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I think what the above poster you is saying is you would want someone who is educated on what they are doing, I know regardless if I was paying or not I would want an educated professional working on me not someone who read stuff online on how to do something, Also sometimes you get what you pay for.
but if you were paying out of pocket, you would balance the right professional for the need with consideration of the cost. you dont need the best doctor in the county to handle a simple wound or an infected hair. as the need becomes more complex, you are going to be willing to spend more on the more skilled professional. of course, if cost is no issue you will take the most expensive practitionor for everything. if i had a food insurance card where my copay is $5 per meal if i went to mcdonalds or ruth's chris, id probably be eating at ruth's chris all the time.
When I worked in a corporation (Corporate Accounting) with $5 billion in yearly sales, which shrunk from 60,000 employees to 25,000 employees, out the door went many 4-year degree Accountants, and up the ranks went the Senior Accounting Clerks, which I was, and before long I was doing the work of 2 4-year Accountants for a fraction of their wages!
In the medical field, push a number of the RN's out the door, and fill those positions with equally competent LPN's, and there's many LPN duties which could be delegated to the low-paid Nursing Assitants! Yes, I believe in one or two states, they allow CNA's to pass medications! And you don't need no nurse to give someone a suppository or enema!
There's other factors at work. Now working in a LTC/Rehab facility, Medicare allows patients to stay in these facilities for 100 days of Rehab. That's gotta go! Any number of these Rehab facilities will take on a patient for 100 days of Rehab, and they knew from the start, there's no way this person could ever be rehabbed! And then, there's those who should have been released after 30 days, but because Medicare pays for 100 days, they'll find reasons to keep them there for 100 days! IMO, that's Medicare fraud! Why oh why isn't this being monitored better?
Although I agree with the concept, in California RN's are on the upswing and LVN's are on the way out. We have even thought of eliminating CNA's (Nurse Tech's) The state mandates that you have so many RN's per so many patients depending on the dicipline of medicine that we are talking. Their is no mandate for LVN's or CNA's. It is a regulated industry like many others.
but if you were paying out of pocket, you would balance the right professional for the need with consideration of the cost. you dont need the best doctor in the county to handle a simple wound or an infected hair. as the need becomes more complex, you are going to be willing to spend more on the more skilled professional. of course, if cost is no issue you will take the most expensive practitionor for everything. if i had a food insurance card where my copay is $5 per meal if i went to mcdonalds or ruth's chris, id probably be eating at ruth's chris all the time.
I think you are missing the big picture. Virtually all RNs work in hospitals at some point in their career and most spend most of their career in a hospital. Most inpatient stays today are due to a serious illness or injury. These are often life or death situations not something like a simple wound or an infected hair. The expertise of the nurse responsible for you care can determine whether you survive you hospital stay.
I think you are missing the big picture. Virtually all RNs work in hospitals at some point in their career and most spend most of their career in a hospital. Most inpatient stays today are due to a serious illness or injury. These are often life or death situations not something like a simple wound or an infected hair. The expertise of the nurse responsible for you care can determine whether you survive you hospital stay.
i never specifically addressed RNs. but the healthcare system involves much more than patients with life threatening illnesses in hospitals. i think its kind of absurd that you just chose to limit the discussion to that specific category of patient. i see that some people just feel that when their life is on the line, there should just be a blank check for whatever care is deemed necessary by whatever provider and however many providers (particularly when it isnt their money). there is always room for cutting and there is plenty of room to cut without reducing the quality of care.
Last edited by CaptainNJ; 10-04-2012 at 12:13 PM..
RN's are extremely overpaid, of course they will never admit it, along with anyone else who makes a decent salary. Nobody would willingly say "yes, I'm overpaid" , however, they are overpaid. The hospital administration did this to themselves, when they got rid over the lower paid LPN and insisted that all patients have an RN. Hospitals once ran very efficiently with one RN per shift, per area. This was called the shift nurse or head nurse. Now they have an RN assigned to every patient but they also have a CNA or MA assigned with each nurse, the CNA, MA does the majority of the work for a fraction of the pay. The RN's outright laugh about how easy they have it, while making the huge paycheck. Administration needs to bring back the one RN per shift, per area and reinstate the LPN or increase responsibilities for the CNA, MA. This will be help bring health care costs down.
