A CRAZY WAY FOR AN INDUSTRY TO OPERATE by CHARLES ORNSTEIN AND TRACY WEBER

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Health & Science
A ‘Crazy’ Way for an Industry to Operate
by Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, ProPublica - December 5, 2009 9:06 am EST

When a hospital or temporary agency wants to hire a nurse, there's no easy way to check whether the person has run afoul of regulators elsewhere in the country.

A solution has sat in the hands of federal bureaucrats more than two decades -- but it's off limits to most employers. In 1987, Congress ordered federal health officials to create a database of state disciplinary actions against nurses and other health professionals.

The information was to be added to a database of similar information about doctors, which was opened up to hospitals and other eligible health employers in 1990.

But the move to add the nurses and others got caught in years of technological difficulties, uncertainty over what should be released and questions about who'd foot the bill.

Currently, only federal and state agencies and health plans, such as HMOs, are allowed access to the information about nurses. If hospitals could gain access, "then it would be very hard to hide any action taken against you anywhere in the country," said Katherine Eaves, chief nursing officer for Riverside County Regional Medical Center.

An official at the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration said the information on nurses and other health professionals should be available next year.

There is one obstacle remaining, however: Under the law, temp agencies would be allowed to search a nurse's background only if they were designated as agents of particular hospitals or other authorized users. Hospitals might not be willing to designate multiple staffing firms as their agents.

"The way our industry works is really crazy," said Mark Stagen, chief executive officer of Emerald Health Services, a temp firm in Marina del Rey. "You've got people with lives in their hands, and there's no effective way to check if they've had serious problems."

See main story: Temp Firms a Magnet for Unfit Nurses [1]

Write to Charles Ornstein at Charles.Ornstein@propublica.org [2].

Want to know more? Follow ProPublica on Facebook [3] and Twitter [4], and get ProPublica headlines delivered by e-mail every day [5].
Tags: California, California Board of Registered Nursing, Nurses, Temp Agencies, Temporary Nurses

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http://www.propublica.org/feature/a-crazy-way-for-an-industry-to-operate-temp-nurses/
Links

* 1. http://www.propublica.org/feature/temporary-nurses-danger-inadequate-oversight-1206
* 2. mailto:Charles.Ornstein@propublica.org
* 3. http://www.facebook.com/propublica
* 4. http://www.twitter.com/propublica
* 5. http://www.propublica.org/special/propublica-daily-email

Our Complete Coverage

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* The Los Angeles Times and ProPublica have conducted a joint investigation into the failed oversight of California's health professionals. In July 2009, we reported that the Board of Registered Nursing took more than three years, on average, to investigate and discipline errant nurses. It failed to act against nurses whose misconduct already had been thoroughly documented and sanctioned by others. And the board gave probation to hundreds of nurses – ordering monitoring and work restrictions – then failed to crack down as many landed in trouble again and again. Read our complete coverage here.

Ask the reporters about the series: Email QandA@propublica.org
Database

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* California Sanctioned Nurse Database - The Los Angeles Times and ProPublica compiled a database of nearly 2,400 California nurses who have been sanctioned since 2002. Search the records of nurses who have faced disciplinary proceedings and the circumstances of allegations against them.

Multimedia

* Vignette
* Interactive Graphic: From 1995 to 2002, at least five employers complained to the California Board of Registered Nursing about Carolyn Fay Thomas. The board did not revoke her license until August 2005. Follow Thomas' case (Los Angeles Times)
* Chart: Complaint to Discipline
* Chart: California takes far longer to discipline registered nurses than many other large states, according to a review by the Los Angeles Times and ProPublica. Click graphic to see the full details.
* Interactive Chart: About the Board - The California Board of Registered Nursing oversees the education, licensure, practice standards and discipline of the state's 350,000 nurses.

Profiles

* Spencer Sullivan
* Spencer Sullivan - In the prime of his life, Spencer Sullivan was rendered a quadriplegic. It took the nursing board more than six years later to revoke the license of a nurse involved in his care. Read more | LA Times Audio Slideshow
* Caitlin Greenwell
* Caitlin Greenwell - Caitlin Greenwell's family alleges that she suffers from cerberal palsy because nurses neglected to monitor her during her birth. LA Times Audio Slideshow
* Dr. Iraj Zandi
* Dr. Iraj Zandi – During a surgery, Dr. Iraj Zandi discovered that a nurse had stolen painkiller drugs intended for his patient. He found out later that the nurse had been accused of pilfering drugs from a previous employer. Read more...
* Veronica Glaubach
* Veronica Glaubach – Veronica Glaubach’s nurses missed crucial signs of a life-threatening complication during and after childbirth, her family alleged. She died. The nursing board absolved the nurses. Read more...

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