|
|
To enact sections 3727.50 to 3727.57 of the Revised | 1 |
Code regarding hospital staffing guidelines for | 2 |
registered nurses. | 3 |
Section 1. That sections 3727.50, 3727.51, 3727.52, 3727.53, | 4 |
3727.54, 3727.55, 3727.56, and 3727.57 of the Revised Code be | 5 |
enacted to read as follows: | 6 |
Sec. 3727.50. (A) As used in this section and sections | 7 |
3727.51 to 3727.57 of the Revised Code: | 8 |
"Direct patient care" means care provided by a registered | 9 |
nurse with direct responsibility to carry out medical regimens or | 10 |
nursing care for one or more patients. | 11 |
"Nurse" means a person who is licensed to practice as a | 12 |
registered nurse under Chapter 4723. of the Revised Code. | 13 |
(B) Each hospital shall convene a hospital-wide nursing care | 14 |
committee not later than ninety days after the effective date of | 15 |
this section or, if the hospital is not treating patients on the | 16 |
effective date of this section, ninety days after the hospital | 17 |
begins to treat patients. The hospital's chief nursing officer | 18 |
must be a member and the committee's remaining membership must | 19 |
include, but not be limited to, nurses who provide direct patient | 20 |
care in a number sufficient to adequately represent on the | 21 |
committee all types of nursing care services in the hospital. | 22 |
Sec. 3727.51. The chief nursing officer of each hospital | 23 |
shall establish a mechanism for obtaining input from nurses in all | 24 |
inpatient care units who provide direct patient care regarding | 25 |
what the nursing services staffing plan recommendations described | 26 |
in division (B) of section 3727.52 of the Revised Code should | 27 |
include. | 28 |
Sec. 3727.52. A hospital-wide nursing care committee convened | 29 |
pursuant to section 3727.50 of the Revised Code shall do all of | 30 |
the following: | 31 |
(A) If one exists, evaluate the hospital's current nursing | 32 |
services staffing plan; | 33 |
(B) Recommend a nursing services staffing plan that is | 34 |
consistent with current standards established by private or | 35 |
governmental accreditation organizations and addresses all of the | 36 |
following: | 37 |
(1) The selection, implementation, and evaluation of minimum | 38 |
staffing levels for all inpatient care units that ensure that the | 39 |
hospital has a staff of competent nurses with the specialized | 40 |
skills needed to meet patient needs in accordance with | 41 |
evidence-based safe nurse staffing standards. | 42 |
(2) The complexity of complete care, assessment on patient | 43 |
admission, volume of patient admissions, discharges and transfers, | 44 |
evaluation of the progress of a patient's problems, ongoing | 45 |
physical assessments, planning for a patient's discharge, | 46 |
assessment after a change in patient condition, and assessment of | 47 |
the need for patient referrals. | 48 |
(3) Patient acuity and the number of patients for whom care | 49 |
is being provided. | 50 |
(4) The need for ongoing assessments of a unit's patients and | 51 |
its nursing staff levels. | 52 |
(5) The hospital's policy for identifying additional nurses | 53 |
who can provide direct patient care when patients' unexpected | 54 |
needs exceed the planned workload for direct care staff. | 55 |
(C) The nursing services staffing plan recommended pursuant | 56 |
to division (B) of this section shall be made available to any | 57 |
person who requests it. | 58 |
Sec. 3727.53. Each hospital shall create an evidence-based | 59 |
written nursing care services staffing plan guiding the | 60 |
assignment of nurses hospital-wide. The staffing plan must, at a | 61 |
minimum, reflect current standards established by private or | 62 |
governmental accreditation organizations and be implemented not | 63 |
later than ninety days after the hospital-wide nursing care | 64 |
committee is convened pursuant to section 3727.50 of the Revised | 65 |
Code, except that if the hospital's next fiscal year starts not | 66 |
later than one hundred eighty days after the date on which the | 67 |
committee convenes, implementation may be delayed until the first | 68 |
day of that fiscal year. | 69 |
The plan shall be based on multiple nurse and patient | 70 |
considerations that yield minimum staffing levels for inpatient | 71 |
care units that ensure that the hospital has a staff of competent | 72 |
nurses with specialized skills needed to meet patient needs. | 73 |
These considerations shall include both of the following: | 74 |
(A) The recommendations of the hospital-wide nursing care | 75 |
committee made under section 3727.52 of the Revised Code, which | 76 |
shall be given significant weight. | 77 |
(B) All of the matters listed in divisions (B)(1) to (B)(5) | 78 |
of section 3727.52 of the Revised Code. | 79 |
Sec. 3727.54. At least once a year, the hospital-wide nursing | 80 |
care committee convened pursuant to section 3727.50 of the Revised | 81 |
Code shall do both of the following: | 82 |
(A) Review how the most current nursing services staffing | 83 |
plan does all of the following: | 84 |
(1) Affects inpatient care outcomes; | 85 |
(2) Affects clinical management; | 86 |
(3) Facilitates a delivery system that provides, on a | 87 |
cost-effective basis, quality nursing care consistent with | 88 |
acceptable and prevailing standards of safe nursing care and | 89 |
evidenced-based guidelines established by national nursing | 90 |
organizations. | 91 |
(B) Make recommendations, based on the most recent review | 92 |
conducted under division (A) of this section, regarding how the | 93 |
most current nursing services staffing plan should be revised, if | 94 |
at all. The recommendations must be made available to any person | 95 |
who requests them. | 96 |
Sec. 3727.55. To provide staffing flexibility to meet patient | 97 |
needs, every hospital shall identify a model for adjusting the | 98 |
staffing plan created under section 3727.53 of the Revised Code | 99 |
for each inpatient care unit. | 100 |
Sec. 3727.56. A copy of the nursing care services staffing | 101 |
plan created under section 3727.53 of the Revised Code, and | 102 |
subsequent changes to it, shall be provided, free of charge, to | 103 |
the hospital's nursing staff and to any other person who requests | 104 |
it. | 105 |
Sec. 3727.57. Nothing in sections 3727.50 to 3727.56 of the | 106 |
Revised Code shall be construed to limit, alter, or modify any of | 107 |
the terms, conditions, or provisions of a collective bargaining | 108 |
agreement entered into by a hospital. | 109 |