to information on Direct Sellers located in Publication 15-A, Employer s Supplemental Tax Guide for additional information.
Misclassification of Employees
Consequences of treating an employee as an independent contractor. If you classify an employee as an independent contractor and you have no reasonable basis for doing so, you may be held liable for employment taxes for that worker. See Internal Revenue Code section 3509 for additional information.
Resources
Tax Topic 762 Basic Information To determine whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee, you must examine the relationship between the worker and the business. All evidence of control and independence in this relationship should be considered. The facts that provide this evidence fall into three categories Behavioral Control, Financial Control, and the Type of Relationship itself.
Publication 1976, Section 530 Employment Tax Relief Requirements (PDF)Section 530 provides businesses with relief from Federal employment tax obligations if certain requirements are met.
IRS Internal Training: Employee/Independent Contractor (PDF)This manual provides you with the tools to make correct determinations of worker classifications. It discusses facts that may indicate the existence of an independent contractor or an employer-employee relationship. This training manual is a guide and is not legally binding. If you would like the IRS to make the determination of worker status, please file IRS Form SS-8.
Form SS-8 (PDF)Determination of Worker Status for Purposes of Federal Employment Taxes and Income Tax Withholding
Publication 15-A The Employer's Supplemental Tax Guide has detailed guidance including information for specific industries.
Publication 15-BThe Employer’s Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits supplements Circular E (Pub. 15), Employer's Tax Guide, and Publication 15-A, Employer's Supplemental Tax Guide. It contains specialized and detailed information on the employment tax treatment of fringe benefits.
Online Classroom, Lesson 6 - What you need to know about federal taxes when hiring employees/contractors
Accessibility FirstGov.gov Freedom of Information Act Important Links IRS Privacy Policy U.S. Treasury
Affordable Dental Health Plan For Individual Contractor
Before you can determine how to treat payments you make for services, you must first know the business relationship that exists between you and the person performing the services. The person performing the services may be -
An independent contractor
A common-law employee
A statutory employee
A statutory nonemployee
In determining whether the person providing service is an employee or an independent contractor, all information that provides evidence of the degree of control and independence must be considered.
It is critical that you, the employer, correctly determine whether the individuals providing services are employees or independent contractors. Generally, you must withhold income taxes, withhold and pay Social Security and Medicare taxes, and pay unemployment tax on wages paid to an employee. You do not generally have to withhold or pay any taxes on payments to independent contractors.
Caution: If you incorrectly classify an employee as an independent contractor, you can be held liable for employment taxes for that worker, plus a penalty.
Who is an Independent Contractor?A general rule is that you, the payer, have the right to control or direct only the result of the work done by an independent contractor, and not the means and methods of accomplishing the result.
Example: Vera Elm, an electrician, submitted a job estimate to a housing complex for electrical work at $16 per hour for 400 hours. She is to receive $1,280 every 2 weeks for the next 10 weeks. This is not considered payment by the hour. Even if she works more or less than 400 hours to complete the work, Vera Elm will receive $6,400. She also performs additional electrical installations under contracts with other companies, that she obtained through advertisements. Vera is an independent contractor.
How should I report payments made to independent contractors?
You may be required to file information returns to report certain types of payments made to independent contractors during the year. For example, you must file Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income, to report payments of $600 or more to persons not treated as employees (e.g. independent contractors) for services performed for your trade or business. For details about filing Form 1099 and for information about required electronic or magnetic media filing, refer to information returns.
Who is a Common-Law Employee (Employee)?Under common-law rules, anyone who performs services for you is your employee if you can control what will be done and how it will be done. This is so even when you give the employee freedom of action. What matters is that you have the right to control the details of how the services are performed.
To determine whether an individual is an employee or independent contractor under the common law, the relationship of the worker and the business must be examined. All evidence of control and independence must be considered. In an employee-independent contractor determination, all information that provides evidence of the degree of control and degree of independence must be considered.
