July 2nd, 2009 — BlueSky, NurseTesting, eSigTek
In observance of Independence Day,
Amistaff Healthcare Technology will be
closed on July 3, 2009.
Enjoy a wonderful holiday weekend
and look for responses to questions/inquiries on
eSigTek, BlueSky Medical Staffing Solutions, and NurseTesting.com
when we return, Monday, July 6, 2009!
July 1st, 2009 — BlueSky, NurseTesting
Would you trust your body to an unlicensed physician – then why trust your competency assessments to a company without clinicians on staff?
Mistakes in both of these departments could have detrimental effects. Staffing the wrong caregiver costs facilities thousands of $$$ in liability exposure and skill deficiency.
Consider these points when choosing a competency assessment provider:
According to some companies’ marketing material for competency testing, “there are no additional fees.” Remember the old saying, “you get what you pay for.”
NurseTesting.com has been in the competency assessment business for over 6 years and was created by an RN with the mission of providing the best and most current exam material in the industry. NurseTesting.com has 7 full-time clinicians on staff.
In 2007, NurseTesting implemented a new exam validation process to reduce adverse impact and increase the reliability and validity of its assessments. NurseTesting received training from Biddle Consulting Group (BCG) on how to conduct job analysis and item writing workshops as well as utilize BCG’s TVAP™ (Test Validation and Analysis Program) and AutoGOJA™ (Automated Guidelines Oriented Job Analysis).
In accordance with the federal Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (1978), NurseTesting began following a formal content validation methodology for the creation of new clinical assessments as well as for updating current assessments. Through the use of over 100 subject matter experts, NurseTesting works diligently to keep its content current by conducting annual reviews to ensure relevant, reliable, and valid content.
NurseTesting has conducted over 30 job analyses/job audits since 2007 and insures consistent monitoring of its assessments for adverse impact, poor reliabilities, or assessment deficiencies.
Choose the provider that lives and breathes testing…
– NurseTesting.com –
…the leader in job knowledge competency assessments for the Healthcare Industry.
June 30th, 2009 — BlueSky, NurseTesting
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling on Monday, June 29, 2009, that white firefighters who earned top test results on an exam were the victims of illegal discrimination in New Haven, Ct., officials watch for the domino effect on hiring and promotion policies in all industries.
As David G. Savage from the Los Angeles Times reports, “because the ruling interpreted Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, it applies to all employers, private as well as public.”
Another analyst, Steven Greenhouse, from The New York Times writes that “employers are (now) expected to work harder to make sure their written tests – indeed their entire selection process – are fair.”
With the generic guidelines implied by the Supreme Court ruling, business owners must take extra precautions in ensuring validated exam content.
Keep NurseTesting.com in mind for your healthcare competency exams. Each exam, tailored towards specific job duties and requirements, follows the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures and complies with the Department of Labor and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Without validated exams, you could be subjected to a Title VII action should your selection procedures have Adverse Impact. NurseTesting works diligently to ensure the least amount of Adverse Impact on its clinical assessments.
Adverse Impact – a statistical concept that is generally used to mean there is a “substantially different passing rate” between two groups, such as Caucasians versus minorities on a test or exam. This could lead to litigation by candidates against potential employers, claiming the exams were unfair or biased.
Over 500 staffing agencies and hospitals around the world
trust NurseTesting.com for their testing needs.
June 12th, 2009 — NurseTesting
Once considered a recession proof industry, Healthcare now shows signs of a downturn. Since the Health system comprises 1/5th of the nation’s economy, law makers look to the new administration to create money saving opportunities in this sector.
The abundance of news coverage seemed overwhelming on this topic so I started ignoring the articles all together. Then I thought – others might have turned their ears and eyes as I did, so why not comprise the most recent information in a condensed format. Thus explains this blog post.
As you read this information, please note that it was my personal goal to keep bias out of the responses and simply present facts.
Let me start by highlighting that the goals of covering the uninsured while improving quality of care do not bode well to money saving opportunities. Both of these objectives point towards increased expenditures for the government.
So what options do the Obama administration have to broaden coverage and enrich quality of care while showing savings opportunities from the current plan?
Of the five listed above, the most controversial option is the implementation of a Public Plan. While advocates of the plan say added competition would lower prices and improve quality, opponents say the disadvantages to the private sector would cause them to pull out leaving a government-run monopoly.
