"We commend the Public Health Committee for their favorable vote on
this bill and we look forward to a successful vote in the full House," said
John McCormack, the co-chair of The Coalition to Protect Massachusetts
Patients. "Every day we wait for this bill to be passed, a distressing
number of patients in our hospitals are suffering, and many are dying due
to a lack of appropriate nursing care."
Key components of the bill include the following:
-- The bill directs the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to
develop and implement staffing standards and enforceable limits on the
number of hospital patients assigned to a registered nurse at any one
time.
-- The staffing standards would be developed within 12 months of the
bill's passage and be based on scientific research on nurse staffing
levels, patient outcomes, expert testimony, and standards of practice
for each specialty area.
-- The bill calls for the safe staffing limits to be implemented in all
teaching hospitals by 2009, with implementation in all community
hospitals by 2011.
-- The bill allows DPH to grant waivers for hospitals in financial
distress.
-- The bill provides flexibility in staffing and accounts for patients who
require more care. Once established, the staffing levels will be
adjusted up or down based on patients needs using a standardized, DPH-
approved system for measuring patient needs.
-- The Act will reduce errors caused by fatigue and overwork by
prohibiting hospitals from forcing nurses into mandatory overtim
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| SOURCE The Coalition to Protect Massachusetts Patients Copyright©2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved |