Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2021

Bill: 117-hr-3165
Sponsor: Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]
Introduced: 2021-05-12 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Civil actions and liability
Department of Health and Human Services
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Health care quality
Health facilities and institutions
Health information and medical records
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
Health technology, devices, supplies
Hospital care
Indian social and development programs
Labor-management relations
Medicaid
Medical education
Medicare
Military medicine
Minority health
Nursing
Student aid and college costs
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2021-05-12
text: 

Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of
 
2021

 
This bill requires hospitals to implement and submit to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a staffing plan that complies with specified minimum nurse-to-patient ratios by unit. Hospitals must post a notice regarding nurse-to-patient ratios in each unit and maintain records of actual ratios for each shift in each unit. The bill also requires hospitals to follow certain procedures regarding how ratios are determined and other staff are prohibited from performing nurse functions unless specifically authorized within a state's scope of practice rules, among other requirements.
 
HHS must adjust Medicare payments to hospitals to cover additional costs attributable to compliance with these ratios.
 
Nurses may object to, or refuse to participate in, an assignment if it would violate minimum ratios or if they are not prepared by education or experience to fulfill the assignment without compromising the safety of a patient or jeopardizing their nurse's license. Hospitals may not (1) take adverse actions against a nurse based on the nurse's reasonable refusal to accept an assignment; or (2) discriminate against individuals for good faith complaints relating to the care, services, or conditions of the hospital or related facilities. HHS may impose civil monetary penalties on hospitals violating the ratio requirements and must publish the names of such hospitals.
 
The bill provides stipends to the nurse workforce loan repayment and scholarship program and expands the nurse retention grant program to include nurse preceptorship and mentorship projects.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-05-13
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2021-05-12
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: 2021-05-12
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: 2021-05-12
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2021-05-12
text: Introduced in House