Literature Review

EEOC sues AccentCare Home Health Care company for pay discrimination and retaliation U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Press Release; 9/27/24 AccentCare, a nationwide home health care service company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, violated federal civil rights laws by paying female employees less than a male colleague because of their sex and retaliating against a female employee who repeatedly complained, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, female Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) working out of AccentCare’s Pottsville, Pennsylvania, location were paid less than their male colleague for performing equal work, despite their superior qualifications. After a female LPN repeatedly complained about the gender-based pay disparity and requested a raise, AccentCare retaliated against her, and ultimately fired her. Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which prohibits pay discrimination based on sex and retaliation for opposing sex discrimination.

NY home care agency pays $400K in racial prejudice lawsuit A home care agency in Brooklyn, NY, was ordered to pay $400,000 to settle a race and national origin discrimination lawsuit filed by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. ACARE HHC Inc., doing business as Four Seasons Licensed Home Health Care Agency, routinely assigned home health aides based on clients’ racial preferences, according to a consent order filed with the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. These workers, which included Black and Hispanic aides, would either be transferred to new client assignments based on clients’ wishes or lose their employment entirely, EEOC found. These practices were a violation of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employers from making job assignments based on workers’ race or national origin. Four Seasons will pay $400,000 in monetary relief for the home health aides affected, according to the consent order. It will also update its internal policies and training processes related to Civil Rights Act requirements, cease making home health aide assignments based on clients’ race or nationality preferences, and provide semi-annual reports to the EEOC regarding any reports or complaints surrounding race discrimination.

The growing, troublesome issues around non-solicitation agreements in home care Home Health Care News; by Audrie Martin; 9/23/24 In August, Comfort Keepers was fined $500,000 and forced to remove language from its contracts restricting caregivers from accepting positions with home care clients up to one year after terminating employment. That contract language, dubbed a non-solicitation agreement, is a widely used clause in home care contracts to protect providers’ businesses. On its end, the Irvine, California-based Comfort Keepers is a large franchise that offers non-medical in-home support, including meal preparation, companionship and personal assistance. The company required each client to execute a care agreement containing this language before receiving services. California Attorney General Rob Bonta concluded that this agreement violated California law by restraining worker mobility, as caregivers could not be hired by any Comfort Keepers client, not just the client to whom they were assigned to provide services. ... 

Hospital nurse turnover, vacancy rates by year Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Mackenzie Bean; 9/24/24 Nurse turnover and vacancy rates have declined since their pandemic-era peaks but remain elevated, according to data from the "2024 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report." The report, released in April, includes survey findings from 400 hospitals in 36 states on registered nurse turnover, retention, vacancy rates, recruitment metrics and staffing strategies. Survey data covers more than 194,000 nurses and was collected in 2023. ... Below are the average rates of registered nurse turnover and vacancy in hospitals between 2019 and 2024, according to the report. The data suggests hospitals have made progress in reducing nurse turnover and vacancy rates since their peak during the pandemic. However, sustained efforts to stabilize the workforce, improve working conditions and address burnout are needed to fully recover.

Why hospital-at-home, other providers are pressing worker safety Modern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 9/24/24 At-home care providers are testing strategies to better protect workers who are raising the alarm on workplace safety. A new survey of more than 400 home healthcare workers found more than half said they experienced or witnessed at least one act of violence or harassment in the workplace, according to Transcend Strategy Group, which conducted the poll on behalf of home care providers. The report, which echoes similar findings from a National Nurses United survey, comes as hospital-at-home programs expand and more care moves to where patients live. ... Home-based care providers are trying to address the issue because concerns about personal safety could make it harder to recruit and retain workers in a competitive job market. The concerns are also coming up in contract negotiations between unions and providers.

Nurse workplace violence reporting increased 1,080% with new tool Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Mariah Taylor; 9/19/24 Making it easier to report workplace violence with quick-scan codes on walls and badges increased reporting by 1,080% in two months, according to a new study. ... When surveyed, nurses said they did not report workplace violence incidents for the following reasons: "nothing will change" (24%), "event was not severe enough" (21%), "part of the job" (15%), "electronic reporting system is time-consuming/complicated" (9%), "lack of time" (6%), "don’t know how" (3%) and "lack of leadership support" (3%). In addition, more than half of respondents said they disclosed the event to the charge nurse when they did not formally report it.  To overcome these barriers, researchers created a tool that allows nurses to scan a quick-response code with their phones. Codes were located on wall flyers and name badge stickers. Two months after implementation, the tool recorded 94 quick response code scans and 59 workplace violence reports, a 1,080% increase in violence reports compared to the two previous months.

How Gen Z is being courted by post-acute providers Modern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 9/18/24 Some post-acute care companies are revamping their recruitment playbooks to attract Generation Z workers as they battle for talent with other healthcare companies. Providers such as Good Samaritan Society, Bayada Home Health Care and Right at Home are developing strategies to recruit the demographic, which ranges in age from 12 to 27 and makes up a quarter of the U.S. population. Those organizations want to hire Gen Z because they are purpose-driven and adept at using technology, according to a 2023 study by financial services company Mercer. 

