HF 588

5th Engrossment - 88th Legislature (2013 - 2014) Posted on 05/06/2013 07:04pm

A bill for an act
relating to health; requiring a hospital staffing report; requiring a study on nurse
staffing levels and patient outcomes; appropriating money.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin STAFFING PLAN DISCLOSURE ACT.
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new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Definitions. new text end

new text begin (a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms
have the meanings given.
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new text begin (b) "Core staffing plan" means the projected number of full-time equivalent
nonmanagerial care staff that will be assigned in a 24-hour period to an inpatient care unit.
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new text begin (c) "Nonmanagerial care staff" means registered nurses, licensed practical nurses,
and other health care workers, which may include but is not limited to nursing assistants,
nursing aides, patient care technicians, and patient care assistants, who perform
nonmanagerial direct patient care functions for more than 50 percent of their scheduled
hours on a given patient care unit.
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new text begin (d) "Inpatient care unit" means a designated inpatient area for assigning patients and
staff for which a distinct staffing plan exists and that operates 24 hours per day, seven days
per week in a hospital setting. Inpatient care unit does not include any hospital-based
clinic, long-term care facility, or outpatient hospital department.
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new text begin (e) "Staffing hours per patient day" means the number of full-time equivalent
nonmanagerial care staff who will ordinarily be assigned to provide direct patient care
divided by the expected average number of patients upon which such assignments are based.
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new text begin (f) "Patient acuity tool" means a system for measuring an individual patient's need
for nursing care. This includes utilizing a professional registered nursing assessment of
patient condition to assess staffing need.
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new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Hospital staffing report. new text end

new text begin (a) The chief nursing executive or nursing
designee of every reporting hospital in Minnesota under Minnesota Statutes, section
144.50, will develop a core staffing plan for each patient care unit.
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new text begin (b) Core staffing plans shall specify the full-time equivalent for each patient care
unit for each 24-hour period.
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new text begin (c) Prior to submitting the core staffing plan, as required in subdivision 3,
hospitals shall consult with representatives of the hospital medical staff, managerial and
nonmanagerial care staff, and other relevant hospital personnel about the core staffing plan
and the expected average number of patients upon which the staffing plan is based.
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new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Standard electronic reporting developed. new text end

new text begin (a) Hospitals must submit
the core staffing plans to the Minnesota Hospital Association by January 1, 2014. The
Minnesota Hospital Association shall include each reporting hospital's core staffing plan on
the Minnesota Hospital Association's Minnesota Hospital Quality Report Web site by April
1, 2014. Any substantial changes to the core staffing plan shall be updated within 30 days.
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new text begin (b) The Minnesota Hospital Association shall include on its Web site for each
reporting hospital on a quarterly basis the actual direct patient care hours per patient and
per unit. Hospitals must submit the direct patient care report to the Minnesota Hospital
Association by July 1, 2014, and quarterly thereafter.
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Sec. 2. new text begin STUDY.
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new text begin The Department of Health shall convene a work group to consult with the department
as they study the correlation between nurse staffing levels and patient outcomes. This report
shall be presented to the chairs and ranking minority members of the health and human
services committees in the house of representatives and the senate by January 15, 2015.
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Sec. 3. new text begin APPROPRIATIONS; NURSING STAFFING.
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new text begin $187,000 in fiscal year 2014 and $65,000 in fiscal year 2015 are appropriated from
the general fund to the commissioner of health for the completion of the study in section 2.
This is a onetime appropriation.
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