Full Text of SB0867 95th General Assembly
SB0867enr 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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LRB095 05612 DRJ 25702 b |
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| AN ACT concerning regulation.
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| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | 3 |
| represented in the General Assembly:
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| Section 5. The Hospital Licensing Act is amended by adding | 5 |
| Section 10.10 as follows: | 6 |
| (210 ILCS 85/10.10 new) | 7 |
| Sec. 10.10. Nurse Staffing by Patient Acuity.
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| (a) Findings. The Legislature finds and declares all of the | 9 |
| following: | 10 |
| (1) The State of Illinois has a substantial interest in | 11 |
| promoting quality care and improving the delivery of health | 12 |
| care services. | 13 |
| (2) Evidence-based studies have shown that the basic | 14 |
| principles of staffing in the acute care setting should be | 15 |
| based on the complexity of patients' care needs aligned | 16 |
| with available nursing skills to promote quality patient | 17 |
| care consistent with professional nursing standards. | 18 |
| (3) Compliance with this Section promotes an | 19 |
| organizational climate that values registered nurses' | 20 |
| input in meeting the health care needs of hospital | 21 |
| patients. | 22 |
| (b) Definitions. As used in this Section: | 23 |
| "Acuity model" means an assessment tool selected and |
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LRB095 05612 DRJ 25702 b |
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| implemented by a hospital, as recommended by a nursing care | 2 |
| committee, that assesses the complexity of patient care needs | 3 |
| requiring professional nursing care and skills and aligns | 4 |
| patient care needs and nursing skills consistent with | 5 |
| professional nursing standards. | 6 |
| "Department" means the Department of Public Health. | 7 |
| "Direct patient care" means care provided by a registered | 8 |
| professional nurse with direct responsibility to oversee or | 9 |
| carry out medical regimens or nursing care for one or more | 10 |
| patients. | 11 |
| "Nursing care committee" means an existing or newly created | 12 |
| hospital-wide committee or committees of nurses whose | 13 |
| functions, in part or in whole, contribute to the development, | 14 |
| recommendation, and review of the hospital's nurse staffing | 15 |
| plan established pursuant to subsection (d). | 16 |
| "Registered professional nurse" means a person licensed as | 17 |
| a Registered Nurse under the Nursing and Advanced Practice | 18 |
| Nursing Act. | 19 |
| "Written staffing plan for nursing care services" means a | 20 |
| written plan for guiding the assignment of patient care nursing | 21 |
| staff based on multiple nurse and patient considerations that | 22 |
| yield minimum staffing levels for inpatient care units and the | 23 |
| adopted acuity model aligning patient care needs with nursing | 24 |
| skills required for quality patient care consistent with | 25 |
| professional nursing standards. | 26 |
| (c) Written staffing plan. |
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LRB095 05612 DRJ 25702 b |
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| (1) Every hospital shall implement a written | 2 |
| hospital-wide staffing plan, recommended by a nursing care | 3 |
| committee or committees, that provides for minimum direct | 4 |
| care professional registered nurse-to-patient staffing | 5 |
| needs for each inpatient care unit. The written | 6 |
| hospital-wide staffing plan shall include, but need not be | 7 |
| limited to, the following considerations: | 8 |
| (A) The complexity of complete care, assessment on | 9 |
| patient admission, volume of patient admissions, | 10 |
| discharges and transfers, evaluation of the progress | 11 |
| of a patient's problems, ongoing physical assessments, | 12 |
| planning for a patient's discharge, assessment after a | 13 |
| change in patient condition, and assessment of the need | 14 |
| for patient referrals. | 15 |
| (B) The complexity of clinical professional | 16 |
| nursing judgment needed to design and implement a | 17 |
| patient's nursing care plan, the need for specialized | 18 |
| equipment and technology, the skill mix of other | 19 |
| personnel providing or supporting direct patient care, | 20 |
| and involvement in quality improvement activities, | 21 |
| professional preparation, and experience. | 22 |
| (C) Patient acuity and the number of patients for | 23 |
| whom care is being provided. | 24 |
| (D) The ongoing assessments of a unit's patient | 25 |
| acuity levels and nursing staff needed shall be | 26 |
| routinely made by the unit nurse manager or his or her |
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LRB095 05612 DRJ 25702 b |
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| designee. | 2 |
| (E) The identification of additional registered | 3 |
| nurses available for direct patient care when | 4 |
| patients' unexpected needs exceed the planned workload | 5 |
| for direct care staff. | 6 |
| (2) In order to provide staffing flexibility to meet | 7 |
| patient needs, every hospital shall identify an acuity | 8 |
| model for adjusting the staffing plan for each inpatient | 9 |
| care unit. | 10 |
| (3) The written staffing plan shall be posted in a | 11 |
| conspicuous and accessible location for both patients and | 12 |
| direct care staff, as required under the Hospital Report | 13 |
| Card Act. | 14 |
| (d) Nursing care committee. | 15 |
| (1) Every hospital shall have a nursing care committee. | 16 |
| A hospital shall appoint members of a committee whereby at | 17 |
| least 50% of the members are registered professional nurses | 18 |
| providing direct patient care. | 19 |
| (2) A nursing care committee's recommendations must be | 20 |
| given significant regard and weight in the hospital's | 21 |
| adoption and implementation of a written staffing plan.
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| (3) A nursing care committee or committees shall | 23 |
| recommend a written staffing plan for the hospital based on | 24 |
| the principles from the staffing components set forth in | 25 |
| subsection (c). In particular, a committee or committees | 26 |
| shall provide input and feedback on the following: |
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LRB095 05612 DRJ 25702 b |
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| (A) Selection, implementation, and evaluation of | 2 |
| minimum staffing levels for inpatient care units. | 3 |
| (B) Selection, implementation, and evaluation of | 4 |
| an acuity model to provide staffing flexibility that | 5 |
| aligns changing patient acuity with nursing skills | 6 |
| required. | 7 |
| (C) Selection, implementation, and evaluation of a | 8 |
| written staffing plan incorporating the items | 9 |
| described in subdivisions (c)(1) and (c)(2) of this | 10 |
| Section. | 11 |
| (D) Review the following: nurse-to-patient | 12 |
| staffing guidelines for all inpatient areas; and | 13 |
| current acuity tools and measures in use. | 14 |
| (4) A nursing care committee must address the items | 15 |
| described in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of paragraph (3) | 16 |
| semi-annually. | 17 |
| (e) Nothing is this Section 10.10 shall be construed to | 18 |
| limit, alter, or modify any of the terms, conditions, or | 19 |
| provisions of a collective bargaining agreement entered into by | 20 |
| the hospital.
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| Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January | 22 |
| 1, 2008.
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