Facts that provide evidence of the degree of control and independence fall into three categories: behavioral control, financial control, and the type of relationship of the parties. Refer to Publication 15-A, Employer's Supplemental Tax Guide for additional information.
Who is an Employee?A general rule is that anyone who performs services for you is your employee if you can control what will be done and how it will be done.
Example: Donna Lee is a salesperson employed on a full-time basis by Bob Blue, an auto dealer. She works 6 days a week, and is on duty in Bob's showroom on certain assigned days and times. She appraises trade-ins, but her appraisals are subject to the sales manager's approval. Lists of prospective customers belong to the dealer. She has to develop leads and report results to the sales manager. Because of her experience, she requires only minimal assistance in closing and financing sales and in other phases of her work. She is paid a commission and is eligible for prizes and bonuses offered by Bob. Bob also pays the cost of health insurance and group-term life insurance for Donna. Donna is an employee of Bob Blue.
Statutory EmployeesIf workers are independent contractors under the common law rules, such workers may nevertheless be treated as employees by statute ( statutory employees ) for certain employment tax purposes if they fall within any one of the following four categories and meet the three conditions described under Social security and Medicare taxes , below.
A driver who distributes beverages (other than milk) or meat, vegetable, fruit, or bakery products; or who picks up and delivers laundry or dry cleaning, if the driver is your agent or is paid on commission.
A full-time life insurance sales agent whose principal business activity is selling life insurance or annuity contracts, or both, primarily for one life insurance company.
An individual who works at home on materials or goods that you supply and that must be returned to you or to a person you name, if you also furnish specifications for the work to be done.
A full-time traveling or city salesperson who works on your behalf and turns in orders to you from wholesalers, retailers, contractors, or operators of hotels, restaurants, or other similar establishments. The goods sold must be merchandise for resale or supplies for use in the buyer s business operation. The work performed for you must be the salesperson s principal business activity. Refer to the Salesperson section located in Publication 15-A, Employer s Supplemental Tax Guide for additional information.
Statutory NonemployeesThere are two categories of statutory nonemployees: direct sellers and licensed real estate agents. They are treated as self-employed for all Federal tax purposes, including income and employment taxes, if:
Substantially all payments for their services as direct sellers or real estate agents are directly related to sales or other output, rather than to the number of hours worked and
Their services are performed under a written contract providing that they will not be treated as employees for Federal tax purposes.
Refer to information on Direct Sellers located in Publication 15-A, Employer s Supplemental Tax Guide for additional information.
Misclassification of Employees
Consequences of treating an employee as an independent contractor. If you classify an employee as an independent contractor and you have no reasonable basis for doing so, you may be held liable for employment taxes for that worker. See Internal Revenue Code section 3509 for additional information.
Resources
Tax Topic 762 Basic Information To determine whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee, you must examine the relationship between the worker and the business. All evidence of control and independence in this relationship should be considered. The facts that provide this evidence fall into three categories Behavioral Control, Financial Control, and the Type of Relationship itself.
Publication 1976, Section 530 Employment Tax Relief Requirements (PDF)Section 530 provides businesses with relief from Federal employment tax obligations if certain requirements are met.
IRS Internal Training: Employee/Independent Contractor (PDF)This manual provides you with the tools to make correct determinations of worker classifications. It discusses facts that may indicate the existence of an independent contractor or an employer-employee relationship. This training manual is a guide and is not legally binding. If you would like the IRS to make the determination of worker status, please file IRS Form SS-8.
Form SS-8 (PDF)Determination of Worker Status for Purposes of Federal Employment Taxes and Income Tax Withholding
Publication 15-A The Employer's Supplemental Tax Guide has detailed guidance including information for specific industries.
Publication 15-BThe Employer’s Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits supplements Circular E (Pub. 15), Employer's Tax Guide, and Publication 15-A, Employer's Supplemental Tax Guide. It contains specialized and detailed information on the employment tax treatment of fringe benefits.
