Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1460433
44 CEO / STRATEGY 'Cap hospital CEO pay,' travel nurses say By Molly Gamble A s hospitals and lawmakers urge fed- eral authorities to investigate travel staffing agencies for price-gouging, some travel nurses want the scrutiny redi- rected toward health systems' C-suites. Nearly 200 House members urged the White House in late January to investigate costs charged by nurse staffing agencies. In a letter addressed to Jeffrey Zients, the White House COVID-19 response team coordinator, the lawmakers accuse nurse staffing agencies of taking advantage of the pandemic to raise prices and increase their profits. "We have received reports that the nurse staffing agencies are vastly inflating price, by two, three or more times pre-pandem- ic rates, and then taking 40 percent or more of the amount being charged to the hospitals for themselves in profits," their letter states. Shortly aer, the American Hospital Asso- ciation and American Health Care Associ- ation/National Center for Assisted Living followed suit, urging Mr. Zients and the White House to investigate staffing agen- cies. e groups carefully pointed out that staffing agency prices are not directly cor- related with the income that individual trav- el nurses bring in. "Please be sure that our concerns focus di- rectly on the agencies and not the personnel they represent," their letter states. Although staffing agency prices and travel nurse salaries are two separate things, data shows that travel nurses are earning more than their hospital staff counterparts on average. e average base salary for travel nurses is $2,103 per week, which amounts to $104,000 per year, according to Indeed. com's analysis based on nearly 70,000 re- ported salaries. Salaries range by staffing agency, with Voyage Healthcare linked to $4,509 per week, and White Glove Place- ment linked to $3,453. By comparison, the median annual pay for registered nurses in 2020 was $75,330, ac- cording to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. e American Nurses Association applauds efforts to end price-gouging by agencies, but wants guarantees from lawmakers that indi- vidual travel nurses are not negatively affect- ed in the process. "While overhead costs associated with staff- ing agencies have recently been targeted as a driver of staffing shortages, it is only one symptom of a much larger systemic prob- lem. More needs to be done to effectively investigate and mitigate the root caus- es of nursing shortages," the ANA stated. "Changes must be made in providing better work environments, appropriate compensa- tion and benefits and making patient safety a top priority to attract and retain nurses today and in the future." At an individual level, some travel nurses take the argument one step further. When it comes to scrutiny related to pay, they want questions directed toward hospitals' C-level executives earning seven figures and whose leadership they describe as anemic. A Reddit message board for travel nurses is filled with comments questioning why Congress would restrict travel nurse prices but not costs driv- en by hospital CEO compensation. "What do the CEOs even do?" one user wrote, citing their CEO earning $4 million in annual salary, not counting bonuses. "If he disappears tomorrow would anyone notice?" "Ours makes his rounds to tell us to not de- pend on travelers, and staff nurses need to do more with less," another user posted. "Not kidding, that has literally happened multiple times on my unit." "A lot of C-suite jobs are basically to justify their own existence. Make up rules, change processes, etc.," one user contended. "Cher- ry pick statistics to show that what you've implemented has been effective. While I'm sure there are a couple that are useful as far as monitoring finance and securing fund- ing, there is usually a lot of fat that could be trimmed." Although the 700-plus comments are anon- ymous, many of them suggest a growing divide between hospitals' front lines and their senior executives. e comments are not about the dollar amount executives earn alone, but the little value they provide to front-line workers or patients — in the nurses' eyes. It's nurses who hold the power, they maintain. n Jury sides with CoxHealth CEO in lawsuit over tweet By Ayla Ellison A 12-person jury in Missouri sided with CoxHealth and its CEO on Feb. 16 in a lawsuit filed by the mother of a patient who alleged defamation, discrimination and breach of privacy, according to KY3 News. Samantha Cherry filed the lawsuit against the Springfield, Mo.-based system and CEO Steve Edwards after a screenshot of her Facebook post was used by Mr. Edwards in his own Twitter post. Ms. Cherry's Facebook post was about CoxHealth instructing her to use the promotional code "COVID" to schedule a free telemedicine appointment for her son in 2020, according to the Spring- field News-Leader. Ms. Cherry claimed the use of her Facebook post by CoxHealth and its leader impacted her mental health and reputation as a real estate agent, according to KY3 News. CoxHealth officials said they are pleased with the verdict. "Our intent throughout the pandemic has been to tell the truth and correct any misinformation," a CoxHealth spokesperson told the News-Leader. "From the beginning, we have strongly believed that this case lacked merit. We placed our confidence and trust in the judicial system, and we are thankful to have this matter behind us." Ms. Cherry said she plans to file an appeal in the case, KY3 News reported Feb. 16. n