- Florida: After Paul Casas was diagnosed with Moyamoya disease, a brain disorder that can cause strokes and hemorrhaging by restricting blood flow to the brain, he had difficulty finding a doctor willing to treat the rare disease. But he eventually found Jacques Morcos, a neurosurgeon with the University of Miami, who has had experience treating Moyamoya patients. In a four-hour surgery last month, Morcos rebuilt two arteries to supply blood to the right side of Casas' brain. Four days later, Casas was discharged from the hospital, and he is now recovering successfully, according to the Sacramento Bee (Gross, Sacramento Bee, 6/6).
- Pennsylvania: When Kira, a Western lowland gorilla at the Philadelphia Zoo, showed signs of having a difficult delivery, officials called in a team of veterinarians and doctors to help her out. The team—which included an ob-gyn and various surgeons and anesthesiologists from hospital affiliates of the University of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson University, and University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine—successfully delivered the baby using forceps and an episiotomy after an hour and a half (AP/Sacramento Bee, 6/6).
- Wisconsin: In response to a statewide nursing shortage, Mount Mary University and Milwaukee Area Technical College have partnered to create an affordable program for students to earn a bachelor of science in nursing. Under the program, called "Nursing 1-2-1," students take prerequisite courses their first year at Mount Mary University, and then spend two years at Milwaukee Area Technical College to complete an associate degree in nursing. They then go back to Mount Mary for their final year to finish their bachelor of science (Carballo, Milwaukee Business Journal, 6/6).
How to achieve sustainable, nurse-led cost savings
CMS's Health care organizations around the world are facing increasing financial pressures. When making cuts, hospital executives often turn to the largest portion of their budget—nursing labor. Yet, evidence shows that cutting costs through elimination of nursing positions comes with great risk to patient safety and quality of care.
This toolkit is designed to help nursing leaders find quality-conscious answers to the cost cutting mandate. Download the toolkit overview to learn more about how your organization can reduce labor costs while safeguarding nursing personnel.