Bill Text: IL SB1577 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. In the list of provisions to be incorporated into hospital policies regarding the risk of injury to patients and nurses and other health care workers associated with the lifting, transferring, repositioning, or movement of a patient, includes (1) the primacy of maintaining patient dignity, self-determination, and choice and (2) consideration of the feasibility of incorporating patient handling equipment or the physical space and construction design needed to incorporate that equipment in conjunction with federal handling equipment or the physical space and construction design needed to incorporate that equipment and federal guidelines known as Access to Medical Care for Individuals With Mobility Disabilities. Makes other changes. Effective on January 1, 2012.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Failed) 2013-01-08 - Session Sine Die [SB1577 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2011-SB1577-Introduced.html

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97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2011 and 2012 SB1577 Introduced 2/9/2011, by Sen. Linda Holmes SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
210 ILCS 85/6.25
Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. In the list of provisions to be incorporated into hospital policies regarding the risk of injury to patients and nurses and other health care workers associated with the lifting, transferring, repositioning, or movement of a patient, includes (1) the primacy of maintaining patient dignity, self-determination, and choice and (2) consideration of the feasibility of incorporating patient handling equipment or the physical space and construction design needed to incorporate that equipment in conjunction with federal handling equipment or the physical space and construction design needed to incorporate that equipment and federal guidelines known as Access to Medical Care for Individuals With Mobility Disabilities. Makes other changes. Effective on January 1, 2012.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning health facilities.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Hospital Licensing Act is amended by
changing Section 6.25 as follows:
(210 ILCS 85/6.25)
Sec. 6.25. Safe patient handling policy.
(a) In this Section:
"Health care worker" means an individual providing direct
patient care services who may be required to lift, transfer,
reposition, or move a patient.
"Nurse" means an advanced practice nurse, a registered
nurse, or a licensed practical nurse licensed under the Nurse
Practice Act.
(b) A hospital must adopt and ensure implementation of a
policy to identify, assess, and develop strategies to control
risk of injury to patients and nurses and other health care
workers associated with the lifting, transferring,
repositioning, or movement of a patient. The policy shall
establish a process that, at a minimum, includes all of the
following:
(1) The primacy of maintaining patient dignity,
self-determination, and choice.

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(1.5) (1) Analysis of the risk of injury to patients
and nurses and other health care workers documented posted
by the patient handling needs of the patient populations
served by the hospital and the physical environment in
which the patient handling and movement occurs.
(2) Education of direct patient care workers nurses in
the identification, assessment, and control of risks of
injury to patients and nurses and other health care workers
during patient handling.
(3) Evaluation of alternative ways to reduce risks
associated with patient handling, including evaluation of
equipment and the environment in light of applicable
federal guidelines.
(4) Restriction, to the extent feasible with
federally-required existing equipment and aids, of manual
patient lifting, handling, or movement of all or most of a
patient's weight unless the patient or patient's legal
representative provides informed consent and a trained
safe-lifting team and policy is present and available
except for emergency, life-threatening, or otherwise
exceptional circumstances.
(5) Collaboration with and an annual report to the
nursing administrators nurse staffing committee.
(6) Procedures for a nurse to refuse to perform or be
involved in patient handling or movement that the nurse in
good faith believes will expose a patient or nurse or other

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health care worker to an unacceptable risk of injury, but
only when a trained safe-lifting team and policy and safe
equipment are present and available.
(7) Submission of an annual report to the hospital's
governing body or quality assurance committee on
activities related to the identification, assessment, and
development of strategies to control risk of injury to
patients and nurses and other health care workers
associated with the lifting, transferring, repositioning,
or movement of a patient.
(8) In developing architectural plans for construction
or remodeling of a hospital or unit of a hospital in which
patient handling and movement occurs, consideration of the
feasibility of incorporating patient handling equipment or
the physical space and construction design needed to
incorporate that equipment.
(9) Consideration of the feasibility of incorporating
patient handling equipment or the physical space and
construction design needed to incorporate that equipment
in conjunction with federal handling equipment or the
physical space and construction design needed to
incorporate that equipment and federal guidelines known as
Access to Medical Care for Individuals With Mobility
Disabilities or subsequently enacted federal regulations
or subsequently adopted federal guidelines, incorporated
by reference, when developing architectural plans for

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construction or remodeling of a hospital or unit of a
hospital in which patient handling and movement occurs.
(Source: P.A. 96-389, eff. 1-1-10; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
1, 2012.