Online Classroom, Lesson 6 - What you need to know about federal taxes when hiring employees/contractors
Accessibility FirstGov.gov Freedom of Information Act Important Links IRS Privacy Policy U.S. Treasury
Affordable Dental Health Plan For Individual Contractor
Monday, April 23, 2007
Korea to Send 10,000 Nurses to New York City
Nursing is the new door to US as baby boomers get older - 10,000 South Koreans will likely be hired as nurses at U.S. hospitals over the next five years Media Release Apr. 17, 2006
As many as 10,000 South Koreans will likely be hired as nurses at U.S. hospitals over the next five years, an official at a South Korean state company said Friday.
"A contract for the employment is scheduled for Wednesday U.S. time with San Francisco-based worker dispatch company HRS Global and New York-based St. John's Riverside Hospital," said Lim Seung-muk, a spokesperson at the Resources Development Service of Korea. "Before signing a contract, however, we have to address a number of sticking points with the U.S. side, including U.S. visa issues," he said, cautioning that such points may prove to be stumbling blocks to the contract. If the three sides agree to seal the contract, a group of 10,000 South Korean nurses will be sent to the New York hospital over five years, which will then dispatch them to 36 hospitals there. The move comes as the U.S. government encourages its hospitals to hire foreign nurses to fill a shortage of about 300,000 nurses. About 30,000 nurses are believed to be needed now in New York alone.
Korean Nurses
Affordable Health Plans For Agency Nurses
As many as 10,000 South Koreans will likely be hired as nurses at U.S. hospitals over the next five years, an official at a South Korean state company said Friday.
"A contract for the employment is scheduled for Wednesday U.S. time with San Francisco-based worker dispatch company HRS Global and New York-based St. John's Riverside Hospital," said Lim Seung-muk, a spokesperson at the Resources Development Service of Korea. "Before signing a contract, however, we have to address a number of sticking points with the U.S. side, including U.S. visa issues," he said, cautioning that such points may prove to be stumbling blocks to the contract. If the three sides agree to seal the contract, a group of 10,000 South Korean nurses will be sent to the New York hospital over five years, which will then dispatch them to 36 hospitals there. The move comes as the U.S. government encourages its hospitals to hire foreign nurses to fill a shortage of about 300,000 nurses. About 30,000 nurses are believed to be needed now in New York alone.
Korean Nurses
Affordable Health Plans For Agency Nurses
Bush Budget Threatens Cut for Advanced Practice Nursing Programs
Bush Budget Threatens Cut for Advanced Nursing Programs
John Leighty
Monday April 9, 2007
Graduate nursing programs across the country would feel the sting of President Bush’s 2008 budget proposal to axe a $58 million program that has helped fund advanced nursing education for some 12,000 students annually.Joan L. Shaver, RN, PhD, FAAN, dean of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Nursing, calls the proposed cuts “devastating” to the national effort to educate the next generation of nurse clinicians and teaching faculty.Nursing leaders say the cuts are ill-timed in light of a national nursing shortage predicted to reach 89,000 by 2012. Last year alone, 42,596 qualified applicants were turned away from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs, due primarily to a lack of nurse educators, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).
Faculty shortage bottleneck
Deloras Jones, RN, MSN, executive director of the California Institute for Nursing & Health Care, says research shows the average age of today’s nurses is 48, and for nursing faculty, 52. This means a large proportion of the profession will soon reach retirement age without an adequate number of nurses to replace them.“This was funding being used to increase the number of faculty, and the faculty shortage is now the big bottleneck to increasing nursing capacity,” says Jones, whose institute spearheads innovative public-private programs for increasing nursing capacity in California.AACN President Jeanette Lancaster says the advanced education program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) provides support for some 12,000 graduate nursing students and that eliminating it jeopardizes the national effort to strengthen nursing faculties.“Nursing schools today are unable to accommodate all qualified students wishing to enter entry-level nursing programs, given the pervasive shortage of nurse faculty,” Lancaster says.She adds that Congress should focus on restoring advanced nursing education assistance and bumping up contributions to an existing $4.7 million nurse faculty loan fund.
