First Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
REREVISED
This Version Includes All Amendments
Adopted in the Second House
LLS NO. 25-0124.01 Shelby Ross x4510
SENATE BILL 25-166
Senate Committees House Committees
Health & Human Services Health & Human Services
A BILL FOR AN ACT
C
ONCERNING QUALITY INCENTIVE P AYMENTS BASED ON INCIDENTS OF101
WORKPLACE VIOLENCE IN A HOSPITAL SETTING .102
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
http://leg.colorado.gov
.)
The bill includes a performance metric related to workplace
violence in determining quality incentive payments made to hospitals.
No later than September 1, 2025, the bill requires the department
of health care policy and financing (state department) to convene a
stakeholder group to develop recommended metrics, determine whether
any federal or private funds are available to assist hospitals in lowering
HOUSE
3rd Reading Unamended
April 17, 2025
HOUSE
2nd Reading Unamended
April 16, 2025
SENATE
3rd Reading Unamended
April 1, 2025
SENATE
Amended 2nd Reading
March 31, 2025
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Mullica, Amabile, Ball, Bright, Carson, Coleman, Cutter, Daugherty, Exum, Frizell, Jodeh,
Kipp, Kirkmeyer, Kolker, Liston, Marchman, Michaelson Jenet, Pelton R., Rich, Roberts,
Snyder, Wallace, Weissman, Winter F.
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Feret, Bird, Boesenecker, Brown, Carter, Clifford, Duran, Gilchrist, Hamrick, Keltie, Lieder,
Lindsay, Lukens, McCluskie, McCormick, Phillips, Rydin, Smith, Stewart K., Story, Valdez,
Woodrow
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law. the number of incidents of workplace violence, and develop legislative
recommendations, which the stakeholder group must submit to the
general assembly no later than February 1, 2026.
Beginning July 1, 2026, and each July thereafter, the bill requires
the state department to assess whether each hospital has adopted a formal
policy to address workplace violence and submitted the reporting
requirements to the department of public health and environment for the
next federal fiscal year. The bill exempts hospitals with fewer than 100
beds from the reporting requirements.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 25.5-4-402, amend2
(3) as follows:3
25.5-4-402. Providers - hospital reimbursement - hospital4
review program - rules. (3) (a) In addition to the reimbursement rate5
process described in subsection (1) of this section and subject to adequate6
funding being made available pursuant to section 25.5-4-402.4, the7
Colorado healthcare affordability and sustainability enterprise created in8
section 25.5-4-402.4 (3) shall pay an additional amount based upon9
performance to those hospitals that provide services that improve10
health-care outcomes for their patients,
INCLUDING A PERFORMANCE11
METRIC RELATED TO WORKPLACE VIOLENCE . The state department shall12
determine this amount based upon nationally recognized performance13
measures established in rules adopted by the state board. The state quality14
standards must be consistent with federal quality standards published by15
an organization with expertise in health-care quality, including, but not16
limited to, the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services, the17
agency for healthcare research and quality, or the national quality forum.18
(b) The amount of the payments made pursuant to this subsection
19
(3) shall SUBSECTION (3)(a) OF THIS SECTION MUST be computed annually.20
166-2- For the first two fiscal years that payments are made pursuant to this1
subsection (3), the total amount of the payments shall be up to five2
percent of the total reimbursements made to hospitals in the previous3
year. For each STATE fiscal year, after the first two fiscal years, the total4
amount of the payments shall be up to MUST BE NO MORE THAN seven5
percent of the total reimbursements made to hospitals in the previous6
STATE FISCAL year.7
(c) (I) N
