Starting July 1, 2025, hospitals across Washington State will need to follow new rules focused on how hospitals manage nurse staffing.
- Hospitals that are not exempt from the new law must document and report to the Department of Health (DOH) when the number of patients assigned to nursing staff is higher than allowed by the hospital staffing plan.
- Hospitals are only required to submit a non-compliance report when the nurse staffing assignments are in compliance less than 80 percent in a month. Reports must be submitted to DOH within seven calendar days following the end of the month in which they were out of compliance.
- Hospitals post in a public area on each patient care unit their hospital staffing plan and any corrective action plan.
- Hospitals may not assign direct care nurses or certified nursing assistants to a patient care unit unless they have received orientation to that clinical area. Hospitals must have adopted written policies and procedures related to this requirement.
Hospitals that are reporting monthly non-compliance must use this form Hospital Staffing Monthly Non Compliance Report and email the completed form to hospitalstaffing@doh.wa.gov.
The following website and document outlines some of the hospital staffing requirements, what types of complaints can be investigated and how to submit a complaint.
If you have questions or need assistance, please email hospitalstaffing@doh.wa.gov (Gena Cooper)