The Washington State Nurses Association says that staffing changes made by Wenatchee, Wash.-based Confluence Health in December 2022 "lowered the quality of care" for patients.
Confluence Health reportedly adjusted nurse-to-patient ratios that nurses say "will lead to increased burnout — further exacerbating the problem of staffing shortages in the healthcare industry." One example, reported by Dominick Bonny Reports, claims that intensive care unit ratios, which are typically 1-to-1 or 1-to-2, were shifted by the health system and can now reach 1-to-4 depending on the circumstances.
Washington is one of several states looking to pass mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios — something that the Washington State Hospital Association "strongly opposes." Now, the bill's language has been reworked to find a middle ground after facing criticism, The Seattle Times reports.
"Instead of setting a mandate, it introduces a penalty system — which could include enforced ratios — for hospitals if they don't follow the staffing plans created by their own staffing committees at least 80% of the time," The Seattle Times article states. "The state would start measuring how often hospitals are in compliance with their staffing plans."
Becker's reached out to Confluence Health for comment and a spokesperson for the health system said they do not have further comment at this time.