The bill revises the regulations governing hospital-wide nursing care committees and nursing services staffing plans within the Revised Code. Key amendments include the introduction of definitions for "hospital" and "hospital administrator," as well as the term "unit-specific minimum staffing level." It mandates that hospitals establish a nursing care committee within ninety days of the bill's effective date, with at least fifty-one percent of its members being registered nurses who provide direct patient care. Additionally, hospitals are required to develop and implement a nursing services staffing plan, which must be reviewed and approved by the committee every two years. The bill also outlines the process for adjusting staffing plans during emergencies and mandates compliance reports to the Department of Health, with hospitals expected to adhere to their staffing plans at least eighty percent of the time.

Moreover, the legislation introduces provisions to incentivize compliance with staffing plans, including the requirement for hospitals to provide free copies of these plans to nursing staff and make them publicly available for a nominal fee. Hospitals must also post notices about the availability of their staffing plans. The bill specifies adherence rates of at least eighty percent during normal operations and sixty percent during public health emergencies to qualify for premium rate discounts from the workers' compensation program. It also includes provisions for verifying eligibility for these discounts and resolving related disputes. Notably, the bill repeals several existing sections of the Revised Code, indicating a significant restructuring of hospital staffing regulations.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 3727.50, 3727.51, 3727.52, 3727.54, 3727.55, 3727.56, 3727.53