Hazardous to health
The National League for Nursing called the 29% decrease in funding for the Nursing Workforce Development Program, also known as Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act, “shortsighted and hazardous” for the overall health of the nation.League CEO Beverly Malone, RN, PhD, says that without aggressive intervention on behalf of the HRSA projects, the nationwide RN workforce shortage will increase to 29% by 2020.Donna Mason, RN, MS, CEN, president of the Emergency Nurses Association, says more higher-educated nurses are also needed for over-burdened emergency departments. “If you need more nurses, you need to make it easier for people to get trained, not make it more difficult,” Mason says of the proposed budget cuts.
Nursing school blues
Shaver says the UIC College of Nursing stands to lose $500,000 in annual training grants used to develop a geriatric/nurse practitioner program, as well as other programs that usually extend over three years.“The effect is likely to be immediate, with little time to find funding from other sources,” she says.This loss of funding comes at a time when an aging population with more chronic conditions is driving a huge need for more advanced practice nurses (APNs), Shaver says. “People need much more guidance in managing their functionality in the context of multiple chronic conditions — diabetes, heart disease, or mental illness — and APNs are best at optimizing this realm of health care,” she says.“Fewer APNs means less access to effective care for patients and fewer people qualified for faculty roles, which in turn means fewer nurses educated at any level,” she adds. “It all adds up to a downhill spiral.”At nearby Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, a continuation of a grant for a much-needed program in population-based infection control and environmental safety is in jeopardy, says Sheila Haas, RN, PhD, FAAN, the school dean. She adds that the program is only one of two in the country to prepare nurse professionals in infection control.
California creativity
Joanne Spetz, RN, PhD, associate director of the Center for California Health Workforce Studies, says that while the state’s nursing schools could lose grants and traineeships for graduate students, a collaborative public-private effort to increase nursing capacity is gaining strength and could help fill the gap.Spetz says Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s five-step Nursing Initiative is pumping $90 million over five years into nursing expansion programs. Hospitals and foundations are also contributing, one example being Kaiser Permanente’s $20 million fund to train more than 700 new nurses in Northern California in the next four years.
John Leighty is a freelance writer. To comment on this article e-mail dnovak@gannetthg.com.
Affordable Dental Plan
John Leighty
Monday April 9, 2007
Graduate nursing programs across the country would feel the sting of President Bush’s 2008 budget proposal to axe a $58 million program that has helped fund advanced nursing education for some 12,000 students annually.Joan L. Shaver, RN, PhD, FAAN, dean of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Nursing, calls the proposed cuts “devastating” to the national effort to educate the next generation of nurse clinicians and teaching faculty.Nursing leaders say the cuts are ill-timed in light of a national nursing shortage predicted to reach 89,000 by 2012. Last year alone, 42,596 qualified applicants were turned away from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs, due primarily to a lack of nurse educators, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).
Faculty shortage bottleneck
Deloras Jones, RN, MSN, executive director of the California Institute for Nursing & Health Care, says research shows the average age of today’s nurses is 48, and for nursing faculty, 52. This means a large proportion of the profession will soon reach retirement age without an adequate number of nurses to replace them.“This was funding being used to increase the number of faculty, and the faculty shortage is now the big bottleneck to increasing nursing capacity,” says Jones, whose institute spearheads innovative public-private programs for increasing nursing capacity in California.AACN President Jeanette Lancaster says the advanced education program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) provides support for some 12,000 graduate nursing students and that eliminating it jeopardizes the national effort to strengthen nursing faculties.“Nursing schools today are unable to accommodate all qualified students wishing to enter entry-level nursing programs, given the pervasive shortage of nurse faculty,” Lancaster says.She adds that Congress should focus on restoring advanced nursing education assistance and bumping up contributions to an existing $4.7 million nurse faculty loan fund.
