legislative summit Washington D.C. June 20, 2024 RECAP

Melissa Mills, Executive Director, welcomes attendees, shares why she is passionate about the Commission's work, and introduces the keynote speaker, Rebecca Love. Rebecca, a renowned nurse executive and innovator, discusses the history of nursing in the United States and the challenges nurses face today.

Dr. Yakusheva, an economist and expert on the economic value of nursing to healthcare systems, argues that although hospitals prioritize profit, complex economic and regulatory constraints limit their ability to invest in nurses.

Robert Longyear hosted a panel with nurses Shannon Lunn, Mirini Kim, and Jane Jeppson, who shared their experiences on how staffing shortages and heavy workloads affect the quality of care they can provide to their patients.

Paul Coyne uses an analogy of two restaurants in a small town to illustrate how nursing reimbursement works today. Hospitals do not receive more money for hiring more nurses but are financially incentivized to cut costs by reducing how many they employ. This practice leads to a situation where nurses are overworked and underpaid, and patients receive lower-quality care. 

Robert Longyear discusses the current challenges of nurse staffing and burnout and how the current reimbursement models for hospitals don't incentivize adequate staffing. He proposes a new model that would change how hospitals are paid for nurse staffing.

Rachel Start and Cynthia Murray, are both representing the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN). They argue that ambulatory care nurses play a vital role in population health management and cost avoidance, but the current reimbursement system does not adequately reflect the value of their services.

Ajay Gupta hosts a panel discussion on the impact of nursing care on healthcare outcomes and costs with Karen Grimley, PK Sheerle, and Paul Coyne. 

The discussion centers around the idea that nurses are a crucial part of the healthcare system and that adequate staffing levels are necessary to ensure quality care. The panelists argue that nurses can help reduce costs by preventing readmissions and improving patient outcomes. They also discuss the importance of having nurses represented on hospital boards.

Garett Gleeson addresses the problems facing long-term care and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in the United States today. SNFs have been facing staffing shortages since the pandemic, which has led to a decline in census and an increase in facility closures. More than half of SNFs are regularly turning away patients due to staffing limitations. On top of that, the median operating margin for SNFs in 2022 was only 0.3%, making it very difficult for these facilities to invest in improvements.

Sharon and Renee discuss the importance of nurse advocacy and political activism. Nurses have been underpaid for a long time. The care they provide deserves to be billable and reimbursable, which will bring more power and recognition. 

Historically, nurses have not been good at advocating for themselves. They need to let people know about the value of the work they do. Nurses should run for office to make changes in the healthcare system.