U.S. hospitals, especially those in rural areas, are struggling to match employee pay with large retailers such as Walmart, Bloomberg reported Jan. 7.
Compensation Issues
Two Anthem employees filed a lawsuit Jan. 3 alleging that the insurer refused to pay enrollment employees overtime compensation despite being required to work more than 40 hours during a week to meet quotas.
Connecticut Comptroller Natalie Braswell and the general assembly's labor committee released a $34 million relief program Jan. 3 for essential workers, which covers lost wages, out-of-pocket medical expenses and COVID-19 burial costs, the CT Mirror reported.
Iowa is paying the staffing firm Favorite Healthcare $220 per regular hour and $330 per overtime hour for travel nurses who will work in healthcare facilities across the state, The Gazette reported Dec. 24.
Employers in New York City will be required to include salary ranges for any advertised job, promotion or transfer opportunity under a law passed by the New York City Council.
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Stories about salary rankings and healthcare CEO compensation were popular among readers this year.
Average pay for physicians increased by 3.8 percent in 2021, but the inflation rate measured by the Consumer Price Index was 6.2 percent, according to Doximity's "2021 Physician Compensation Report" published in December.
As hospitals and health systems struggle with staff shortages, several are making investments to retain and recruit employees through education, tuition and student loan reimbursement and compensation.
Cancer patients who have health plans with high deductibles may approach treatment differently because of high out-of-pocket costs, a Dec. 22 Jama Network Open study found.
Organizations that have not already transitioned to using wRVUs from the current Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) should plan to make the switch sooner rather than later.