Page 16 - SOUTH FLORIDA HOPSITAL NEWS JUNE 2021

Cover Story: How Repealing PIP Cover Story: Contract Labor, COVID

Can Impact Healthcare Providers Affecting Hospital Staffing

Continued from page 1 an accident to get your medical bills paid. Continued from page 1 to remind them of the benefits that come
the marketplace. Over 100 million tourists This will also increase your car insurance. “The demand for clinical personnel from working at a fiscally sound employ-
visit the state annually, many driving the premiums.” exponentially grew, and while we were er that provides great patient care as well
highways of the state. Many are either The taxpayers will ultimately pay for successful in hiring enough contract as job consistency.
uninsured, or do not carry insurance that these unpaid medical bills, stresses Ged. labor to supplement our own staffing at “We want our employees who built
matches Florida coverage, rejecting insur- “The hospitals in our area that are public bedside, it came at a pretty high cost,” careers here to know that they can come
ance products offered by the rental car entities have to treat patients,” he says. she added. back,” said Vargas. “While hope is not a
companies. The rental car companies are “They can’t turn anyone away. So they will In addition to commanding a higher strategy, as vaccination rates go up and
immune from liability under current law. absorb those costs. Under the current sys- per hour rate, which ranges depending the infection rate continues to decrease,
PIP may also provide coverage of lost tem, they get paid and they know what on discipline, an array of benefits are we’re hopeful that that is what employees
wages in certain circumstances. The intent they will get paid. They don’t have to associated with those rates, including want for themselves as well as their fam-
of this law was to reduce auto accident chase people around for payment.” housing and meal allowances. Contracts ilies. So far, it seems to be working.”
fraud, lower the cost of auto insurance pre- If passed, here’s a scenario of what are typically 13 weeks long, which means
miums, and reduce litigation costs. Under could happen, explains Ged. that healthcare systems must also act Providing Other Pathways
the Florida No-Fault Law, they have 30 1. Car accident occurs and injuries proactively to extend those contracts Just as Memorial is working on bring-
days to pay the provider. sustained when needed. ing former employees back into the fold,
In 2018, a similar bill was passed 2. Medical treatment needed and med- While this required a lot of strategic Vargas said that it is also focusing on cre-
through only one Senate committee pay coverage is not required (Recovery of planning behind the scenes, patient care ating new pathways for staff so that they
before the session was adjourned. Last medical expenses depends on liability) remained a priority. can continue to grow and learn, and
year, another bill passed through three 3. Medical providers will not be paid. “Contract personnel are vetted through exploring ways to partner with academia
House panels but died on the floor. 4. For treatment to continue, providers the same formalized process as our regu- on different levels to create pathways into
“They are trying to repeal this again will use letters of protection (LOP). lar employees so that they can provide the organization.
with MBI and replace it with $25,000 of 5. At-fault parties will be precluded patient care at the same high level that The health system launched a nursing
bodily injury per person on the road and from recovery. staff provides,” said Vargas, adding that fellowship program in mid-May that is
$60,000 in the aggregate. But they want 6 Settlement (MBI limits will not be contract workers go through an orienta- already attracting attention.
to remove PIP at the same time. This will able to cover the total LOP amount). tion and competency assessment process, “We were very successful in terms of
affect all emergency room doctors, hospi- 7. Provider will either need to take a and also work in tandem with staff mem- attracting candidates just in the first
tals and all of the healthcare providers,” loss or seek other means. bers. week after launch; interest was actually
says Ged. “All benefits under MBI flow to the “This process is key because we have overwhelming,” said Vargas. “Our focus
By repealing PIP, healthcare providers insurers at the detriment of insureds and behavioral expectations as well as clinical is on providing experienced nurses who
could suffer. According to Ged, this is all Floridians,” says Ged. expectations that must align with our want to gain skills in different areas or
what could happen without PIP: Ged points to Colorado as a state that mission statement,” she added. “We pro- modalities with a year-long fellowship to
• Coverage only to insureds. repealed their own PIP law and replaced vide more than just medical care; the help them reinvent their nursing careers.
• Recovery determined by liability, it with MBI. The state’s auto insurance holistic aspect of patient care is very “As both a retention as well as a
increase litigation premiums are now rising fast. As a result: important to us.” pipeline strategy, this program can enable
• Every accident will be a lawsuit • The volume of auto insurance related While many healthcare professionals a med/surg floor nurse to go to the criti-
• Longer period of time to be paid; no litigation is growing and so is the size of took advantage of traveling assignments, cal care floor, as well as advance into
quick and efficient payment cycles of PIP awards. Vargas said that some contract workers other areas of nursing including oncolo-
• Payment less than PIP payments • Colorado is now third in the nation are now reconsidering this role. gy and cardiac care,” she added.
• Increase in premiums for minimal cov- for rising car insurance premiums. “I am seeing a trend in declining travel Memorial’s graduate medical program
erage • Colorado is in the top 10/11 overall assignments; some of the employees we also works in affiliation with Florida
• Increase in uninsured patients; health for cost of auto insurance. lost are now coming back home,” she International University, Florida Atlantic
insurance is not auto insurance • The Florida Justice Association, com- said, adding that she has heard the same University, Broward College and others to
• More financial risk with the largest prised of trial lawyers, no longer even from other healthcare facilities. provide their graduates with insight on
impact on smaller businesses mentions Colorado as an example when “Working like that can really take a toll, careers and what Memorial can offer
• Loss of revenue generated to the State advocating for MBI. so we’re seeing an increase in clinical per- them post-graduation.
from PIP “It’s been a disaster,” says Ged. “This is sonnel coming back to their organiza- As employees join or come back to
• The difference will be found else- a good example of a state where it did not tions, which is very promising. Memorial, the healthcare system is also
where— either providing less or increasing work. If you don’t want to see this signed “It’s such an unpredictable space,” she taking into account just how tough the
taxes into law, we ask medical professionals to added. “Though we’re still at a very early pandemic experience has been.
The biggest consequence is that health- contact their local representative and the point of COVID recovery, there does “As healthcare executives, you need to
care providers and their treating physi- governor,” says Ged. “Ask them not to seem to be a desire to go back to some look at where you can meet employees in
cians may not be paid, notes Ged. pass this legislation.” level of normalcy, whatever that may their development, and this may also
“Getting rid of PIP simply means no look like. People want to be back with mean providing for needs outside basic
medical payments for injured patients. For more information, their families and back in their commu- employment,” said Vargas. “Right now,
Now patients will have to hire attorneys to visit www.gedlawyers.com. nities, and there’s a desire by clinical per- that means providing a space where they
sue the other party if they are involved in sonnel to have that return professionally can begin to heal. People have been
as well.” through a very traumatic event both per-
To this end, Memorial Healthcare sonally and professionally, so we need to
System is reaching out to this population look beyond the job.”

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16 June 2021 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News