Hazardous to health
The National League for Nursing called the 29% decrease in funding for the Nursing Workforce Development Program, also known as Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act, “shortsighted and hazardous” for the overall health of the nation.League CEO Beverly Malone, RN, PhD, says that without aggressive intervention on behalf of the HRSA projects, the nationwide RN workforce shortage will increase to 29% by 2020.Donna Mason, RN, MS, CEN, president of the Emergency Nurses Association, says more higher-educated nurses are also needed for over-burdened emergency departments. “If you need more nurses, you need to make it easier for people to get trained, not make it more difficult,” Mason says of the proposed budget cuts.
Nursing school blues
Shaver says the UIC College of Nursing stands to lose $500,000 in annual training grants used to develop a geriatric/nurse practitioner program, as well as other programs that usually extend over three years.“The effect is likely to be immediate, with little time to find funding from other sources,” she says.This loss of funding comes at a time when an aging population with more chronic conditions is driving a huge need for more advanced practice nurses (APNs), Shaver says. “People need much more guidance in managing their functionality in the context of multiple chronic conditions — diabetes, heart disease, or mental illness — and APNs are best at optimizing this realm of health care,” she says.“Fewer APNs means less access to effective care for patients and fewer people qualified for faculty roles, which in turn means fewer nurses educated at any level,” she adds. “It all adds up to a downhill spiral.”At nearby Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, a continuation of a grant for a much-needed program in population-based infection control and environmental safety is in jeopardy, says Sheila Haas, RN, PhD, FAAN, the school dean. She adds that the program is only one of two in the country to prepare nurse professionals in infection control.
California creativity
Joanne Spetz, RN, PhD, associate director of the Center for California Health Workforce Studies, says that while the state’s nursing schools could lose grants and traineeships for graduate students, a collaborative public-private effort to increase nursing capacity is gaining strength and could help fill the gap.Spetz says Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s five-step Nursing Initiative is pumping $90 million over five years into nursing expansion programs. Hospitals and foundations are also contributing, one example being Kaiser Permanente’s $20 million fund to train more than 700 new nurses in Northern California in the next four years.
John Leighty is a freelance writer. To comment on this article e-mail dnovak@gannetthg.com.
Affordable Dental Plan
Conference To Address Nursing Shortage
Conference to address nursing shortage By ERIC RUTH, The News Journal
Posted Thursday, April 19, 2007 at 8:57 am ongoing shortage of nurses will be part of the day’s agenda at the Delaware Nurses Association’s Spring Conference, Friday in Dover.Becky Patton, president of the American Nurses Association, will deliver the keynote address to the sold-out conference. Other speakers include Beau Biden, Delaware’s attorney general, and Rhonda Denny, deputy attorney general.The conference also will explore adolescent health care issues, including sexual activity, depression and obesity among teens. Denny is scheduled to speak on the prevention of bullying and violence among adolescents, and Biden will address adolescent law.The conference will be held at the Martin Luther King Building at Delaware State University.Patton has recently called for an additional $200 million in federal funding for improved work force development programs.“The nursing shortage has reached a crucial point where the quality of patient care is impacted,” Patton has said.Contact Eric Ruth at eruth@delawareonline.com
affordable dental care for agency nurses
Posted Thursday, April 19, 2007 at 8:57 am ongoing shortage of nurses will be part of the day’s agenda at the Delaware Nurses Association’s Spring Conference, Friday in Dover.Becky Patton, president of the American Nurses Association, will deliver the keynote address to the sold-out conference. Other speakers include Beau Biden, Delaware’s attorney general, and Rhonda Denny, deputy attorney general.The conference also will explore adolescent health care issues, including sexual activity, depression and obesity among teens. Denny is scheduled to speak on the prevention of bullying and violence among adolescents, and Biden will address adolescent law.The conference will be held at the Martin Luther King Building at Delaware State University.Patton has recently called for an additional $200 million in federal funding for improved work force development programs.“The nursing shortage has reached a crucial point where the quality of patient care is impacted,” Patton has said.Contact Eric Ruth at eruth@delawareonline.com
affordable dental care for agency nurses
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Ira Strumwasser: Nursing shortage requires action issue - health care
Ira Strumwasser: Nursing shortage requires action issue - health care
In 2005, millions of people tried to prepare for Hurricane Katrina. Today, the urgency for Americans to prepare for the next disaster has never been greater. In Michigan, state and local leaders are planning for possible health crises, from pandemic flu to an act of terrorism. However, there is one issue that will make the response to emergencies even more difficult. It is the shortage of experienced nurses.
