ASHHRA eNews Pulse

Leading People Through Change is the theme of this year’s ASHHRA conference in Denver, September 22–25. As you know, leading people through change isn’t easy to do, but as your president, and with the ASHHRA board, we want to help you do it. In January, I wrote about opportunity and the beginning of a new year that lets us reinvent ourselves and our work. In February, I wrote about volunteerism and the wonderful work done by our board and committee volunteers. Last month, I wrote about thanking our own HR teams by celebrating Health Care HR week. This month, I want to share a little about ASHHRA and how we make decisions that help meet your needs as members of ASHHRA. It all begins with our strategic plan.

Strategically, ASHHRA is here to advance "The Human Side of Healthcare." This means helping each of you, our members, become more effective, valued, and credible leaders for your organizations and in the field of health care human resources. This is guided by both the ASHHRA values and strategies that provide the foundation for what we do, for the programs that we offer, and for the committee work that is accomplished throughout the year.

Our values will probably resonate with you. They are very similar to the values established by many health care organizations that we serve and they have been our foundation for 48 years. They are: People... Integrity...Leadership...Diversity...Collaboration...Excellence... Innovation.

The ASHHRA strategies were established in 2010. They are: be the first choice for health care HR knowledge; be a trusted and dependable source; link a diverse and expansive health care community; and be the leader in health care HR workforce policy, advocacy, and best practices.

Why an annual conference and webinars? We want to be your first choice for health care HR knowledge. Why the ASHHRA Concierge Service? Our goal is to be the most trusted and dependable source of health care HR data for you and your leadership as well as for your health care organization. How do we link a diverse and expansive health care community? We have partnerships with best practice organizations that support us through whitepapers, education, grants and scholarships, and sponsorship of initiatives. What do the Regional, Chapter, and Member Services; Learning and Education; Advocacy; and Annual Conference committees offer that relate to our strategies? They offer the opportunity to be the leaders in health care HR workforce policy, advocacy, and best practices.

Over the next several newsletters I will share a little bit about the ASHHRA board members and how they model the ASHHRA values and embed the strategy in every decision they make and every project we embark upon. I know you will be amazed at the amount of work these volunteers do and what they’ve been able to accomplish as they Lead People Through Change.

Irma L. Pye, SPHR
ASHHRA 2012 President
Senior Vice President & CHRO
Valley Baptist Health System
Harlingen, Texas

 

This webinar Tuesday, April 17, will discuss how the health care industry is undergoing significant change with mergers and acquisitions are occurring at an unprecedented pace, and pressure is increasing to control costs while still providing a benefits package that will attract and retain the workforce a hospital/health system needs to deliver high-quality patient care and grow its business.

Visit http://www.ashhra.org/learning/webinars.shtml#041712 to view the full article online.

 

Miss the Early Bird Special rates for the annual conference? ASHHRA heard you, so we are offering the Spring Savings until May 31 to help you save up to $30 on registration!

Visit http://www.ashhra.org/conference/2012/registration.shtml to view the full article online.

 

The 38th Semi-Annual ASHHRA/IRI Labor Activity in Health Care Report is now available for ASHHRA members to access. The report includes an analysis of national, regional, and state representation petitions and elections during 2011 as well as the Labor Law/Activity Update.

Visit http://www.ashhra.org/resources/labor_activity.shtml to view the full article online.

 

By Liz Kowalczyk

The Food and Drug Administration is taking steps to reduce "alarm fatigue’’ in hospitals by intensifying its pre-market review of medical devices that sound alarms and could contribute to the desensitization of nurses — a problem that The Boston Globe reported last year was linked to hundreds of deaths.

SOURCE: THE BOSTON GLOBE

Visit http://articles.boston.com/2012-03-24/health-wellness/31237407_1_alarms-medical-devices-maisel to view the full article online.

 

By John Commins

The health care sector created 26,000 jobs in March, a precipitous deceleration in growth when compared with the first two months of 2012, new federal data shows.

SOURCE: HEALTHLEADERS MEDIA

Visit http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/page-1/LED-278683/Healthcare-Job-Growth-Slows-in-March-but-Q1-Strong to view the full article online.

 

By Tess Vigeland

In 2007, Kurt Edwards figured he would be stacking and racking 80-pound boxes of dog food and celery in the back of a grocery store for the rest of his working life. And he was fine with that. But that June, after nine years on the job, layoff notices arrived on the warehouse floor at the Farmer Jack store in Detroit where he worked. His employer, Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, closed the Farmer Jack chain. Today he still does a lot of lifting, but of people, not boxes. Mr. Edwards joined the ranks of former warehouse, factory and autoworkers trading in their coveralls and job uncertainty for nurses’ scrubs.

SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES

Visit http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/your-money/displaced-men-trade-blue-collar-jobs-for-nursing.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&sq=health%20insurance&st=cse&scp=5 to view the full article online.

