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1 | AN ACT concerning hospital workers.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Continuity of Care Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds that | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | health care employment agencies are being used to provide | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | temporary workers to hospitals in Illinois. Permanent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | employees have been shown by experience to be superior to | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | temporary workers in the health care setting. Overuse of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | temporary workers results in higher costs to Illinois' system | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | of health care delivery, disrupts continuity of care, and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | negatively affects the quality of health care. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | Section 10. Definitions. For the purpose of this Act: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | "Temporary staffing agency" or "agency" means a nurse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | agency as defined in the Nurse Agency Licensing Act or any | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | person or entity who engages in the business of obtaining or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | fulfilling commitments for temporary, non-permanent, staffing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | at a hospital. The term "temporary staffing agency" or "agency" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | does not mean or include any employment counseling service or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | any job listing service, or supplemental staffing program | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | within a hospital. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | "Hospital" means a health care facility licensed under the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
24 | Hospital Licensing Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
25 | "Temporary Worker" means a worker employed by a temporary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
26 | staffing agency for the purposes of providing supplemental, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
27 | non-permanent staffing at a hospital. "Temporary worker" does | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
28 | not mean a worker employed by a hospital on an as-needed basis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
29 | to supplement staffing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
30 | Section 15. Hospital temporary worker policy.
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1 | (a) A hospital must develop and implement a written policy | ||||||
2 | on the use of temporary workers in clinical settings. The | ||||||
3 | policy must include all of the following: | ||||||
4 | (1) A restriction on the use of temporary workers when | ||||||
5 | permanent employees with appropriate qualifications are, | ||||||
6 | or should be known by the employer to be, available and | ||||||
7 | willing to work. | ||||||
8 | (2) An orientation commensurate with orientations | ||||||
9 | provided for permanent employees. At a minimum, the | ||||||
10 | orientation must include hospital policies and procedure, | ||||||
11 | physical layout of the hospital and assigned area or work, | ||||||
12 | disaster or emergency protocol, infection control, and | ||||||
13 | patient privacy. | ||||||
14 | (3) Evaluations for temporary workers within 2 days | ||||||
15 | after taking a work assignment, and thereafter, at a | ||||||
16 | minimum, as often as permanent employees performing | ||||||
17 | similar work are evaluated. | ||||||
18 | (4) Visible identification for temporary workers that | ||||||
19 | clearly distinguishes them from hospital employees | ||||||
20 | performing similar work. | ||||||
21 | (5) Procedures for verifying and documenting that a | ||||||
22 | temporary worker whose assignment requires a certification | ||||||
23 | or professional license under Illinois law holds a valid | ||||||
24 | license or certificate issued by the State that is not a | ||||||
25 | temporary or interim license or certificate. | ||||||
26 | (6) Procedures for verifying and documenting that a | ||||||
27 | temporary worker who is not licensed by the Illinois | ||||||
28 | Department of Professional Regulation has received a | ||||||
29 | criminal background check as required in the Health Care | ||||||
30 | Worker Background Check Act. | ||||||
31 | (b) A hospital may not utilize a temporary worker who is a | ||||||
32 | registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, or certified nurse | ||||||
33 | aide whose clinical area of skills does not meet the | ||||||
34 | requirements for the job assignment. | ||||||
35 | Section 20. Regulatory oversight. The Illinois Department |
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1 | of Public Health is responsible for ensuring compliance with | ||||||
2 | this Act as a condition of licensure under the Hospital | ||||||
3 | Licensing Act and shall enforce that compliance according to | ||||||
4 | the provisions of the Hospital Licensing Act. | ||||||
5 | Section 25. Regulatory penalties. A hospital that violates | ||||||
6 | any requirement set forth in this Act is subject to a civil | ||||||
7 | penalty of not less than $1,000 for each shift during which the | ||||||
8 | violation occurs or continues. The Department of Public Health | ||||||
9 | may impose a penalty under this Section after giving the | ||||||
10 | hospital written notice of the alleged violation and an | ||||||
11 | opportunity for a hearing at which the hospital may present | ||||||
12 | oral or written evidence. The Attorney General may bring an | ||||||
13 | action in the circuit court to enforce the collection of a | ||||||
14 | penalty imposed under this Section. | ||||||
15 | Section 90. The Hospital Licensing Act is amended by | ||||||
16 | changing Section 7 as follows:
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17 | (210 ILCS 85/7) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 148)
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18 | Sec. 7. (a) The Director after notice and opportunity for | ||||||
19 | hearing to the
applicant or licensee may deny, suspend, or | ||||||
20 | revoke a permit to establish a
hospital or deny, suspend, or | ||||||
21 | revoke a license to open, conduct, operate,
and maintain a | ||||||
22 | hospital in any case in which he finds that there has been a
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23 | substantial failure to comply with the provisions of this Act ,
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24 | or the Hospital
Report Card Act , or the Continuity of Care Act | ||||||
25 | or the standards, rules, and regulations established by
virtue | ||||||
26 | of any
either of those Acts.
