SLS 22RS-2194 ENGROSSED
2022 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 496(Substitute of Senate Bill No. 195 by Senator Hewitt)
BY SENATOR HEWITT
HEALTH CARE. Provides relative to healthcare facility patient safety policies. (8/1/22)
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 40:2003, relative to healthcare facility patient safety policies; to provide for
3 legislative findings; to provide for healthcare facility patient safety policies; to
4 provide for minimum content of the policies; to provide for a post-occurrence
5 review; and to provide for related matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 40:2003 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
8 ยง2003. Healthcare facility patient safety policies
9 A. The legislature finds and declares that ensuring patient safety is a
10 critical part of delivering quality healthcare services. Patient safety includes not
11 only implementing appropriate courses of action in treating a patient, but also
12 educating and empowering licensed healthcare providers in the facility to
13 express opinions and concerns regarding all aspects of the patient's experience
14 in the facility.
15 B. Each healthcare facility licensed pursuant to R.S. 40:2006 shall adopt
16 policies that promote national best practices on patient safety, support quality
17 improvement initiatives, and empower licensed healthcare providers to take all
Page 1 of 2
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 496
SLS 22RS-2194 ENGROSSED
1 appropriate steps to prevent a patient safety event.
2 C. The policies implemented pursuant to this Section shall include but
3 not be limited to the rights and responsibilities of a licensed healthcare provider
4 providing patient care in a licensed healthcare facility to protect the safety of
5 a patient, to immediately intervene or escalate concerns through an identified
6 chain of command, to prevent a patient safety event, and to mitigate subsequent
7 patient harm. The policy shall include a process for post-occurrence review of
8 the situation to determine whether additional action is required to minimize the
9 likelihood of similar situations in the future.
10 D. A post-occurrence review may be conducted in conjunction with a
11 patient safety organization and shall be considered a patient safety activity
12 pursuant to the provisions of the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act
13 of 2005, 42 U.S.C. 299b-21 et seq.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Brandi Cannon.
DIGEST
SB 496 Engrossed 2022 Regular Session Hewitt
Proposed law provides for each healthcare facility licensed by the La. Dept. of Health to
adopt policies that promote national best practices on patient safety, support quality
improvement initiatives, and empower licensed healthcare providers to take all appropriate
steps to prevent a patient safety event.
Proposed law provides for the minimum content of the patient safety policies, including a
process for post-occurrence review of the situation to determine whether additional action
is required to minimize the likelihood of similar situations in the future.
Proposed law provides that the post-occurrence review may be conducted in conjunction
with a patient safety organization and shall be considered a patient safety activity pursuant
to the federal Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005.
Effective August 1, 2022.
(Adds R.S. 40:2003)
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.