Florida Senate - 2009 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 1604
Barcode 304414
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
04/06/2009 .
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The Committee on Health Regulation (Aronberg) recommended the
following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete everything after the enacting clause
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Section 395.01922, Florida Statutes, is created
6 to read:
7 395.01922 Nurse staffing collaborative councils.—
8 (1) As used in this section, the term:
9 (a) “Acuity” means the level of patient need for nursing
10 care, as determined by the nursing assessment.
11 (b) “Nurse staffing collaborative council” means the
12 collaborative council established by a hospital under this
13 section.
14 (c) “Nursing personnel” means registered nurses, licensed
15 practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, and unlicensed
16 assistive personnel providing direct patient care.
17 (d) “Nursing-sensitive quality indicators” means indicators
18 that capture care or the outcomes most affected by nursing care.
19 (e) “Patient care unit” means any unit or area of the
20 hospital where registered nurses provide care to patients.
21 (f) “Skill mix” means the number and relative percentages
22 of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified
23 nursing assistants, and unlicensed assistive personnel among the
24 total number of nursing personnel.
25 (2) By September 1, 2009, each hospital licensed under this
26 chapter shall establish a nurse staffing collaborative council
27 by creating a new collaborative council or assigning the
28 functions of a nurse staffing collaborative council to an
29 existing council or committee. Membership of the nurse staffing
30 collaborative council shall be determined by the chief nursing
31 executive and shall include representation of nurses currently
32 participating in direct patient care.
33 (3) Primary responsibilities of the nurse staffing
34 collaborative council shall include the development and
35 oversight of an annual patient care unit and shift-based nurse
36 staffing plan, based on the needs of patients, which shall be
37 used as the primary factor in developing the nurse staffing
38 budget. Factors to be considered in the development of the plan
39 include, but are not limited to:
40 (a) Census information, including total numbers of patients
41 in the unit on each shift, and activity in the unit, such as
42 patient discharges, admissions, and transfers.
43 (b) The acuity level of all patients and the nature of the
44 care to be delivered on each shift.
45 (c) The skill mix.
46 (d) The level of education, training, and experience of the
47 nursing personnel providing care.
48 (e) The need for specialized equipment.
49 (f) The physical layout and design of the patient care
50 unit, including, but not limited to, placement of patient rooms,
51 treatment areas, nursing stations, medication preparation areas,
52 and equipment.
53 (g) Staffing guidelines adopted or published by national
54 professional nursing associations, specialty nursing
55 organizations, and other health care professional organizations.
56 (h) Hospital finances and resources.
57 (i) Level of technology and support.
58 (4) The nurse staffing collaborative council shall produce
59 an annual nurse staffing plan for the hospital. The chief nurse
60 executive shall communicate and collaborate with the council to
61 ensure a safe and appropriate implementation of a staffing plan.
62 (5) The nurse staffing collaborative council shall conduct
63 a semiannual review of the staffing plan with regard to patient
64 needs and evidence-based staffing information, including the
65 nursing-sensitive quality indicators collected by the hospital.
66 (6) The staffing plan shall be reviewed annually with
67 nursing personnel in each patient care area, and the plan shall
68 be shared with the community upon request.Section 2. This act
69 shall take effect July 1, 2009.
70
71
72 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
73 And the title is amended as follows:
74 Delete everything before the enacting clause
75 and insert:
76 A bill to be entitled
77 An act relating to nursing services; creating s.
78 395.01922, F.S.; providing definitions; requiring that
79 hospitals establish nurse staffing collaborative
80 councils; providing for membership and
81 responsibilities; requiring the council to produce
82 annual hospital nurse staffing plans; requiring the
83 chief nurse executive to communicate with the council
84 to ensure appropriate implementation of the nurse
85 staffing plan; requiring that the council conduct a
86 semiannual review of the nurse staffing plan;
87 requiring the nurse staffing plan to be reviewed with
88 the nurse personnel and made available to the public
89 upon request; providing an effective date.
90
91 WHEREAS, research demonstrates that registered nurses play
92 a critical role in patient safety and quality of care, and
93 hospitals are employing multiple strategies to recruit and
94 retain nurses, and
95 WHEREAS, the implementation of evidence-based nurse
96 staffing plans to foster safe, high-quality patient care and
97 increase job satisfaction for nurses is crucial, and
98 WHEREAS, hospitals and nursing organizations share a mutual
99 interest in patient-safety initiatives that create a healthy
100 environment for nurses and provide for the safe care of
101 patients, and
102 WHEREAS, in order to ensure safe, quality patient care,
103 support the retention of registered nurses, and promote
104 evidence-based nurse staffing, the Legislature intends to
105 establish a mechanism whereby nurses and hospital leadership
106 participate in a joint process regarding nurse-staffing-plan
107 decisions, NOW, THEREFORE,