§ 1854. Public access to information

(a) A hospital shall make public the maximum patient census and the number of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and licensed nursing assistants providing direct patient care in each unit during each shift. Each unit’s information shall be reported in full-time equivalents, with either every eight hours or 12 hours worked by a registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, or licensed nursing assistant during the shift as one full-time equivalent. The reporting of this information shall be in a manner consistent with the requirements for public reporting for measures of nurse staffing selected by the Commissioner of Health under subdivision 9405b(a)(4) of this title, but shall not in any way change what is required to be posted as set forth in this subsection. Each unit’s information shall be posted in a prominent place that is readily accessible to patients and visitors in that unit at least once each day. The posting shall include the information for the preceding seven days.

(b) The hospital shall provide a telephone number to the public for requesting public information, including information required under this section and sections 1852 and 9405b of this title. The information shall be provided within 24 hours of the request. (Added 2005, No. 153 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; amended 2007, No. 27, § 1, eff. May 16, 2007; 2011, No. 78 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. April 2, 2012; 2015, No. 152 (Adj. Sess.), § 9.)