Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2004

Bill: 108-hr-4316
Sponsor: Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]
Introduced: 2004-05-06 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Armed Forces and National Security
Case mix (Medical care)
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Civil actions and liability
Commerce
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Consumer education
Cost effectiveness
Damages
Department of Health and Human Services
Disciplining of employees
Discrimination in employment
Dismissal of employees
Economics and Public Finance
Emergency Management
Emergency medicine
Employee rights
Federal preemption
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Governmental investigations
Grievance procedures
Health planning
Hospital care
Hospital personnel
Hospital rates
Hospitals
Indian medical care
Labor and Employment
Law
Legal fees
Licenses
Medicaid
Medical records
Medical technology
Medicare
Military medicine
Minorities
Native Americans
Nurses
Quality of care
Science, Technology, Communications
Signs and signboards
Social Welfare
Standards
State laws
Veterans' hospitals
Wage restitution
Whistle blowing

Summary:
action_date: 2004-05-06
text: 
Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require hospitals to implement staffing plans that meet specified ratios for direct care registered nurse-to-patient staffing levels for each unit and other requirements, including for receiving input from nurses. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to further limit such ratios as needed to ensure public safety and to establish ratios for units not specified. Provides an exception to such staffing requirements for a declared state of emergency. Requires hospitals to provide the Secretary with their staffing plan and annual updates. Requires the Secretary to conduct audits to ensure the implementation of adequate staffing plans.
 
Requires the Secretary: (1) acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to complete a study of licensed practical nurse staffing and its effects on patient care in hospitals; and (2) to establish requirements for hospitals based on the outcome of the study.
 
Requires the Secretary to adjust payments to cover additional Medicare costs that are attributable to this Act. Requires the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to submit to Congress and the Secretary a report estimating total costs and savings attributable to compliance with nurse staffing requirements.
 
Provides nurses with the right to refuse to accept assignments that would violate staffing requirements or for which they are not prepared. Prohibits retaliation by hospitals for such refusals or for reporting violations of staffing requirements.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2004-05-21
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2004-05-11
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2004-05-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2004-05-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2004-05-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2004-05-06
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2004-05-06
text: Introduced in House