HR

Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine, is offering early retirement buyouts to 99 employees in an effort to cut expenses, according to the Portland Press Herald.

Nurses and administrators at Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital in Boston will try once again to reach a contract agreement, according to a Boston Business Journal report.

Members of Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West picketed Wednesday outside of Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, Calif., according to a Santa Cruz Sentinel report.

Advanced practice clinician placements are on track to double that of last year, according to The Medicus Firm, a physician staffing services company.   

"Doing more with less" has become the new standard practice for hospitals and health systems. At the same time, clinical teams and staff are held increasingly responsible for improving the quality of care, outcomes and the patient experience.

Turnover rates among many hospital-based healthcare professions, have increased, while vacancies have decreased for several positions, according to the Missouri Hospital Association's 2016 workforce survey.

More than 500 nurses and supporters picketed Wednesday outside of Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth, Minn., over contract negotiations, according to a Duluth News Tribune report.

The National Labor Relations Board has sued Barstow (Calif.) Community Hospital, alleging unfair business practices and labor code violations, according to a Courthouse News report.

Nurses at Yakima (Wash.) Regional Medical and Cardiac Center held a rally Monday at local Milroy Park to advocate for good patient care, according to a Yakima Herald-Republic report.

The union representing nurses at Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital in Elko said a lack of security at the facility contributed to an emergency room physician using a taser on a patient, the Elko Daily Free Press reports.