The Hospital Patient Safety Act requires all hospitals in New Mexico to establish staffing committees dedicated to developing and implementing staffing plans that prioritize patient safety. The bill introduces new definitions related to hospital staffing, including "critical care unit," "direct care nursing staff," and "patient classification system." Each hospital is mandated to form a nursing staffing committee, which must consist of a majority of direct care nursing staff, responsible for creating a written nursing staffing plan submitted biannually to the state health department. This plan must ensure safe and adequate healthcare services and establish minimum staffing ratios for various hospital units, such as emergency departments and intensive care units.

In addition to nursing staffing committees, the bill requires the formation of professional and technical staffing committees and service staffing committees, each with similar responsibilities. Starting January 1, 2026, hospitals must submit a professional and technical staffing plan and a hospital service staffing plan every January 1 and July 1, which must be developed and approved by the respective committees. These plans must include a written certification of their sufficiency for safe healthcare services and consider factors like patient census and staffing standards. The act also mandates that hospitals publicly post their approved staffing plans and establishes a framework for the Department to create rules for reporting and investigating violations, with provisions for exemptions during emergencies and waivers for rural hospitals.