Category Archives: Leadership

University of Chicago Medical Center closes level 1 trauma center ahead of strike

Posted on by • Posted in Academic Medical Center, Health System, Hospital, Hospital Industry, Incentive Pay, Labor Shortages, Labor Spend Management, Labor Strike, Labor Union, Leadership, Nurses, Nurses Union, Patient Safety, Strike • Leave a comment

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/human-resources/university-of-chicago-medical-center-closes-level-1-trauma-center-ahead-of-strike.html

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University of Chicago Medical Center has closed its level 1 trauma center for adult and pediatric patients as it prepares for about 2,200 nurses to go on strike next week, medical center leaders announced.

Medical center leaders said UCMC closed its pediatric level 1 trauma program Nov. 18 and its adult trauma program Nov. 20. Its adult and pediatric emergency rooms continue to take walk-in patients.

Nurses are scheduled to strike Nov. 26, two days before Thanksgiving. The nurses also walked off the job Sept. 20 in a strike organized by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United. They were allowed to return to work Sept. 25, after the medical center said it fulfilled its contract with temporary nurses to replace the striking ones for five days.

In preparation for the strike, UCMC announced earlier this week that it is moving about 50 babies and 20 children in its neonatal and pediatric intensive care units to other facilities.

UCMC President Sharon O’Keefe is also recruiting about 900 replacement nurses.

However, “it’s exceptionally difficult to hire people who are willing to leave their families during Thanksgiving,” she said in a news release. “At the same time, other hospitals in the city are already at or near capacity, which means they will not be able accept transfers of current inpatients if that need arises when nurses walk out. The combination of the two led us to take the step of temporarily closing our trauma program ahead of the strike.”

UCMC said the hospital was required to offer replacement nurses five days of work “to best recruit qualified and experienced replacement nurses.” Therefore, the nurses on strike will not be able to return to work until 7 a.m. Dec. 1.

Negotiations between UCMC and National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United began earlier this year. Medical center leaders say incentive pay — and whether the hospital should end the pay for newly hired nurses — is a sticking point in negotiations, according to the Chicago Tribune. The union has continued to express concerns about staffing levels.

The nurses said they plan to strike unless an agreement is reached.

 

 

 

 

Former UMMS board member indicted in fraud scheme

Posted on by • Posted in Board, Conspiracy, Fraud, Fraud and Abuse, Health System, Hospital, Indictment, Leadership, Tax Evasion • Leave a comment

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/legal-regulatory-issues/former-umms-board-member-indicted-on-11-counts-of-fraud-tax-evasion.html

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Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, who served on the board of University of Maryland Medical System for 18 years, was indicted on charges of wire fraud and tax evasion related to a children’s book scandal that involved the Baltimore-based health system and Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente, a local CBS affiliate reports.

The indictment was unsealed Nov. 20, ahead of Ms. Pugh’s scheduled hearing on Nov. 21. If convicted, Ms. Pugh could face up to 100 years in prison and be required to forfeit her home and repay more than $769,000 allegedly obtained through the scheme.

The indictment alleges Ms. Pugh conspired with city employees to defraud buyers of her Healthy Holly children’s books, according to CBS, which published the indictment in full. It alleges Ms. Pugh arranged five $100,000 deals with UMMS to donate a total of 100,000 books to Baltimore public schools. The books were allegedly never delivered, and instead rerouted to alternate storage facilities around the city, distributed at campaign events and double-sold to other customers.

The indictment also alleges Ms. Pugh used Healthy Holly profits to fund straw donations to her mayoral campaign and to buy a house in Baltimore. She also faces allegations of tax evasion related to Healthy Holly sales, according to the report.

CBS notes Kaiser Permanente also disclosed buying $114,000 of the books at a time that overlaps with winning a $48 million contract from the city, according to the report.

The two city officials connected to the scheme pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion, according to the report.

Read the full story and access the full indictment here.