Minn. Senate Takes Turn at Nurse Staffing Dilemma

With a compromise emerging in the Minnesota House, the state Senate is beginning to look at nursing regulations covering hospitals.

A Senate health committee planned to debate a bill Monday that would impose minimum unit-by-unit staffing requirements. It's not yet clear if senators will modify the bill to match one advancing through the state House.

On Friday, the nurse bill was changed by a House panel to remove the staffing requirements. Instead, it calls for a study and additional publication of data about inpatient care. The change was made in consultation with associations representing nurses and hospitals.

Nurses have argued that hospitals are too thinly staffing their units and the state should step in. Hospitals say a mandatory staffing law would be too cumbersome and put small hospitals at risk.

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