How healthcare leaders view Gen Z in the workforce Becker's Hospital Review; by Kristin Kuchno; 9/18/24As more members of Generation Z move into the workforce, some have clashed with management or disagree with how their employees view them. The group, born between 1997 and 2012, has been described as both tech-savvy and overly reliant on technology. Some human resources professionals have said they lack work ethic and time management skills. The early-career employees themselves have said they find enjoyment in full-time work and value career growth and planning. Here are three healthcare leaders' perceptions of Gen Z in the workforce.

Bayada, HomeWell leaders share strategies for recognizing and retaining office staff Home Health Care News; by Audrie Martin; 9/13/24 Office staff have the highest client satisfaction scores among home health care provider employees. They also have the lowest administrative salaries. These salaries can impact job satisfaction and cause employees to seek employment elsewhere, according to the 2024 Activated Insights Benchmarking Report. Some organizations are turning to recognition to combat this trend. “Employee recognition is no longer a ‘nice to do,’” Michelle Cone, senior vice president of training and brand programs at HomeWell Care Services, told Home Health Care News. “Recognizing employees should be considered table stakes in this post-pandemic landscape. With a focus on employee retention, engagement, and overall satisfaction and its direct correlation to top-quality care, recognition to support retention and drive satisfaction is vital.” ... [Jeff Knapp, Chief People Officer of Bayada told HHCN,] “For office staff, excellence awards are one favorite. Employees are nominated and selected yearly and celebrated at our annual gathering. Categories include clinical leadership, client services leadership and enterprise support. We also give years of service awards to recognize employee loyalty and commitment.”

Innovative program reduces nurse turnover and fosters development Oncology Nursing News; by Heather Wood, RN, OCN and Marie Garcia, RN, OCN; 9/12/24 Cancer incidence is on the rise in the US, especially among the growing older population. ... Unfortunately, the current shortage of oncology nurses is expected to worsen, as fewer people enter the profession while aging nurses retire. By 2025, a shortage of 200,000 to 450,000 oncology nurses is predicted in the US. ... In response, The US Oncology Network (The Network) has developed one of the most comprehensive programs in the nation to support the professional development and retention of new oncology nurses. ... Designed to enhance their knowledge of fundamental oncology, OCEAN is a collaborative effort bringing together a multidisciplinary team of experts and speakers from across The Network. The program provides fundamental oncology knowledge around 12 core areas delivered over 22.5 hours of live virtual learning. Content ranges from ... various treatment modalities ... to palliative care and advanced care planning. OCEAN’s impact extends beyond skill development, fostering a sense of belonging and purpose among participating nurses. ... Early results from the program are promising, such as increased retention rates [12% better than the national average] and cost savings. 

Nursing students learning to respect culture, tradition at the end of life St. Cloud Live, St. Joseph, MN; by Stephanie Dickrell; 9/6/24  It is called the golden hour — the hour before someone’s death. It’s a time of grief, but it’s also a sacred space. Two nursing instructors at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University are trying to make that time better for patients and their loved ones by better preparing their students who will be with them in their final moments. While the rituals surrounding death may vary by time, geography and culture, the program wants to make sure all cultures are respected. ... Julie Keller Dornbusch and Mary Pesch, both trained as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses ... received a prestigious grant from the Morgan Family Foundation of nearly $100,000 to create and test nursing simulations using culturally specific care for the Catholic community, Somali Muslims and Ojibwe people.Editor's note: This article indicates that "training material on culturally specific end-of-life care" is non-existent. This statement is misleading. Examine:

Inclusive leadership: Fostering diversity and inclusion Forbes; by Lynda Silsbee and the Forbes Coaches Council; 9/5/24 In today's work world, diversity and inclusion are more than just buzzwords—they are essential components of a successful and innovative organization. Inclusive leadership, which actively seeks to embrace diversity and create an environment where all individuals feel valued and empowered, is critical to fostering this philosophy. Leaders who prioritize inclusion can harness the full potential of their teams, driving creativity, engagement and productivity. ... A study by Bersin by Deloitte shows that inclusive and diverse companies have "2.3 times higher cash flow per employee" and smaller businesses enjoyed 13 times higher cash flow. In addition, these companies had greater readiness for change and innovation. Inclusive leadership goes beyond the representation of different demographics within an organization. It involves creating a culture where diverse perspectives are actively sought out, respected and integrated into decision-making processes. Such leadership fosters a sense of belonging, where everyone feels valued for their unique contributions.

This was the year advanced practice nurses thought they’d get full practice authority in NC. They were wrong.NC Health News - NC Board of Nursing; by TwumasiD-Mensah; 8/29/24 Every so often, Megan Conner, a nurse anesthetist in Greenville said she sees a patient who’s driven for hours to come for a screening colonoscopy but who instead has to be sent to the emergency department. ... It frustrates Conner that so many patients, who have to travel sometimes hours for care in eastern North Carolina, end up not getting it because of common ailments they can’t get treated closer to home.That’s why Conner is a big believer in the Safe, Accessible, Value-directed and Excellent Health Care Act (SAVE Act), which would give advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) like her full practice authority. She argues the data show that more nurse practitioners would provide primary care in rural North Carolina if the state would give them autonomy to practice, bringing care to small burgs that often go without. And now, the demands for care are being driven by hundreds of thousands of patients newly eligible for care because of Medicaid expansion. Along with a growing number of lawmakers who believe the legislation is overdue, advanced practice nurses thought this would be the year that the SAVE Act finally passed. They were wrong. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]