O LATER THAN SEPTEMBER 1, 2025, THE STATE
8
DEPARTMENT AND THE QUALITY INCENTIVES PAYMENTS SUBCOMMITTEE9
OF THE COLORADO HEALTHCARE AFFORDABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY10
ENTERPRISE BOARD CREATED IN SECTION 25.5-4-402.4 (7) SHALL CONSULT11
WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT , AN12
ASSOCIATION REPRESENTING NURSES WORKING IN COLORADO HOSPITALS,13
A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE HEALTH -CARE INDUSTRY WHO PARTICIPATES14
IN THE COLORADO MEDICAID PROGRAM AND DOES NOT REPRESENT A15
HOSPITAL, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM A STATEWIDE ASSOCIATION OF16
HOSPITALS, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM AN ASSOCIATION REPRESENTING17
RURAL HOSPITALS, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM A HOSPITAL , THE CHAIR OF18
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES19
COMMITTEE AND THE SENATE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE ,20
AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT STATE AGENCIES TO :21
(A) D
EVELOP RECOMMENDED WORKPLACE VIOLENCE
METRICS22
AFTER EVALUATING AVAILABLE NATIONAL STANDARDS , CONSIDERING23
INNOVATIVE APPROACHES , AND ACCOUNTING FOR VARIATIONS ACROSS24
HOSPITALS;25
(B) D
ETERMINE WHETHER ANY FEDERAL OR PRIVATE FUNDS ARE26
AVAILABLE TO ASSIST HOSPITALS IN LOWERING THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS27
166
-3- OF WORKPLACE VIOLENCE; AND1
(C) D
EVELOP LEGISLATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS .2
3
(II) D
URING THE STATE DEPARTMENT 'S 2026 "SMART ACT"
4
HEARING, THE STATE DEPARTMENT SHALL INCLUDE A PROGRESS REPORT5
ON DEVELOPING RECOMMENDED WORKPLACE VIOLENCE METRICS ,6
DETERMINING WHETHER ANY FEDERAL OR PRIVATE FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE7
TO ASSIST HOSPITALS IN LOWERING THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS OF8
WORKPLACE VIOLENCE , AND DEVELOPING LEGISLATIVE9
RECOMMENDATIONS PURS UANT TO SUBSECTION (3)(c)(I) OF THIS SECTION.10
(III) T
HE COLORADO HEALTHCARE AFFORDABILITY AND
11
SUSTAINABILITY ENTERPRISE BOARD SHALL INCLUDE THE LEGISLATIVE12
RECOMMENDATIONS DEVELOPED PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION (3)(c)(I)(C)13
OF THIS SECTION AS PART OF ITS JANUARY 2027 REPORT SUBMITTED14
PURSUANT TO SECTION 25.5-4-402.4 (7)(e).15
SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 25.5-4-434 as16
follows:17
25.5-4-434. Workplace violence in hospital settings - policy -18
verification of reporting requirements. (1) (a) B
EGINNING JULY 1,19
2026,
AND EACH JULY THEREAFTER, THE STATE DEPARTMENT SHALL20
ASSESS WHETHER EACH HOSPITAL HAS ADOPTED A FORMAL POLICY TO21
ADDRESS WORKPLACE VIOLENCE AND SUBMITTED THE REPORTING22
REQUIREMENTS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND23
ENVIRONMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 25-3-703 (3)(f) FOR THE NEXT24
FEDERAL FISCAL YEAR.25
(b) I
N ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 25-3-703 (4), HOSPITALS WITH26
FEWER THAN ONE HUNDRED BEDS ARE EXEMPT FROM THE REPORTING27
166
-4- REQUIREMENTS.1
(2) I
F A HOSPITAL HAS COMPLIED WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF2
SUBSECTION (1) OF THIS SECTION, THE STATE DEPARTMENT SHALL AFFIRM3
THE HOSPITAL'S SATISFACTORY COMPLETION OF THE WORKPLACE4
VIOLENCE PREVENTION COMPONENT OF THE QUALITY INCENTIVE5
PAYMENTS DESCRIBED IN SECTION 25.5-4-402 (3).6
SECTION 3. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act7
takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the8
ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly; except9
that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V10
of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this11
act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take12
effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in13
November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the14
official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.15
166
-5-