Connecticut 2013 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00968 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 968
2	2	January Session, 2013 LCO No. 3524
3	3	03524_______PH_
4	4	Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
5	5	Introduced by:
6	6	(PH)
7	7
8	8	General Assembly
9	9
10	10	Raised Bill No. 968
11	11
12	12	January Session, 2013
13	13
14	14	LCO No. 3524
15	15
16	16	03524_______PH_
17	17
18	18	Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
19	19
20	20	Introduced by:
21	21
22	22	(PH)
23	23
24	24	AN ACT CONCERNING REPORTS OF NURSE STAFFING LEVELS.
25	25
26	26	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
27	27
28	28	Section 1. Section 19a-89e of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2013):
29	29
30	30	(a) For purposes of this section:
31	31
32	32	(1) "Department" means the Department of Public Health; and
33	33
34	34	(2) "Hospital" means an establishment for the lodging, care and treatment of persons suffering from disease or other abnormal physical or mental conditions and includes inpatient psychiatric services in general hospitals.
35	35
36	36	(b) [On and after July 1, 2009, each] Each hospital licensed by the department pursuant to chapter 368v shall [, upon request, make available] report, annually, to the department on a prospective nurse staffing plan with a written certification that the nurse staffing plan is sufficient to provide adequate and appropriate delivery of health care services to patients in the ensuing period of licensure. Such plan shall promote a collaborative practice in the hospital that enhances patient care and the level of services provided by nurses and other members of the hospital's patient care team.
37	37
38	38	(c) Each hospital shall establish a hospital staffing committee to assist in the preparation of the nurse staffing plan required pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. Registered nurses employed by the hospital whose primary responsibility is to provide direct patient care shall account for not less than fifty per cent of the membership of each hospital's staffing committee. In order to comply with the requirement that a hospital establish a hospital staffing committee, a hospital may utilize an existing committee or committees to assist in the preparation of the nurse staffing plan, provided not less than fifty per cent of the members of such existing committee or committees are registered nurses employed by the hospital whose primary responsibility is to provide direct patient care. Each hospital, in collaboration with its staffing committee, shall develop and implement to the best of its ability the prospective nurse staffing plan. Such plan shall: (1) Include the minimum professional skill mix for each patient care unit in the hospital, including, but not limited to, inpatient services, critical care and the emergency department; (2) identify the hospital's employment practices concerning the use of temporary and traveling nurses; (3) set forth the level of administrative staffing in each patient care unit of the hospital that ensures direct care staff are not utilized for administrative functions; (4) set forth the hospital's process for internal review of the nurse staffing plan; and (5) include the hospital's mechanism of obtaining input from direct care staff, including nurses and other members of the hospital's patient care team, in the development of the nurse staffing plan.
39	39
40	40	(d) Each hospital shall report, not later than ten days after the beginning of each calendar quarter, to the Department of Public Health its actual daily nurse staffing levels for each patient care unit. Such report shall include: (1) The number of registered nurses providing direct patient care and the ratio of patients to such registered nurses; (2) the number of licensed practical nurses providing direct patient care and the ratio of patients to such licensed practical nurses; (3) the number of registered nurse's aides, as defined in section 20-102aa, providing direct patient care and the ratio of patients to such registered nurse's aides; and (4) the method used by the hospital to determine and adjust direct patient care staffing levels.
41	41
42	42
43	43
44	44
45	45	This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
46	46	Section 1 July 1, 2013 19a-89e
47	47
48	48	This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
49	49
50	50	Section 1
51	51
52	52	July 1, 2013
53	53
54	54	19a-89e
55	55
56	56	Statement of Purpose:
57	57
58	58	To require hospitals to report to the Department of Public Health on nurse staffing levels.
59	59
60	60	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]