HB 377

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