Currently the Congressional Budget Office, under the leadership of Douglas W. Elmendorf, is evaluating the potential costs associated with the health overhaul. Can the changes mentioned above remove some of the waste from the system projected to consume $2.3 trillion this year?
The article “What Would A Health Overhaul Cost? All Eyes on the CBO” published by Lori Montgomery from the Washington Post commented that, “the CBO has proven unwilling to assume big savings from popular reforms, such as computerizing medical records and studying the comparative effectiveness of various treatments.” The CBO projected savings from electronic documentation as only $34 billion over the next decade – only a drop in the $1 trillion bucket reserved for the reform.
Elmendorf stated that the evaluation of projected savings for new technologies is difficult to pinpoint as the CBO must evaluate by estimations.
“It would be wrong for us to be conservative, in the sense of tilting toward zero, because we don’t know” how much money an idea might save, Elmendorf said. “On the other hand, we need to not get swept up in the enthusiasm for some new idea, because not every new idea works.”
What’s next on the CBO’s agenda?
Lawmakers requested the CBO to report on the reforms potential to remove deficits from the federal health programs Medicare and Medicaid early next week. With the unofficial mascot of a skunk – the CBO will not shy away from delivering a less than promising view on the subject. As the motto runs, the CBO aims to dispense truth, even when it is as welcome as a skunk at a picnic.
Want more information on our nation’s history of health expenditures? Check out the interactive guide provided by the Washington Post on June 9, 2009!
June 2nd, 2009 — NurseTesting
Congrats to our friends at Everest Health Care Services for winning the
NurseTesting Stimulus Raffle in May!
Keep your eyes peeled for your winnings to be arriving shortly:
Our customer service department looks forward to assisting you all in training your staff to maximize the effectiveness of your new NurseTesting account. Using validated competency testing will help you get the best fit for every job you fill!
June 2nd, 2009 — NurseTesting
Being an integral part of the Health Care Industry Workforce, recruiters absorb the challenging task of ensuring patients receive optimum care through the candidates they place. The day-to-day operations of hospitals nationwide owe a big thanks to the hard work completed by recruiters as they strive to place the best health care professionals in their facilities!
From all of us at Amistaff HCT – recruiters, you all deserve the praise. Have an awesome day!
For more information regarding the National Association for Health Care Recruitment,
visit their website.
May 29th, 2009 — NurseTesting
That’s right! We are proud to announce that NurseTesting Consulting Services led two more clients to receive the JC Gold Seal of Approval – Congratulations!
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This brings the total to 17 companies in just 16 months!
Achieving JC Certification distinguishes you among the “Elite” staffing organizations across the country and provides access to contracts with healthcare facilities requiring certifications. But the benefits of becoming JC certified don’t stop there:
Check out the location of other NTCS clients in their quest to success with JC Certification.
Well, if Guaranteed Joint Commission certification isn’t enough already:
“I wanted to express my sincere appreciation to NurseTesting Consulting Services for the exceptional service provided in helping us achieve Joint Commission certification. We were very impressed with the level of professionalism, knowledge, and responsiveness delivered to our organization during this process. Our consultant created a comfortable and engaging posture with our entire team during all communication experiences. She was very responsive and professional to all requests made by our organization.”
~ Jeff Kruse, Integrated Healthcare Solutions
“NurseTesting Consulting Services…..
• Cost of Joint Commission Certification….about $5000
• Potential cost of failing the first time and having to re-apply…another $5000
• Hiring an EXPERIENCED consultant with a 100% success rate…PRICELESS!!!”~ Jason Leverant, VP Medical Sales, @WORK Medical Services
“PHP engaged the services of NurseTesting Consulting in order to prepare for its Joint Commission Certification. We were absolutely delighted with the level of service and attention that we received. The consultants were extremely knowledgeable of the Joint Commission requirements and provided an invaluable amount of support prior to us gaining the Joint Commission Gold Seal of approval. PHP passed the audit and did not receive any recommendations from the Joint Commission auditor on how any of our policies or procedures could be improved. I would certainly recommend NurseTesting Consulting to any healthcare staffing company considering Joint Commission certification.”
