Empowering Nurses at the Bedside and in Business

Raises For Nurses

Ballard Health, located in east Tennessee and southwest Virginia, announced during Nurses Week that it was putting a massive investment of 10 million dollars to increase the wages for all direct patient care nursing and supporting back wages for acute care registered nurses, licensed practice nurses and nursing assistants with primary responsibility in providing direct patient care.  The announcement read: “Our nurses and those who work with them in the provision of direct patient care are heroes.” 

The pay increase will begin on June 23rd according to Ballard Health Executive Chairman, President and CEO Alan Levine.  He announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services have changed a number of rules to provide some relief to rural and non-urban hospital which in the past favored larger hospitals.

They have changed the Medicare/Medicaid area wage index to provide more reimbursement.  Unfortunately, they are unable to keep up with larger areas such as Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina.

I’m truly grateful they are giving nurses raises because they so deserve them.  However, I wonder if this is a marketing ploy or am I being too cynical?

What are your thoughts?  Let me know what you think in the comments below.

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