 

By Matthew Weinstock

A new staffing survey reveals that social media is gaining ground as the primary place for health care workers to conduct their job searches.

SOURCE: HOSPITALS & HEALTH NETWORKS

Visit http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag/HHNDaily/HHNDailyDisplay.dhtml?id=1870004509 to view the full article online.

 

By Bob Herman

The national average salary of hospital chief nursing officers increased 2.24 percent from 2010 to 2011 to an average of $148,112, according to a survey from Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service.

SOURCE: BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW

Visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/compensation-issues/how-do-chief-nursing-officer-salaries-differ-by-hospital-bed-size.html to view the full article online.

 

By Bob Herman

Compensation of hospital CEOs and other top hospital executives, especially at non-profit organizations, is undergoing mass amounts of scrutiny, thanks in part to the new federal standards that require transparency of all tax-exempt organizations.

SOURCE: BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW

Visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/compensation-issues/compensation-manifesto-11-steps-for-hospital-ceos-and-compensation-committees-to-qget-it-rightq.html to view the full article online.

 

By Lindsey Dunn

For many years, employee engagement, especially in healthcare, was considered a "soft" science — something leaders thought about only after addressing the "hard stuff" like volume and reimbursement. Leaders who buy into this mindset, however, fail to realize the impact employee engagement actually has on the hard stuff, says Quint Studer, founder of Studer Group — issues like patient safety, patient perception of care, and as a result, volume and financial performance.

SOURCE: BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW

Visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/employee-engagement-no-longer-a-qsoftq-science-3-steps-to-cultivate-more-committed-employees.html to view the full article online.

 

By Chuck Lauer

Over the past few years a new phenomenon has burst upon the healthcare world: the call for a positive work environment for employees. This is a great trend and I hope it will continue forever, but one warning: it is not so easy to accomplish. It takes a lot of hard work and total dedication. Here are 10 basic factors that I believe are essential to create a positive workplace. I believe each and every one of them is tremendously important to the overall health of the hospital and to the morale of the people who work in it.

SOURCE: BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW

Visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/chuck-lauer-10-factors-in-creating-a-positive-work-environment.html to view the full article online.

 

By Carolyne Krupa

About two-thirds of medical boards have the authority to investigate whether a physician has a criminal history, but rules vary by state.

SOURCE: AMEDNEWS

Visit http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/04/02/prsa0402.htm to view the full article online.

 

By Sandy Thorn Clark

You’re at a critical juncture in a health situation. Is it time for a hug? A hug between a doctor and patient might be just what both ordered. Still, it needs to be in the proper context and between two willing huggers.

SOURCE: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

Visit http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/health/11557385-423/when-is-it-ok-for-a-doctor-to-hug-a-patient.html to view the full article online.

 

By Kelly Bothum

Let's face it — hospitals aren't usually the kind of place most people would choose to spend their time. But with wi-fi, free parking, restaurant-quality meals and other patient amenities, the experience is decidedly better than it used to be. As hospitals focus more on overall patient satisfaction, gone are the days of bland paint colors, industrial-style furniture, glaring lights and mediocre food.

SOURCE: THE NEWS JOURNAL OF WILMINGTON, DEL.

Visit http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/mar/24/hospitals-strive-to-be-more-congenial/ to view the full article online.

 

By Dr. Larry Borges and Kim Carollo

Imagine lying in a hospital bed, afraid, stuck repeatedly with needles to draw blood for tests you don't understand. Next to you lies another patient — in a bed so close that each of you hears everything the other has to go through. This is the reality for many hospitalized adults in the U.S.

SOURCE: ABC NEWS

Visit http://abcnews.go.com/Health/hospitals-home-making-medical-stays-stressful-patients/story?id=16082673#.T4Lnjdnhd5I to view the full article online.

 

By Alicia Caramenico

As new health care delivery models foster collaboration between caregivers and other staff, physicians and nurses are taking on executive leadership roles, The Atlantic reported. In fact, 64 physician CEOs already are running health care systems, according to executive search firm Witt/Kieffer, the article noted. That number could rise, as a study last summer found that physician-run hospitals had a 25 percent higher quality score than those run by nonclinical CEOs.

SOURCE: FIERCE HEALTHCARE

Visit http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/docs-nurses-take-lead-healthcare-collaboration/2012-04-05 to view the full article online.

 

By Howard Larkin

Health reform puts hospitals and systems at more financial risk than ever for care costs and quality, both inside and outside their facilities. But it doesn't change the fundamental fact that physicians, even employed physicians, remain the final arbiters of what care actually is provided.

SOURCE: HOSPITALS & HEALTH NETWORKS

Visit http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag_app/jsp/articledisplay.jsp?dcrpath=HHNMAG/Article/data/03MAR2012/0312HHN_FEA_boardroom&domain=HHNMAG to view the full article online.