Healthcare Initiatives and Talking Points in the Face of Cuts Since its creation in 1965, Medicare has long been one of the most beloved federal programs in the U.S. Now that program benefits are on the table for deep cuts, healthcare professionals and the patients they care for are optimistic that the Obama Administration and Congress can achieve small cuts to Medicare—just 2% across the board. Current healthcare reform proposes $500 billion in Medicare savings by exempting older patients from cuts, and relying on the lobbying and advertising clout of healthcare employers.  Endeavors such as these have led to Medicare Advantage plans that offer, in some states, programs like “Silver Sneakers� that encourage seniors to use the YMCA gym, free of cost. Other Medicare Friendly Advice to Pass on to Patients For registered nurses specializing in geriatrics, or for those who work in skilled nursing facilities, the state of Medicare seems fragile; with 81 million seniors expected to enroll by 2030, healthcare initiatives are becoming more popular. According to the CDC, heart disease and stroke, costs the United States $312.6 billion each year in health care services, medications and lost productivity. In the lifestyles of those who [+]

 "Running into seasonal Maui residents like Steve Tyler is just another day in the life of this travel nurse!"

When nurses consider joining forces with a healthcare staffing agency that could land them in any one of the fifty U.S. states, visions of Hawaii might not be the first thing that occurs to them; yet it is a vision that became OR nurse, Kim J.’s reality when she began her travel nurse job in Maui in the Fall of 2012. American Traveler got in touch with Kim, so she could share her story about living and loving life in one of the world’s most enchanting places. AT: Hi Kim! Thanks for agreeing to do this interview. Kristin Zandee, your travel nurse consultant said that when asked if you’d be open to chatting with us you said, "Why not? I am only sitting on the beach listening to the waves lap on the shore today." Do you have lots of days like that? Kim: Yes, this Hawaii travel nursing jobs has been wonderful enough that I just started my second assignment here in Maui. I work [+]

Social media today emboldens staffing agencies to use Facebook, Twitter and other SM mediums to communicate with, reach out and recruit healthcare candidates for open positions. Strategies include creating new and interesting healthcare content for social media platforms, sharing pictures and stories of nursing and therapy jobs candidates,  promoting hard-to-fill positions, and other calls to action that connect with candidates directly. Healthcare clients rely on staffing partners to engage with candidates via cyberspace since only 16% of hospitals, in the United States, are reported to be active in social media. This is a trend hospitals can easily improve by partnering with American Traveler, a healthcare staffing agency that is highly successful matching candidates with hard to fill jobs through our active social media presence and engagement with our Facebook fans and Twitter followers. At American Traveler, clients top best hospitals lists in U.S. News & World Report. We staff these facilities with cutting edge nursing and allied healthcare talent; the continuous and on-point social media that goes along with that is simply a byproduct of our staffing services. With a purported 51% percent of consumers claiming that a hospital’s social media presence [+]