Healthcare staffing

A tentative agreement on a new contract has been reached between two locals of the Service Employees International Union and Catholic Healthcare West, the operator of several Central Valley hospitals as well as others throughout California. The contract affects 12,000 certified nursing assistants, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, dietary aides and other employees at 24 hospitals in the state. The union and hospital chain had reached an agreement in March but negotiations …

An audit of the Illinois Medical Disciplinary Board has revealed a host of problems, including backlogs, staff shortages, missing paperwork and investigations being improperly closed, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation says the infractions are minor glitches that don't put patients in danger. But auditors disagreed, expressing concern over the lag time in investigating accusations against doctors. If …

Base salaries for healthcare executives went up 5.3 percent last year, and total cash compensation increase 7.2 percent because of annual incentive plans, says healthcare compensation consultant Sullivan Cotter and Associates. The company attributes the increase to hiring competition in the industry, and to organizational performance improvements that trigger those incentive payments. More than 200 health systems and 669 hospitals participated in this year's survey.

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Managers at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are bracing for an organizing drive by the Service Employees International Union. SEIU has contacted a number of Beth Israel employees recently with a survey to measure their job satisfaction and how they feel about labor unions and has also made inquiries of government agencies about various aspects of the medical center's finances. SEIU has previously expressed interest in organizing employees at Boston's teaching hospitals, most …