Bill > S1709

This bill establishes comprehensive nurse staffing standards for hospitals to improve patient safety and care quality by mandating specific registered nurse-to-patient ratios across different hospital units. The legislation requires hospitals to develop and implement detailed staffing plans that limit the number of patients each nurse can care for simultaneously, ranging from one patient in trauma and operating room units to six patients in postpartum and well-baby nursery units. Hospitals must create staffing committees with meaningful direct care nurse representation, annually evaluate their staffing plans, and ensure transparency by documenting and publicly sharing their staffing methodologies. The bill includes robust protections for nurses, allowing them to refuse assignments that compromise patient safety and protecting them from retaliation, and establishes enforcement mechanisms through civil penalties for non-compliance. Additionally, the bill provides for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement adjustments to help hospitals meet these new requirements and includes provisions to support nurse workforce development through scholarship programs, retention grants, and initiatives to support new nurses entering the workforce. The legislation applies to various types of hospitals, including federal facilities like VA and Department of Defense hospitals, and aims to address nurse shortages while improving overall patient care quality by ensuring more manageable nurse workloads.

Health and Social Services

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1709/all-info