HB 377

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to nursing services; creating s.
3395.01922, F.S.; providing definitions; requiring that
4hospitals establish nurse staffing collaborative councils;
5providing for membership and responsibilities; requiring
6the council to produce annual hospital nurse staffing
7plans; requiring the chief nurse executive to communicate
8with the council to ensure appropriate implementation of
9the nurse staffing plan; requiring that the council
10conduct a semiannual review of the nurse staffing plan;
11requiring the nurse staffing plan to be reviewed with the
12nurse personnel and made available to the public upon
13request; providing an effective date.
14
15     WHEREAS, research demonstrates that registered nurses play
16a critical role in patient safety and quality of care, and
17hospitals are employing multiple strategies to recruit and
18retain nurses, and
19     WHEREAS, the implementation of evidence-based nurse
20staffing plans to foster safe, high-quality patient care and
21increase job satisfaction for nurses is crucial, and
22     WHEREAS, hospitals and nursing organizations share a mutual
23interest in patient-safety initiatives that create a healthy
24environment for nurses and provide for the safe care of
25patients, and
26     WHEREAS, in order to ensure safe, quality patient care,
27support the retention of registered nurses, and promote
28evidence-based nurse staffing, the Legislature intends to
29establish a mechanism whereby nurses and hospital leadership
30participate in a joint process regarding nurse staffing plan
31decisions, NOW, THEREFORE,
32
33Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
34
35     Section 1.  Section 395.01922, Florida Statutes, is created
36to read:
37     395.01922  Nurse staffing collaborative councils.-
38     (1)  As used in this section, the term:
39     (a)  "Acuity" means the level of patient need for nursing
40care, as determined by the nursing assessment.
41     (b)  "Nurse staffing collaborative council" means the
42collaborative council established by a hospital under this
43section.
44     (c)  "Nursing personnel" means registered nurses, licensed
45practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, and unlicensed
46assistive personnel providing direct patient care.
47     (d)  "Nursing-sensitive quality indicator" means an
48indicator that captures the quality of care or the outcomes most
49affected by nursing care.
50     (e)  "Patient care unit" means any unit or area of the
51hospital where registered nurses provide care to patients.
52     (f)  "Skill mix" means the number and relative percentages
53of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified
54nursing assistants, and unlicensed assistive personnel among the
55total number of nursing personnel.
56     (2)  By September 1, 2010, each hospital licensed under
57this chapter shall establish a nurse staffing collaborative
58council by creating a new collaborative council or assigning the
59functions of a nurse staffing collaborative council to an
60existing council or committee. Membership of the nurse staffing
61collaborative council shall be determined by the chief nursing
62executive and shall include nurses currently participating in
63direct patient care.
64     (3)  Primary responsibilities of the nurse staffing
65collaborative council shall include the development and
66oversight of an annual patient care unit and shift-based nurse
67staffing plan based on the needs of patients, which shall be
68used as the primary factor in developing the nurse staffing
69budget. Factors to be considered in the development of the plan
70shall include, but are not limited to:
71     (a)  Census information, including the total number of
72patients in the unit for each shift, and activity in the unit,
73such as patient discharges, admissions, and transfers.
74     (b)  The acuity level of all patients and the nature of the
75care to be delivered for each shift.
76     (c)  The skill mix.
77     (d)  The level of education, training, and experience of
78the nursing personnel providing care.
79     (e)  The need for specialized equipment.
80     (f)  The physical layout and design of the patient care
81unit, including, but not limited to, placement of patient rooms,
82treatment areas, nursing stations, medication preparation areas,
83and equipment.
84     (g)  Staffing guidelines adopted or published by national
85professional nursing associations, specialty nursing
86organizations, and other health care professional organizations.
87     (h)  Hospital finances and resources.
88     (i)  Level of technology and support.
89     (4)  The nurse staffing collaborative council shall produce
90an annual nurse staffing plan for the hospital. The chief nurse
91executive shall communicate and collaborate with the council to
92ensure the safe and appropriate implementation of a staffing
93plan.
94     (5)  The nurse staffing collaborative council shall conduct
95a semiannual review of the staffing plan with regard to patient
96needs and evidence-based staffing information, including the
97nursing-sensitive quality indicators collected by the hospital.
98     (6)  The staffing plan shall be reviewed annually with
99nursing personnel in each patient care area and the plan shall
100be shared with the community upon request.
101     Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.