The federal government has reached a proposed settlement with an Arizona hospital association, which the Justice Department had accused of actions that caused wages for the state’s temporary nurses to fall below competitive levels.
The settlement, which must still be approved by a court, includes prohibiting the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association and its members from agreeing on uniform rates paid to nurse staffing agencies, according to a Justice Department May 22 news release.
The proposed settlement also prevents the association from discriminating against agencies or hospitals that choose not to participate in the AzHHA Registry, a group purchasing organization for temporary nursing services.
“Today’s action restores competition in the market for temporary nursing services, which not only will benefit nurses, but also help to improve patient care in Arizona,” Thomas O. Barnett, assistant attorney general for the department’s antitrust division, said in the release.
The Justice Department said the association and a subsidiary, AzHHA Service Corporation, which controls the AzHHA Registry, had taken actions that caused the bill rates paid to agencies, and ultimately the wages paid to temporary nurses, to drop.
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