NLRB Ruling Could Alter Relations Between Health Care Facilities And Temporary Workers
The ruling states that staffing agency workers are jointly employed by both the agency and the organization -- such as hospitals -- where they are working. That means the health care employers may become involved in collective bargaining with the temporary workers, Modern Healthcare reports. Other news coverage explores whether nurse practitioners could be an alternative to physicians in efforts to address workforce shortages.
Modern Healthcare:
NLRB Ruling Could Shake Up Healthcare Staffing Industry
A ruling Thursday by the National Labor Relations Board could complicate relations between healthcare organizations and their workers employed by staffing agencies. The board ruled that workers employed by a staffing agency are jointly employed by the agency and the organization where they're working. That means those organizations should be involved in any collective bargaining with the temporary workers and could be held liable for unfair labor practice cases filed with the federal government. (Rubenfire, 8/28)
NBC News:
In Physician Shortage, Can Nurse Practitioners Replace Doctors?
Patients are increasingly turning to nurse practitioners instead of physicians for a less expensive healthcare alternative. Some experts say the trend is a solution to the staggering cost of medical treatments and the shortage of physicians, which is expected to exceed 46,000 within the next decade, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. (Fryer, 8/29)
Meanwhile, online doctor visits gain popularity.
Los Angeles Times:
The Doctor Is Online: Remote Video Medical Exams Gain Popularity
When Tom Essenpreis first signed up for his company's Anthem Blue Cross health plan, he checked out its website and came across a service that enables him to visit with a doctor online 24 hours a day. He downloaded it right away. "I immediately saw the utility of it," said the 35-year-old aerospace engineer from Hawthorne. The service came in handy one Saturday when his 2-year-old daughter had what he said was "goopy stuff clogging up the corner of her eye." (Zamosky, 8/28)