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SF 471

1st Engrossment - 88th Legislature (2013 - 2014) Posted on 05/01/2013 01:32pm

KEY: stricken = removed, old language.
underscored = added, new language.

Current Version - 1st Engrossment

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

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

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

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.
new text end

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.
new text end

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.
new text end

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.
new text end

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.
new text end

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.
new text end

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.
new text end

new text begin (b) Core staffing plans shall specify the full-time equivalent for each patient care
unit for each 24-hour period.
new text end

new text begin (c) The Minnesota Hospital Association shall include on the Minnesota Hospital
Quality Report Web site a link to the report found under Minnesota Statutes, section
62U.02, the Minnesota Quality Reporting and Measurement System. The Department of
Health and the Minnesota Hospital Association shall update this link quarterly.
new text end

new text begin (d) 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.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Standard electronic reporting developed. new text end

new text begin Each reporting hospital shall
report their 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
quarterly, beginning July 1, 2014, and every quarter thereafter. 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.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin STUDY AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner shall study the correlation between nurse staffing levels and
patient outcomes and report the results of the study to the chairs and ranking minority
members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over health and human services
by January 15, 2015.
new text end

new text begin (b) The commissioner shall make recommendations regarding the collection of
standardized data concerning the linkage between nurse staffing levels and the quality of
acute care, including patient outcomes. If the commissioner determines that more specific
data is needed, the commissioner may require hospitals to report the core staffing plans
on a per-shift basis.
new text end