The number of patients assigned to nurses would be limited and nurses’ mandatory overtime reduced, under legislation reintroduced in the House and Senate with Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) support.

The package, called the Safe Patient Care Act, was intended to improve nursing retention. It was immediately opposed by the Michigan Health and Hospital Association.

Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit)’s SB 334 , and Rep. Stephanie Young (D-Detroit)’S HB 4550 limit the number of patients a nurse can be assigned.

The bills establish a one-to-one ratio in intensive care units, during trauma or critical care for triage duties, in operating rooms, during conscious sedation and post-anesthesia, during active labor and birth, immediately postpartum and in cases of an unstable newborn.

In pregnancy [Read More]

By EWA MATUSZEWSKI
I wrote in February that we are entering the era of the community health worker (CHW). I reiterate that today, but fear that I spoke too soon on one aspect of the CHW movement. Unsurprisingly, it’s reimbursement. Here’s what I said then:

“Many insurers are also beginning to recognize the community health worker as the new, must-have care team member for an efficient connector between clinician and community…Some services of a CHW are reimbursable to the provider; however, they must be connected to a clinical organization.”

While I was accurate in noting the existence of reimbursable services, I believe I was too optimistic in how I presented the information. The [Read More]

By ROLF LOWE
Over the last thirty years the transition from handwritten and dictated patient notes to electronic health records (EHR) has created efficiencies for providers. While EHRs were introduced with the idea of better patient care and less administrative burdens, they have also created issues that didn’t exist when the norm was to create a contemporaneous handwritten note in a patient’s chart. One of these issues is the “cloning” of a procedure or a SOAP note in a patient’s chart. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in its EHR Provider Fact Sheet defines cloning as the practice of copying and pasting previously recorded information from a prior note into [Read More]

By RALPH LEVY, JR.
In prior articles in this publication, this author addressed a federal tax issue faced by practice entities- the possible attack by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on a common practice of incorporated medical and other types of practice groups.  By use of the “zero out” technique to pay compensation to the practice group’s owners as salaries during the year and year-end bonuses, practice groups organized as ‘C’ corporations (set up as a professional corporation or professional association under local law) will pay little or no federal income taxes.  The potential tax risk to this compensation method is that depending on the facts and circumstances of each situation, [Read More]

 Lansing Lines is presented in cooperation with MIRS, a Lansing-based news and information service.

Homeless Youth Could Receive Health Care Under Bill

Homeless youth would be able to access health care without parental consent under a bill sponsored by Rep. Amos Oneal (D-Saginaw) that is part of a bill package sponsored by Rep. Lori Stone (D-Warren)  and Rep. John Roth (R-Interlochen).

Under HB 4085 , HB 4086 and HB 4087 , homeless or runaway youth between the ages of 16 and 21 would have to establish with the child care institutions’ staff that they do not have access to a safe living environment with their parent and have no other safe alternative living arrangement besides a homeless youth shelter in order to qualify [Read More]

By PAUL NATINSKY
Regardless of the state of science or prejudices of politics, the common cultural vibe is that the COVID-19 pandemic is over. I saw convincing evidence on a trip to visit a friend recovering from a stroke at a Southeast Michigan hospital. The nurses staffing the desk on his floor either had their masks at half-mast (below the nose) or completely furled.

In mid-April the official lowering of sails was announced. May 11 will be the date on which the national emergency initiated by then-President Trump and renewed twice by President Biden is set to expire. The end of required fabric face filters is mostly a symbolic end to COVID [Read More]

The Biden administration’s decision to end the COVID-19 public health emergency in May will institute sweeping changes across the health care system that go far beyond many people having to pay more for COVID tests.

In response to the pandemic, the federal government in 2020 suspended many of its rules on how care is delivered. That transformed essentially every corner of American health care — from hospitals and nursing homes to public health and treatment for people recovering from addiction.

Now, as the government prepares to reverse some of those steps, here’s a glimpse at ways patients will be affected:

Training Rules for Nursing Home Staff Get Stricter

The end of the emergency means nursing [Read More]

By EWA MATUSZEWSKI

Are you among the LEP? Likely not, because you’re reading this. But as someone in the healthcare sector, it’s an acronym you should not only know, but understand, particularly as it relates to health literacy and equity. LEP is Limited English Proficient, and the U.S. Census Bureau describes it as individuals over age 5 who report speaking English less than “very well”. It reports that number as over 25 million –  9% of the United States population in 2015, the year the report originates.

Flash forward to today in a heightened era of health literacy, DEI and social determinants of health and LEP takes on new significance. It’s [Read More]

By JESSE ADAM MARKOS, ESQ.
Wachler & Associates, P.C.

Pursuant to a plea agreement filed in federal court in Grand Rapids on April 6^th, the former chairman of Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Licensing Board, Rick Johnson, has admitted to accepting bribes while serving in his official capacity. Federal prosecutors allege that, over a two-year period, Johnson accepted cash payments and other benefits, such as private chartered flights, in excess of $100,000.00 in return for giving preferential treatment during the medical marijuana licensing process.

Michigan’s now-defunct Medical Marijuana Licensing Board was created by the Michigan Legislature in 2016 to issue licenses for various medical marijuana facilities.  It operated within the Michigan Department of Licensing and [Read More]

By ALEXANDRA CRANDALL

J-1 status is a favorite for foreign nationals attending medical resident training programs in the United States. While there are many advantages to the J-1 visa category, one major obstacle remains for J-1 physicians who wish to continue working in the United States—the home residence requirement.

Because the J-1 physician visa is considered an “exchange visitor visa,” foreign nationals who enter in that status must return to their home country for two years before being granted H/L non-immigrant status or permanent residency. This is a discouraging reality, particularly within an industry that desperately needs to retain the talent it works so hard to train. Luckily, there are four options [Read More]