GA HB298

Hospitals must adopt written nurse services staffing plans ensuring adequate numbers and skill mix of nurses and ancillary personnel, with minimum staffing levels for each patient care unit based on nursing assessments and evidence-based standards.

Each hospital must establish a standing nurse staffing committee composed of at least 75% registered nurses who provide direct patient care at least 50% of their work time, with the committee meeting quarterly to develop and evaluate staffing plans.

The Department of Community Health must maintain a secure online portal for hospital staff to submit anonymous reports of unsafe staffing conditions, which may trigger investigations by the Healthcare Facility Regulation Division.

Hospitals must annually report staffing plan compliance information to the Department of Community Health as a confidential addendum to their questionnaire.

A 12-member advisory commission appointed by the Governor, Senate President, and House Speaker will convene annually to evaluate the effectiveness of nurse staffing committees and may recommend further legislative action to improve hospital nurse staffing.