SLS 24RS-560 ORIGINAL
2024 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 8
BY SENATOR BOUDREAUX
HOSPITALS. Requests hospital service districts to include nurse representation on their
patient care decision-making body.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To urge and request each hospital service district in Louisiana to include nurse
3 representation on their patient care decision-making body.
4 WHEREAS, nearly seventy-five years ago, the legislature enacted laws to grant
5 parish governing authorities the ability to create hospital service districts for the purpose of
6 owning and operating hospitals within the district; and
7 WHEREAS, pursuant to the enabling legislation, hospital service districts are
8 governed by a board of commissioners that are responsible for appointing a hospital director,
9 executives, and a medical staff; and
10 WHEREAS, the statutorily created medical staff includes physicians who practice
11 within the hospital who are responsible for providing professional care of sick and injured
12 patients, advising relative to standards of operation and professional problems, participating
13 in educational activities in the district, regulating the conduct of the medical staff, electing
14 a chief of staff, and approving the appointment of the hospital director made by the
15 commission; and
16 WHEREAS, in the hospital service district enabling legislation, there is no statutory
17 recognition or acknowledgment of nurses and the medical staff enabling legislation only
18 identifies physicians; and
Page 1 of 3 SCR NO. 8
SLS 24RS-560 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, nearly seventy-five years ago the world viewed nurses differently than
2 they do today, but sadly, in many cases, nurses are still fighting to have their voices heard
3 in a hospital setting despite being a critical part of the overall patient care team; and
4 WHEREAS, according to the 2022 Nurse Supply Report issued by the Louisiana
5 State Board of Nursing, on December 31, 2022 there were 65,596 registered nurses holding
6 an active license to practice in Louisiana, and of those 32,763, a staggering 60%, were
7 employed by hospitals; and
8 WHEREAS, according to the 2019 United States Bureau of Labor Statistics,
9 registered nurses made up 30% of hospital employment, making it the largest hospital
10 occupation; and
11 WHEREAS, nurses engage with hospital patients and patient family members more
12 on a daily basis than physicians or any other health care professionals, therefore they can
13 provide critical insight into the patient care experience and patient needs from a different
14 perspective than other hospital professionals; and
15 WHEREAS, as a standard operating practice, it is widely accepted that many hospital
16 service district boards have established medical executive committees as their patient care
17 decision-making body; and
18 WHEREAS, a medical executive committee is responsible for making decisions
19 related to medical staff policies and procedures; and
20 WHEREAS, each hospital service district should have a medical executive
21 committee and each medical executive committee could benefit from the diversity and
22 perspective that nurses contribute.
23 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
24 request each hospital service district in Louisiana to include nurse representation on its
25 patient care decision-making body.
26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that no later than January 1, 2025, each hospital
27 service district shall report to the Louisiana Department of Health on the formal name of its
28 patient care decision making body, specifically whether the body is known as the medical
29 executive committee or some other designation, and shall include in its report the
30 composition of its patient care decision-making body.
Page 2 of 3 SCR NO. 8
SLS 24RS-560 ORIGINAL
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Department of Health shall
2 compile the information provided by the hospital service districts and submit the information
3 to the legislature no later than February 1, 2025.
4 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
5 secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health who shall disseminate a copy to each
6 hospital service district in the state.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Amanda Trapp.
DIGEST
SCR 8 Original 2024 Regular Session Boudreaux
Requests each hospital service district in Louisiana to include nurse representation on their
patient care decision-making body and to report certain information to the Louisiana
Department of Health.
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