Lawmakers Split Nursing Requirements From Larger Health Bill, Exempt Mayo Clinic
Minnesota lawmakers on Thursday passed the Nurse by the Bedside Act as a stand-alone bill, separating it from the higher-level health care statute and exempting the Mayo Clinic from the requirements of the Nurse Staffing Committee.
Two weeks ago, KNABA's Mayo Clinic opposition turned into an ultimatum when a Rochester health care lobbyist told lawmakers in a May 3 email that the Mayo Clinic would pull billions of dollars in investment from Minnesota if the state the Mayo Clinic incorporates. This request comes from the Human Resources Committee and another proposal from the Health Access Board.
The source said there is evidence that another bill Mayo opposes, the proposed Health Care Access Board, is not working this session.
On Thursday, lawmakers separated KNABA from the broader health care legislation in the House and Senate, making it a stand-alone bill under SF 1384 as a catch-all amendment. The committee adjourned early Thursday evening with the goal of regrouping and possibly adopting new language.
KNABA members Sen. Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul and Rep. Sandra Feist, DFL-New Brighton; The conference committee met with Sens. Jim Abelery, R-Anoka, convened; and Liz Boldon, DFL-Rochester; and Rep. Greg Davids, R-Preston; and Kaela Berg, DFL-Burnsville. Feist introduced a modification of the KNABA A21, which Murphy described as "tapered, streamlined" and "high performance."
"We worked to create the best possible compromise," Murphy said. "We will not have universal support, and the hospitals will be able to speak for themselves. I think this is an effective, targeted and balanced approach, given the concerns we have heard from various stakeholders and what we want to achieve for carers and safe staff."
According to the new version of the bill, the requirement to establish a hospital nursing staff committee does not apply to "a hospital that is a national referral center that conducts intensive patient care, medical research and medical education programs that meet the needs of the state." ." and the country." ; which treats more than 40 percent of its patients from outside Minnesota; and that is outside the seven-county metropolitan area."
"This is not a new concept," Feist said of staff committees, "but we want every hospital in Minnesota, except Mayo, to have these important committees where nurses have a voice."
Exceptions to this definition are hospitals owned by health systems; The goal is for hospitals in the Mayo Clinic Health System to also be exempt from this portion of KNABA.
Another significant change to KNABA is an additional stage of mediation before the arbitration process in the event that the Human Resources Committee cannot approve the hospital's basic human resources plan.
"This bill eliminates any possibility of arbitration as a dispute resolution mechanism unless the committee can agree on a basic staffing plan," Feist said.
The bill supports the creation of a loan forgiveness program for certain health care workers and provisions to prevent workplace violence against health care workers.
"Those who were most concerned about the proposal, the organizations that objected and opposed (the bill), were actively involved in that work product, although they didn't necessarily support it," Murphy said. "A lot of what they say is reflected here, especially the hospital association, a lot of their work."
Mary Krinky, vice president of government relations for the Minnesota Hospital Association, said in public comments that MHA views the changes to KNABA as "minor changes" and shares the concerns of the rest of the organization.
"The original language was based on the patient's visual acuity model," Krinki told staff about the changes. "We believe that modeling a patient's visual acuity is the right approach, not the exception."
Keith Johansen, the Mayo Clinic's vice president of external affairs, urged the committee to reconsider a Mayo Clinic amendment previously filed by lawmakers that would allow more health systems to waive the HR requirements.
Johansen also expressed concern that the Mayo Clinic franchise in its current form will not truly expand within the health care system.
"If your goal is to liberate the Mayo Clinic, the language you're using right now probably doesn't serve that purpose on any of our websites," Johansen said. "I'd like to ask again, I know things are moving very quickly, but it's time to review this wording and do everything you can to achieve your stated intentions, even if we don't agree." be in the interest of. by all participants".
Although President Mary S. Turner criticized the Mayo Clinic and Gov. Tim Waltz for the exemption, she said lawmakers should push KNABA forward.
"When we fight for our careers and our jobs, we are ultimately fighting for the patients of Minnesota and ultimately for the people of Minnesota," Turner said. "That was and still is our motivation."
The Minnesota legislature will adjourn its regular session until Monday, May 22.
Reporter Matt Stoll contributed to this report.
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