Oregon hospitals can now be fined for not meeting minimum nurse-to-patient ratios -- but nurses said some hospitals are not following the spirit of the law.
Fred Katz, a registered nurse at Rogue Regional Medical Center and a board member of the Oregon Nurses Association, which backed the new law, said at Rogue and other hospitals, administrators sometimes meet the new staffing standards for nurses by removing Certified Nursing Assistants and other support staff from staffing plans, It means hospitals may end up with the required number of nurses on paper but in reality, the care team has shrunk.
"It just feels like the hospital wants to work around the law," Katz contended. "They want to interpret it in a way that works for them and that potentially they avoid fines and then they can do what they want budget-wise."
It is the first time the state's staffing requirements have included fines for noncompliance, which can be up to $5,000 a day. Critics said the law, which sets nurse-to-patient ratios at one-to-four or higher for more acute care, will limit the number of patients who can be served.
Katz stressed the new law is critical to make sure nurses can take breaks and eat during their 12-hour shifts, without temporarily doubling the workload of a colleague. Along with making things harder for nurses, he said, being short-staffed is dangerous for patients.
The law includes a margin of forgiveness, Katz added, because it's not always possible to meet staffing ratios when, for example, people call out of work last minute. He noted since a number of hospitals around the state have not submitted a new staffing plan that meets the guidelines, it is likely the Oregon Health Authority will start handing out fines this month.