We all count on nurses for the compassionate, quality care they provide when we are sick or injured. This care is currently threatened by the shortage of well-prepared and experienced registered nurses. The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth estimates that Michigan will be short some 7,000 nurses by 2010 and 18,000 nurses by 2015.
The nursing shortage makes it difficult for our health-care sector to meet current needs. In any kind of emergency, the presence of registered nurses will be key to the ability to provide care for an influx of additional patients - many disabled, seriously ill or injured. The state of Michigan has initiated a number of programs aimed at increasing the number of nurses to care for our citizens.
In Michigan and in other states, one of the factors influencing the shortage is an aging nurse workforce. The Michigan Center for Nursing reports that 31 percent of all Michigan RNs plan to leave the practice of nursing within 10 years. With that in mind, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation is taking steps towards finding a solution.
A unique partnership has been formed to develop solutions to establish a stable, adequate nursing workforce to prepare for whatever issues we face.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation and the College of Nursing at Michigan State University have come together to develop a new educational program that will help nurses transition to clinical practice areas that best match their stage-of-career and current professional interests. The Nursing for Life: RN Career Transition program will educate nurses with the core competencies needed to practice in a safe and competent manner in new settings, thus offering alternatives to leaving clinical practice.
Although we've only just taken the first steps, the project shows great promise in strengthening the nursing workforce here in Michigan.Here's what you can do to help:
• Support our project - local foundations can help train local nurses to serve as preceptors for our project.
• Support nursing education - spread the word about nursing education opportunities.
• Build the next generation - explore nursing career opportunities that are available to you as well as to your sons and daughters.
source: http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070422/OPINION02/704220562/1087/opinion
affordable dental care
In 2005, millions of people tried to prepare for Hurricane Katrina. Today, the urgency for Americans to prepare for the next disaster has never been greater. In Michigan, state and local leaders are planning for possible health crises, from pandemic flu to an act of terrorism. However, there is one issue that will make the response to emergencies even more difficult. It is the shortage of experienced nurses.
We all count on nurses for the compassionate, quality care they provide when we are sick or injured. This care is currently threatened by the shortage of well-prepared and experienced registered nurses. The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth estimates that Michigan will be short some 7,000 nurses by 2010 and 18,000 nurses by 2015.
The nursing shortage makes it difficult for our health-care sector to meet current needs. In any kind of emergency, the presence of registered nurses will be key to the ability to provide care for an influx of additional patients - many disabled, seriously ill or injured. The state of Michigan has initiated a number of programs aimed at increasing the number of nurses to care for our citizens.
In Michigan and in other states, one of the factors influencing the shortage is an aging nurse workforce. The Michigan Center for Nursing reports that 31 percent of all Michigan RNs plan to leave the practice of nursing within 10 years. With that in mind, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation is taking steps towards finding a solution.
A unique partnership has been formed to develop solutions to establish a stable, adequate nursing workforce to prepare for whatever issues we face.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation and the College of Nursing at Michigan State University have come together to develop a new educational program that will help nurses transition to clinical practice areas that best match their stage-of-career and current professional interests. The Nursing for Life: RN Career Transition program will educate nurses with the core competencies needed to practice in a safe and competent manner in new settings, thus offering alternatives to leaving clinical practice.
Although we've only just taken the first steps, the project shows great promise in strengthening the nursing workforce here in Michigan.Here's what you can do to help:
• Support our project - local foundations can help train local nurses to serve as preceptors for our project.
