Bill > S1206

This bill establishes patient assignment limits for registered nurses in various hospital units, defining "facility" as licensed hospitals and related institutions (excluding rehabilitation and long-term care facilities) and "health care workforce" as all personnel affecting patient care. It sets specific maximum patient-to-nurse ratios for different patient types, such as step-down/intermediate care, post-anesthesia, operating room, emergency department, maternal child care, pediatric, psychiatric, medical/surgical/telemetry, observational/outpatient, transitional care, and rehabilitation units, with a general limit of four patients for any unlisted unit. Facilities must implement these limits without reducing overall staffing levels and must develop a patient acuity system, certified by the Health Policy Commission, to potentially lower these limits based on patient needs, equipment, nursing intensity, skill mix, facility design, and patient/family communication factors. The bill also clarifies that it does not override existing collective bargaining agreements that provide for fewer patients per nurse but will take effect upon their expiration, and enforcement will be handled by the Attorney General, with penalties for violations, though these provisions are suspended during declared public health emergencies.