Bid to loosen rules on mid-level providers draws legislative debate

A Georgia Senate study committee is recommending some changes in the state’s strict rules governing advanced practice nurses and physician assistants. But the panel reached a split vote Tuesday on two issues: authority to prescribe narcotics and authority to order imaging tests. It’s a sign that, as in past years, getting such changes through the…

Backlog of nursing home complaints, inspections linked to RN vacancies

State regulators have a backlog of about 200 complaints against nursing homes that need investigation, officials say. A high number of job vacancies for nurse surveyors is a major cause of the complaint backlog, according to the state Department of Community Health. The agency said the unaddressed nursing home complaints were not “immediate jeopardy’’ problems,…

Emory goes Down Under to deliver nighttime intensive care here

Hospitals, like many other workplaces, have a tough time filling slots on the night shift. Few doctors and nurses want to work overnight hours, which are often inconvenient and can take a toll in fatigue and burnout. But in a novel way, Emory medical providers are addressing the problem. Through the technology of telehealth, the…

One in 5 Ga. hospitals gets ‘A’ in safety ratings

Fifteen Georgia hospitals scored an “A’’ grade on patient safety in the latest Leapfrog Group report. The ratings, released Tuesday, showed that 21 percent of hospitals evaluated in the state got a top grade. That’s a slightly higher percentage for Georgia hospitals than in the Leapfrog rankings issued last fall, but it trails the national average…

Legislative twists: A standoff on nursing bill, and a boost for sports medicine center

A wild day in health care at the state Capitol on Tuesday began with a morning legislative hearing on something Democrats have sought for years: Medicaid expansion. No vote was taken on the expansion legislation, which was presented to the House Appropriations subcommittee on health. The day also included a health panel passing two bills to protect…

Which health care bills will make it to finish line?

The dust has settled on a major legislative deadline. Yet much uncertainty surrounds the many health care bills that still have a shot at passage in the Georgia General Assembly this year. Which proposals end up passing both Houses, or falling by the wayside, will be revealed as the state’s legislative version of March Madness…

Bill to allow nurses expanded powers gets watered down

The original proposal would have let advanced nurses work more independently in rural areas of Georgia. But by the time Senate Bill 351 passed a legislative committee Tuesday, the rural focus had been dropped entirely. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee approved legislation relating to advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), yet it was much narrower…

Panel backs broader powers for advanced nurses in rural areas

A Senate study committee Monday recommended the state allow advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) broader medical authority if they work in rural, underserved counties. Under current state law, nurse practitioners and other advanced nurses in Georgia can prescribe medications only under a collaborative agreement with a physician. The study committee’s recommendations would allow these nurses…

GHN update: How a young mom left Georgia to help her disabled son

A single mom and her medically fragile son recently moved from Georgia to Colorado in a bid to gain more coverage for his care. The medical benefits under Colorado Medicaid have made the move worthwhile. “It’s like night and day,’’ Sarah Allen, the mother, said Monday of the coverage options in her new home state. “It’s a…

Re-entry program brings former nurses back into the profession

This is the fourth in a series of articles reported in Northwest Georgia, an area rich in stories about unmet health needs and about people and programs making a difference. Georgia Health News and the health and medical journalism graduate program at UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication collaborated to produce this series, made possible…