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Happy FriYAY!
I wanted to share a fun video from our first event in San Francisco powered by connectRN and Gales. It was great to connect with like-minded nurses passionate about the profession. It went so well that we are already prepping for our next event! Can you guess where it is?
Stay safe. Be healthy. Be kind.
Tamara AL-Yassin (aka Nurse T)
CEO | The Nursing Beat
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Pennsylvania NP Pleads Guilty to Prescription Fraud Charges
Pennsylvania nurse practitioner Stefanie King has pleaded guilty to four felony charges involving prescription drugs and insurance fraud. She has voluntarily surrendered her license as a certified registered NP and will pay nearly $450,000 in restitution.
An investigation found that King falsely billed more than $300,000 to private insurers and $100,000 to the Commonwealth for “services below acceptable medical treatment standards.” In addition, she wrote more than 3,750 prescriptions without a collaborating doctor, as is necessary under Pennsylvania law. These misdeeds involved sexual relationships with patients. In one relationship, King billed insurers for the time she spent with the patient unrelated to healthcare; in another, she prescribed controlled substances to the
patient despite discontinuing medical care. Her felony charges include violating the Controlled Substance Act (”Obtained by Subterfuge” and “Delivery by Practitioner”), Medicaid fraud, and Insurance fraud.
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Prescription Drug Shortages Hit Hospitals and Cancer Treatment Hard
Drug shortages are worse than they’ve ever been in the past ten years, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Oncology drugs are especially in dire straits as of recent months, including methotrexate, cisplatin, fluorouracil, Pluvicto, and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin. Adderall and its generic alternatives are also in short supply. Manufacturing delays, increased demand, selected plant closures, and quality control problems are blamed for the shortages.
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists suggests the US healthcare system relies too heavily on “low-margin manufacturers with limited capacity.” The Food and Drug Administration’s chief medical officer said these companies have “little play in the supply they can offer.” Pharmacists are recommended to work around the shortage issues by compounding or repacking medications into different doses, though this can increase the risk of medication error.
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Surgeon General to Focus on Mental Health
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has been speaking with students, healthcare workers, and community groups across the country about the growing problem of mental health challenges among adolescents, which he calls the “defining public health crisis of our time.” He told the New York Times that mental health is the fuel that allows us to show up for ourselves and those in our life.
Murthy sees many contributing factors to the country’s current mental health crisis. These include stigma that prevents people from getting help, loneliness, and isolation; bullying, which occurs both offline and online; and the 24/7 information environment that stokes fear and anxiety. Adolescents are also concerned about the future in the face of profound challenges like increased violent hate crimes and climate change.
Remember to share the new 988 suicide and crisis lifeline number with patients in need.
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COMMUNITY PICKS 🌼
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Purpose People is a company that was developed by a nurse who believed in giving back. From t-shirts to travel mugs, there are so many amazing things to choose from to show your nursing pride!
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💸 FINANCE FRIDAY powered
by
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Nurse Pay
Travel nurse pay is decreasing significantly in some states. Why is this? A couple of explanations are said to be a decrease in Covid-19 and RSV hospitalizations. Along with this decrease in travel nurse pay, many state legislators are considering capping how much travel agencies can charge
hospitals for highly skilled nurses, further decreasing how much a travel nurse can make. This is highly debated in our community, and rightly so.
As travel nurse pay decreases, non-travel nurse pay remains flat compared to inflation. What should you do? Here are some thoughts and resources to consider. Employers can and should be offering benefits in addition to a competitive salary. Examples of non-pay benefits could be free gym memberships, free calls with a financial advisor, a retention bonus, free mental health resources, and more. Talk to your HR team today to fully grasp and take advantage of these resources. Also, ask recruiters and HR reps about these non-salary benefits if you are job hunting.
Visit:
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DAILY DIVERSION 💊
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Nurses behaving badly: A former nurse with the Federal Bureau of Prisons has pleaded guilty to supplying inmates with drugs and other prohibited items at the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami. He accepted thousands of dollars in bribes to bring in this contraband, sometimes by soaking controlled substances in sheets of paper.
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🤯 ONE BIG NUMBER
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96%
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The percentage of patients that would prefer to receive their test results immediately online even if their healthcare provider hasn’t reviewed them yet.
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