National Nurses United

M AY | J U N E 2 0 1 6 W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G N A T I O N A L N U R S E 7 NATIONAL O nce again, National Nurses Unit- ed Executive Director RoseAnn DeMoro has won recognition as one of the 100 most influential people in healthcare in the United States. DeMoro is one of only five individuals who have been acknowledged on the honor roll every one of the 15 years it has been compiled by Modern Healthcare, a health- care industry trade publication. The recognition for DeMoro, year after year, is especially noteworthy on a list annual- ly dominated by hospital, insurance, pharma- ceutical, and other healthcare industry corporations, as well as a handful of elected officials and appointed leaders of public agen- cies. She is the only labor leader on the list. "We could not be more proud of RoseAnn for the tribute to her tremendous leadership for nurses, and numerous healthcare, pro - gressive, labor, and community activists and organizations across the U.S., as well as the recognition of our wonderful organization," said NNU Co-President Jean Ross, RN. In the past year, DeMoro also played a prominent role as a public advocate for the campaign for Sen. Bernie Sanders, who was also recognized on the Modern Healthcare list. Sen. Sanders made comprehensive over- haul of our healthcare system, through an improved Medicare for all, a signature issue of his campaign, an issue that DeMoro, NNU, and nurses have also promoted for many years. DeMoro and NNU members campaigned extensively for Sanders throughout the nation. Sanders ranked at number 15 on the list, DeMoro at number 46. President Obama topped the list. NNU has also been busy organizing nurses across the country, working to improve work- place protections for nurses and patients with pioneering programs on workplace violence and other health and safety initiatives, and negotiating premiere collective bargaining contracts for NNU members. Most recently NNU has voiced national concern over the spreading Zika virus, calling for strong nation- al standards in hospitals, and increased public funding to attack Zika. —Staff report CALIFORNIA I n a huge victory for patients subject to lesser protections in some hospital settings and economic sticker shock when they are then transferred to a nursing home, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed in September a bill championed by the California Nurses Association to substantially reform the use of "observation status" by California hospitals. S.B. 1076, introduced by Sen. Ed Hernandez of West Covina on behalf of CNA/NNU extends to patients placed in "observation" beds in hospitals the same safeguards, including safe RN-patient staffing ratios, provided to patients in other parts of the hospital. "This is a great day for California patients. We've seen 'observation' patients held on gurneys in hallways or even placed in what they think is a regular hospital bed, without the same protections available to other patients, and without even being told they are subject to a lesser standard," said CNA co-president Malinda Markowitz, RN. Under the new law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2017, patients who are kept overnight in the hospital without ever being admitted will be notified if they are on observation status, which may affect their insurance coverage. Observation units must meet the same staffing standards as emer- gency rooms, and must be marked as an outpatient area when the unit is not in an ER or part of a normal inpatient unit. The law also requires hospitals to report data to the state about observation services and prohibits them from evading requirements by disguising "observation" units with a different name. Both nationally and in California, the number of Medicare patients held in obser- vation status by hospitals has doubled over the past decade, noted an August Kaiser Health News article. While under "observa- tion" status, the patient is only covered by outpatient regulations, allowing the hospital to avoid stronger regulatory standards for admitted patients, including California's first-in-the-nation safe staffing ratios. Observation patients can also be slammed with enormous out-of-pocket costs, beginning in the hospital where they will be required to pay a much larger share of the bill for medications, treatment, and tests. Further, Medicare requires patients to be admitted as inpatients for three days before coverage for long-term care will kick in. Time spent in observation does not count, as observation services are outpatient services. —Staff report NNU's RoseAnn DeMoro ranked among top healthcare leaders As executive director of NNU, only labor leader to make the list RNs win law to reform observation units Also extends safe staffing ratios to first outpatient setting

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