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27 | (b) Such notice shall be effected by registered mail or by | ||||||
28 | personal
service setting forth the particular reasons for the | ||||||
29 | proposed action and
fixing a date, not less than 15 days from | ||||||
30 | the date of such mailing or
service, at which time the | ||||||
31 | applicant or licensee shall be given an
opportunity for a | ||||||
32 | hearing. Such hearing shall be conducted by the Director
or by | ||||||
33 | an employee of the Department designated in writing by the |
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1 | Director
as Hearing Officer to conduct the hearing. On the | ||||||
2 | basis of any such
hearing, or upon default of the applicant or | ||||||
3 | licensee, the Director shall
make a determination specifying | ||||||
4 | his findings and conclusions. In case of a
denial to an | ||||||
5 | applicant of a permit to establish a hospital, such
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6 | determination shall specify the subsection of Section 6 under | ||||||
7 | which the
permit was denied and shall contain findings of fact | ||||||
8 | forming the basis of
such denial. A copy of such determination | ||||||
9 | shall be sent by registered mail
or served personally upon the | ||||||
10 | applicant or licensee. The decision denying,
suspending, or | ||||||
11 | revoking a permit or a license shall become final 35 days
after | ||||||
12 | it is so mailed or served, unless the applicant or licensee, | ||||||
13 | within
such 35 day period, petitions for review pursuant to | ||||||
14 | Section 13.
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15 | (c) The procedure governing hearings authorized by this | ||||||
16 | Section shall be
in accordance with rules promulgated by the | ||||||
17 | Department and approved by the
Hospital Licensing Board. A full | ||||||
18 | and complete record shall be kept of all
proceedings, including | ||||||
19 | the notice of hearing, complaint, and all other
documents in | ||||||
20 | the nature of pleadings, written motions filed in the
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21 | proceedings, and the report and orders of the Director and | ||||||
22 | Hearing Officer.
All testimony shall be reported but need not | ||||||
23 | be transcribed unless the
decision is appealed pursuant to | ||||||
24 | Section 13. A copy or copies of the
transcript may be obtained | ||||||
25 | by any interested party on payment of the cost
of preparing | ||||||
26 | such copy or copies.
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27 | (d) The Director or Hearing Officer shall upon his own | ||||||
28 | motion, or on the
written request of any party to the | ||||||
29 | proceeding, issue subpoenas requiring
the attendance and the | ||||||
30 | giving of testimony by witnesses, and subpoenas
duces tecum | ||||||
31 | requiring the production of books, papers, records, or
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32 | memoranda. All subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum issued under | ||||||
33 | the terms
of this Act may be served by any person of full age. | ||||||
34 | The fees of witnesses
for attendance and travel shall be the | ||||||
35 | same as the fees of witnesses before
the Circuit Court of this | ||||||
36 | State, such fees to be paid when the witness is
excused from |
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1 | further attendance. When the witness is subpoenaed at the
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2 | instance of the Director, or Hearing Officer, such fees shall | ||||||
3 | be paid in
the same manner as other expenses of the Department, | ||||||
4 | and when the witness
is subpoenaed at the instance of any other | ||||||
5 | party to any such proceeding the
Department may require that | ||||||
6 | the cost of service of the subpoena or subpoena
duces tecum and | ||||||
7 | the fee of the witness be borne by the party at whose
instance | ||||||
8 | the witness is summoned. In such case, the Department in its
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9 | discretion, may require a deposit to cover the cost of such | ||||||
10 | service and
witness fees. A subpoena or subpoena duces tecum | ||||||
11 | issued as aforesaid shall
be served in the same manner as a | ||||||
12 | subpoena issued out of a court.
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13 | (e) Any Circuit Court of this State upon the application of | ||||||
14 | the
Director, or upon the application of any other party to the | ||||||
15 | proceeding,
may, in its discretion, compel the attendance of | ||||||
16 | witnesses, the production
of books, papers, records, or | ||||||
17 | memoranda and the giving of testimony before
the Director or | ||||||
18 | Hearing Officer conducting an investigation or holding a
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19 | hearing authorized by this Act, by an attachment for contempt, | ||||||
20 | or
otherwise, in the same manner as production of evidence may | ||||||
21 | be compelled
before the court.
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22 | (f) The Director or Hearing Officer, or any party in an | ||||||
23 | investigation or
hearing before the Department, may cause the | ||||||
24 | depositions of witnesses
within the State to be taken in the | ||||||
25 | manner prescribed by law for like
depositions in civil actions | ||||||
26 | in courts of this State, and to that end
compel the attendance | ||||||
27 | of witnesses and the production of books, papers,
records, or | ||||||
28 | memoranda.
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29 | (Source: P.A. 93-563, eff. 1-1-04.)
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30 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
31 | becoming law.
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