St. Paul, Minnesota — Yesterday Governor Mark Dayton signed HF 588 into law. The bill requires hospitals to develop core staffing plans for all of their units, and submit these plans to the Minnesota Hospital Association by January 1, 2014. The MHA is in turn required to publish these plans on the Association’s Hospital Quality Report website by April 2, 1014, and update the information within 30 days of receiving any substantial changes. Hospitals are also required to submit the direct patient care report to MHA by July 1, 2014, and quarterly thereafter
Finally, the Department of Health is required to convene a working group that will use the staffing plan information and other available data to study the correlation between nurse staffing levels and patient outcomes. The report must be complete and delivered to Health Committee Chairs in the Legislature by January 15, 2015.
“While studying the issue of nurse staffing, the bill also offers increased disclosure and patient protection through the public plans posted by hospitals throughout the state,” said Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL – Inver Grove Heights), chief author of the new law. “HF 588 is a good compromise bill that both sides have agreed to and will help move this issue forward to a resolution in the future.”