~ Chris Eales, President of Premier Healthcare Professionals
“Whenever we decided to become Joint Commission certified we knew it would be a big project. While we had every confidence that we worked hard to provide an outstanding service and ‘follow the rules’ it was still a little intimidating. NurseTesting’s consultant came in and was extremely knowledgeable and organized. She made the process manageable and it was just an overall great experience. We were well prepared to become certified which we achieved without difficulty.”
~ Carol Robison, Founder & CEO Robison Medical Resource Group
“We made it!! We are very glad we had Nurse Testing to help guide us through the process. Our consultant was very patient with our many questions and time constraints. She was extremely knowledgeable and was always prompt in her responses, which is something we greatly appreciated. I’m so impressed with the professionalism, expediency and communication that has been conducted by NurseTesting Consulting Services. As an owner I appreciate people who have the type of dedication that makes a company stand out.”
~ Jerome Daniel, President Remede Consulting Group
In the next 18-24 months, hospitals will do business exclusively with healthcare staffing agencies that are Joint Commission certified. Don’t let your competition jump any further ahead of you in the process. Contact Chris Carrington via the NurseTesting Consulting site or (336)802-1070 ext. 125 for more information.
May 22nd, 2009 — NurseTesting
In an effort to provide the best client support possible, NurseTesting implemented the Get Satisfaction software on Friday, May 22, 2009. With clientele reaching world-wide, NT realized the need for a 24/7 solution for delivering answers to frequently asked questions.
The questions submitted by users like yourself, range in topic from how to navigate through and use NurseTesting to the pricing and purpose behind the system.
When queries arise regarding your NurseTesting account, the option now exists for instantly searching for solutions. In our fast-paced world, waiting time equals wasted time. You now have immediate access to hundreds of answers previously provided for clients like yourself!
1) Once logged in to your NT account, select the “Help” tab. Type in the question you are looking to have answered and select “Continue.” Get Satisfaction will offer suggested topics.
2) If you find a similar question listed, check to see if the provided information answers your question. If so – let us know!
3) If you don’t find your answer, select “Create a Topic“ to be redirected to the Get Satisfaction site.
Get Satisfaction seamlessly leads you through adding a new question. You currently will set up a free registration for your question to be delivered, but we are working towards removing this step to make the process even easier!
You will receive a response within 12 business hours!
While in Get Satisfaction, feel free to look around. You control the reins on your experience in the site. Share your knowledge with others, personalize your account with a picture, or comment on previously asked questions.
NurseTesting looks forward to Get Satisfaction being the perfect solution to drive Customer Service to the ultimate level!
May 19th, 2009 — NurseTesting, eSigTek
Now, when you login to your eSigTek account, you are greeted by a clean Reports & Activity page. Search through your documents by using the three filter drop down boxes available. You can tailor your search to locate a(n):
Looking for a specific document to edit/delete? Now search by:
No more alphabetizing and searching through document archives needed!
As always, we believe these feature upgrades continue to better the user-friendly platform of our client’s true, paperless, document management solution.
Check out the “Feedback” tab located on the side-bar of your account. Add your upgrade ideas and vote on the others listed – free of charge – to help us stay on top of developing our system to meet your needs!
Go Green, Go Paperless, Go eSigTek!
May 11th, 2009 — NurseTesting
NurseTesting just released the new Diagnostic Percentile Rankings to their completed exam’s “Details” page. With continuous live updates, these percentile rankings add a new diagnostic tool for a facility’s internal employees.
The former “Details” page only housed the Overall Score for the exam completed. Each “Details” page now shows two additional percentile scores:
To view the new Diagnostic Percentile Rankings from the “View Scores” page for a particular caregiver:
Select the option for “Details.”
Then select to “Show Percentiles.”
You will see both the “National Rank” and “Company Rank.”
It is important to remember that these ranking only show the percentage of other test takers who received lower scores. Therefore, the ranking could be a bit misleading if many people received high scores in comparison to the individual, or if only a limited number of individuals took the same exam. A person never receives percentile rankings of 100% due to the inability to score better than their own score.
NurseTesting recommends these rankings be used by facilities as a diagnostic tool for internal staff and discourages utilizing them as a pre-screening tool for agencies. The “Overall Score” should be the only pre-screening tool applied to selecting candidates for employment. For this reason, the percentile scores will not appear on the generated PDF version of the “Details” Page.
Check back often to see how the rankings for a particular individual change! The real-time updates keep these rankings relevant.
