Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2003 - Amends part D (Miscellaneous) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) require each participating hospital to adopt and implement a staffing system that ensures a number of registered nurses on each shift and in each unit of the hospital to ensure appropriate staffing levels for patient care; (2) provide for the reporting and release to the public of certain staffing information, including a daily posting for each shift in the hospital of the current number of licensed and unlicensed nursing staff directly responsible for patient care in each unit of the hospital; (3) set forth recordkeeping, data collection, and evaluation requirements for participating hospitals; (4) provide for enforcement of this Act through civil monetary penalties; and (5) provide whistleblower protections.
Actions
May 5, 2003
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5734-5735)
May 5, 2003
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5734)