Adding nurses to boards will improve health: coalition

A coalition of 20 health care organizations launched with the goal of getting 10,000 nurses placed on corporate and nonprofit health-related boards by 2020. The effort, called Nurses on Boards Coalition, is a direct response to recommendations in the Institute of Medicine report, “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” according to a news release. The report concluded that Americans’ health would be improved if more nurses were involved in health care governance matters. The coalition includes such organizations as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AARP and the American Organization of Nurse Executives, an affiliate of the American Hospital Association, and is welcoming additional members.

Transformation of health care leads to demand for new roles

The evolving nature of health care is creating demand for new jobs resulting from that evolution, according to a survey of clinical and human resource leaders from an affiliate of AMN Healthcare. Health care organizations are actively recruiting to varying degrees for such roles as chief population health officer, telehealth-trained clinician, navigator, care coordinator and health coach. The 323 respondents cited such factors as quality improvement, reducing readmissions and patient satisfaction as driving the creation of the emerging jobs.

LGBT hospital leaders list released

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation named 427 hospitals “Equality Leaders” as part of the release of its Healthcare Equality Index. The index, aimed to rate hospitals based on how well they treat lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patients, was expanded to include some hospitals that didn’t respond to the foundation’s survey. Hospitals are rated based on four criteria: patient nondiscrimination policies, visitation policies, employment nondiscrimination policies and training in LGBT patient-centered care provided to key staff members. Health systems Bon Secours Health System, Cone Health and Kaiser Permanente were highlighted in a report on the index.