Minnesota Nursing Personnel Requirements
Pursuant to Minnesota Administrative Rule 4658.0510 NURSING PERSONNEL, Subpart 1. Staffing requirements. A nursing home must have on duty at all times a sufficient number of qualified nursing personnel, including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nursing assistants to meet the needs of the residents at all nurses’ stations, on all floors, and in all buildings if more than one building is involved. This includes relief duty, weekends, and vacation replacements.
Additional Nursing Personnel Rules
Subp. 2. Minimum hour requirements. The minimum number of hours of nursing personnel to be provided is:
A. For nursing homes not certified to participate in the medical assistance program, a minimum of two hours of nursing personnel per resident per 24 hours.
B. For nursing homes certified to participate in the medical assistance program, the nursing home is required to comply with Minnesota Statutes, section 144A.04, subdivision 7.
Subp. 3. On-site coverage. A nurse must be employed so that on-site nursing coverage is provided eight hours per day, seven days per week.
Subp. 4. On call coverage. A registered nurse must be on call during all hours when a registered nurse is not on duty.
Subp. 5. Assignment of duties. Nursing personnel must not perform duties for which they have not had proper and sufficient training. Duties assigned to nursing personnel must be consistent with their training, experience, competence, and credentialing.
Subp. 6. Duties. Nursing personnel must be employed and used for nursing duties only. A nursing home must provide sufficient additional staff for housekeeping, dietary, laundry, and maintenance duties and those persons must not provide nursing care.
Minnesota Statute 144.04, Subdivision 7, Minimum nursing staff requirement. The minimum staffing standard for nursing personnel in certified nursing homes is as follows:
(a) The minimum number of hours of nursing personnel to be provided in a nursing home is the greater of two hours per resident per 24 hours or 0.95 hours per standardized resident day. Upon transition to the 34 group, RUG-III resident classification system, the 0.95 hours per standardized resident day shall no longer apply.
(b) For purposes of this subdivision, “hours of nursing personnel” means the paid, on-duty, productive nursing hours of all nurses and nursing assistants, calculated on the basis of any given 24-hour period. “Productive nursing hours” means all on-duty hours during which nurses and nursing assistants are engaged in nursing duties. Examples of nursing duties may be found in Minnesota Rules, part 4655.6400. Not included are vacations, holidays, sick leave, in-service classroom training, or lunches. Also not included are the nonproductive nursing hours of the in-service training director. In homes with more than 60 licensed beds, the hours of the director of nursing are excluded. “Standardized resident day” means the sum of the number of residents in each case mix class multiplied by the case mix weight for that resident class, as found in Minnesota Rules, part 9549.0059, subpart 2, calculated on the basis of a facility’s census for any given day. For the purpose of determining a facility’s census, the commissioner of health shall exclude the resident days claimed by the facility for resident therapeutic leave or bed hold days.
(c) Calculation of nursing hours per standardized resident day is performed by dividing total hours of nursing personnel for a given period by the total of standardized resident days for that same period.
(d) A nursing home that is issued a notice of noncompliance under section 144A.10, subdivision 5, for a violation of this subdivision, shall be assessed a civil fine of $300 for each day of noncompliance, subject to section 144A.10, subdivisions 7 and 8.
Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney Kenneth LaBore has decades of experience and handles the following types of elder abuse claims and others:
Infectious Disease
Infectious Diseases (MRSA, C-Diff)
Violation of Resident Rights
Patient Lift Injuries and Other Improper Use of Medical Equipment
For a Free Consultation to obtain information on how to hold negligent wrongdoers accountable from an experienced elder abuse attorney contact Minneapolis Elder Abuse Neglect Attorney Kenneth LaBore at 612-743-9048 or Toll Free at 1-888-452-6589, email: KLaBore@MNnursinghomeneglect.com.