Hospital Administration would agree with you on this. The problem is that they have no say so in how many RN's are needed, the state does this. (In California anyway).
Each Nurse is assigned a CNA but here is the kicker, each CNA has 3 or 4 RN's that he or she is working for. The CNA could have up to 16 patients where the RN has no more than 4 patients.
Hospital Administration would agree with you on this. The problem is that they have no say so in how many RN's are needed, the state does this. (In California anyway).
Each Nurse is assigned a CNA but here is the kicker, each CNA has 3 or 4 RN's that he or she is working for. The CNA could have up to 16 patients where the RN has no more than 4 patients.
How many patients should a nurse have? If you have to many it isn't safe,Of course administration would agree, Yet they make way more they the workers, have better benefits, and do MUCH MUCH less.
RN Salaries are the main driver of high healthcare costs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainNJ
i never specifically addressed RNs. but the healthcare system involves much more than patients with life threatening illnesses in hospitals. i think its kind of absurd that you just chose to limit the discussion to that specific category of patient. i see that some people just feel that when their life is on the line, there should just be a blank check for whatever care is deemed necessary by whatever provider and however many providers (particularly when it isnt their money). there is always room for cutting and there is plenty of room to cut without reducing the quality of care.
Look at the title of this discussion. It is about RNs and the high cost of healthcare. A good chunk of healthcare costs are in hospitals and much of that is in end of life care. Reducing end of life care for people who are artificially kept alive on ventilators would reduce would substantially reduce the cost of health care in this country. Any politician who would suggest would be accused of promoting death panels, as we have seen in the past.
Hospital Administration would agree with you on this. The problem is that they have no say so in how many RN's are needed, the state does this. (In California anyway).
Each Nurse is assigned a CNA but here is the kicker, each CNA has 3 or 4 RN's that he or she is working for. The CNA could have up to 16 patients where the RN has no more than 4 patients.
Yes, this type of nurse stafffing is mandated by law in California, but it is not true for other states. What you will find in most hospitals is understaffing.
How many patients should a nurse have? If you have to many it isn't safe,Of course administration would agree, Yet they make way more they the workers, have better benefits, and do MUCH MUCH less.
Why shouldn't they make more? Administrators are keeping the place together. I have never had a problem paying our CEO the $800,000 + that he makes. Lets see what he has done for us.
1. Kept the hospital solvent.
2. Negotiated for a new replacement hospital,
3. Flew all over the nation getting the funding set up for the new hospital
(It is a $340,000,000 project.)
4. Created a hospital system where we merged a smaller money loosing hospital into our organization saving them money, acquired a 51% interest in a growing, 4 location Imaging center, increased our clinic system from 7 to 12 clinics, created partnerships with three large Doctor groups that brought in additional revenue.
5. Discovered additional avenues to increase the revenue for our growing organization.
6. Put into place money saving programs that have helped to build on our bottom line.
I also don't have any problems paying Nurses. They are worth every penny and when you figure it out donl't cost the hospital much of anything. Nurses work when patient load requires them to work. Hospitals can bill for the time that the patient is in the hospital.
Healthcare costs are one of the leading topics of discussion, riddled with all kinds of suggestions and proposals, none of which address the root of the problem which is high labor costs, particularly RN salaries. I know I'm stepping on toes with this topic, given the high number of RNs who probably visit this site.
However, the fact is Nursing salaries have been artificially propped up by this man-made shortage perpetuated by the silly entrance requirements and waiting lists in community college programs. I'm not talking about basic standards (those are needed). I'm talking about silly prerequisites like English classes or math even for those with bachelor’s degrees in other fields. Also, community colleges need to create more slots to accommodate the big waiting lists. That alone would basically end the so-called nursing shortage which has driven up nursing salaries to unsustainable levels. Yes, some will argue they're worth it but the salaries are just as unsustainable to hospitals as assembly line workers making over $60/hr was unsustainable to the auto sector which had to be bailed out.
LOL........clueless
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RN Salaries are the main driver of high healthcare costs.
