Minnesota hospitals are nearing an agreement with a nursing union to study hospital staffing plans instead of legislating minimum quotas for inpatient care, according to an Associated Press/San Francisco Chronicle report.
The Minnesota Nurses Association initially proposed that lawmakers enact staffing thresholds that would be overseen by Minnesota's state health department.
But in a pending negotiated deal, hospitals would develop core staffing plans for each care unit. Those plans and hospitals' quarterly reports on caregivers' direct patient care hours would be posted online, while the state health department would study the correlation between staffing levels and patient outcomes. The department would publish its findings in a report by January 2015.
Minnesota Hospital Association president Lawrence Massa has said the organization is "on board" with the negotiated arrangement, according to the report. A union representative said it is a big step for hospitals to take on more transparency about staffing information, according to the report.
The first Senate hearing on the proposed agreement is today, according to the report.
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The Minnesota Nurses Association initially proposed that lawmakers enact staffing thresholds that would be overseen by Minnesota's state health department.
But in a pending negotiated deal, hospitals would develop core staffing plans for each care unit. Those plans and hospitals' quarterly reports on caregivers' direct patient care hours would be posted online, while the state health department would study the correlation between staffing levels and patient outcomes. The department would publish its findings in a report by January 2015.
Minnesota Hospital Association president Lawrence Massa has said the organization is "on board" with the negotiated arrangement, according to the report. A union representative said it is a big step for hospitals to take on more transparency about staffing information, according to the report.
The first Senate hearing on the proposed agreement is today, according to the report.
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