For Immediate Release

House Passes Bill to Improve Hospital Patient Safety

(Worcester, MA)  State Rep. John Fresolo (D-Worcester) announced today that the House of Representatives has passed historic legislation to improve patient safety in hospitals by limiting the number of patients a nurse can care for at one time and investing more resources in the nursing workforce.

H. 4899, “An Act Relative to Patient Safety,” creates a baseline of quality care for every patient in the Commonwealth.  The compromise bill takes a responsible approach to protecting patients, nurses and hospitals by directing the state Department of Public Health (DPH) to establish limits – through flexible regulations – on staffing levels.  Adjustments in nurse staffing assignments may be made according to the severity of patient illness, the skill mix of the entire nursing care team and other factors.

“This bill ensures that nurses will be given enough time to care for all of their patients, especially those with the most critical needs,” said Rep. Fresolo.  “It will help reduce medical errors and assist our hospitals in attracting and retaining quality nurses.”

Under the legislation, teaching hospitals would be required to comply with the DPH staffing regulations by October 2008.  All other affected facilities would have until October 2010 to meet the requirements.  Hospitals experiencing an extreme financial hardship would be able to apply to DPH for a waiver of up to nine months.

The bill also invests heavily in the nursing workforce through the creation of new programs that help nursing students repay their loans, refresher programs for nurses already in the workforce and matching grant programs for hospitals that provide education and prioritization for nurse faculty positions.