• Support nursing education - spread the word about nursing education opportunities.
• Build the next generation - explore nursing career opportunities that are available to you as well as to your sons and daughters.
source: http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070422/OPINION02/704220562/1087/opinion
affordable dental care
County puts patients at risk by axing doctors, nurses
April 22, 2007
The issue: A Southtown examination of job reductions within Cook County health system shows a far greater number of doctors and nurses positions eliminated than administrators.
We say: Patients are being put at risk at the expense of keeping well-paid administrators on the payroll in the health department and elsewhere in county government.
When the entire orthopedic unit at Cook County-operated Provident Hospital was recently eliminated, surgeon Dan Ivankovich was concerned about his patients.
"All the patients said, 'We got appointments for May (at Stroger Hospital),' so I thought, cool, they're just going to transition them," Dr. Ivankovich said. "Then I found out it was May of 2008."
Welcome to the state of health care under Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. At least those former Provident patients still will be a part of the county health system come 2008. The same can't be said for the long-term care patients who resided at Oak Forest Hospital, which is also run by the county. Those patients have been told that come September, they'll probably have to find somewhere else to live.
Of course, Stroger will tell you that bringing up such details is part of the unfair coverage the Southtown has given his administration since he took office in December. In a letter published earlier this month in the Sun-Times (he never sent one to us), the county board president blasted the Sun-Times and the Southtown and asked us to treat him fairly.
We're trying to be fair on our end, President Stroger. Perhaps you could try doing the same on your end.
When we repeatedly asked for a breakdown of what jobs were eliminated within the health department in the wake of the recently passed budget, we were denied. So we filed a request through the Freedom of Information Act.
We wanted to see if, as you indicated you'd do, you were cutting from the top and eliminating administrative jobs. Turns out you did eliminate some of those jobs, but they only amounted to about 11 percent of the jobs that were cut in the health bureau. But what about other types of jobs?
As the Southtown's Jonathan Lipman reported this week, of the 1,032 cuts 260 were doctors (including Dr. Ivankovich) and 230 nurses or certified nursing assistants. Forty-seven percent of cuts were to the two most vital medical occupations -- the ones needed on the front lines of providing care. A total of 189 clerks, technicians and therapists also lost their job.
And then there are 670 jobs in the health bureau that were in effect cut, though the jobs remain on the payroll at a salary of $1. Since the county won't release details of those jobs, we don't know how many are doctors and nurses.
We trust, as we look at those numbers, that we aren't alone in worrying about the future health care of patients who have relied on county resources for many years. But looking at how those cuts have been proportioned we wonder if that fear is shared within the county hierarchy.
It's hard to determine where priorities lie in county government these days. What's more important -- a doctor who treats the sick or a public affairs director who doesn't talk to the press? Stroger indeed has made sure there is one of the latter on his payroll, at $100,000 a year. He replaced a woman who also didn't talk to the press who now works as a $95,000-a-year liaison to churches and community groups for the county. And don't forget the $86,000 new job for a former spokesman to inform the public (but not the press) about the county hospitals, which already have their own spokesman. These are just a few of the loyalists who have been rewarded with high-paying jobs at the expense of other county programs -- like the health department.
Stroger, in his rant about the Sun-Times and Southtown, said it was unfair to reveal the salaries of such workers. Huh? It's unfair for the public to know where their tax dollars are going? Sorry, Stroger, you're wrong.
Here's what's unfair: Putting the health of needy county residents at risk in order to ensure that friends and family are rewarded at taxpayer expense.
source:http://www.dailysouthtown.com/news/opinion/editorials/350353,221EDT1.article
Affordable Dental Care
The issue: A Southtown examination of job reductions within Cook County health system shows a far greater number of doctors and nurses positions eliminated than administrators.
We say: Patients are being put at risk at the expense of keeping well-paid administrators on the payroll in the health department and elsewhere in county government.
When the entire orthopedic unit at Cook County-operated Provident Hospital was recently eliminated, surgeon Dan Ivankovich was concerned about his patients.
"All the patients said, 'We got appointments for May (at Stroger Hospital),' so I thought, cool, they're just going to transition them," Dr. Ivankovich said. "Then I found out it was May of 2008."
Welcome to the state of health care under Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. At least those former Provident patients still will be a part of the county health system come 2008. The same can't be said for the long-term care patients who resided at Oak Forest Hospital, which is also run by the county. Those patients have been told that come September, they'll probably have to find somewhere else to live.
Of course, Stroger will tell you that bringing up such details is part of the unfair coverage the Southtown has given his administration since he took office in December. In a letter published earlier this month in the Sun-Times (he never sent one to us), the county board president blasted the Sun-Times and the Southtown and asked us to treat him fairly.
We're trying to be fair on our end, President Stroger. Perhaps you could try doing the same on your end.
When we repeatedly asked for a breakdown of what jobs were eliminated within the health department in the wake of the recently passed budget, we were denied. So we filed a request through the Freedom of Information Act.
We wanted to see if, as you indicated you'd do, you were cutting from the top and eliminating administrative jobs. Turns out you did eliminate some of those jobs, but they only amounted to about 11 percent of the jobs that were cut in the health bureau. But what about other types of jobs?
As the Southtown's Jonathan Lipman reported this week, of the 1,032 cuts 260 were doctors (including Dr. Ivankovich) and 230 nurses or certified nursing assistants. Forty-seven percent of cuts were to the two most vital medical occupations -- the ones needed on the front lines of providing care. A total of 189 clerks, technicians and therapists also lost their job.
And then there are 670 jobs in the health bureau that were in effect cut, though the jobs remain on the payroll at a salary of $1. Since the county won't release details of those jobs, we don't know how many are doctors and nurses.
We trust, as we look at those numbers, that we aren't alone in worrying about the future health care of patients who have relied on county resources for many years. But looking at how those cuts have been proportioned we wonder if that fear is shared within the county hierarchy.
It's hard to determine where priorities lie in county government these days. What's more important -- a doctor who treats the sick or a public affairs director who doesn't talk to the press? Stroger indeed has made sure there is one of the latter on his payroll, at $100,000 a year. He replaced a woman who also didn't talk to the press who now works as a $95,000-a-year liaison to churches and community groups for the county. And don't forget the $86,000 new job for a former spokesman to inform the public (but not the press) about the county hospitals, which already have their own spokesman. These are just a few of the loyalists who have been rewarded with high-paying jobs at the expense of other county programs -- like the health department.
Stroger, in his rant about the Sun-Times and Southtown, said it was unfair to reveal the salaries of such workers. Huh? It's unfair for the public to know where their tax dollars are going? Sorry, Stroger, you're wrong.
Here's what's unfair: Putting the health of needy county residents at risk in order to ensure that friends and family are rewarded at taxpayer expense.
source:http://www.dailysouthtown.com/news/opinion/editorials/350353,221EDT1.article
Affordable Dental Care
Med care nurses OK new pact
Registered nurses at the Jackson County Medical Care Facility have ratified four-year contracts, effective this month.
The nurses' salaries were significantly lower than those at other health-care facilities, according to a Michigan Nurses Association statement. There are about 20 registered nurses at the facility.
The new contract calls for a 6 percent pay raise in the first year and 2 percent raises in the second and third years. Salaries for the fourth year will be negotiated in 2010.
Source:http://www.mlive.com/news/jacitpat/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1177236405278730.xml&coll=3
Affordable Dental Care
The nurses' salaries were significantly lower than those at other health-care facilities, according to a Michigan Nurses Association statement. There are about 20 registered nurses at the facility.
The new contract calls for a 6 percent pay raise in the first year and 2 percent raises in the second and third years. Salaries for the fourth year will be negotiated in 2010.
Source:http://www.mlive.com/news/jacitpat/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1177236405278730.xml&coll=3
Affordable Dental Care
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