Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
This bill protects health care workers who report safety concerns at their facilities from being punished by their employers. The law applies to doctors, nurses, and other health care practitioners working at hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, dental offices, and similar health care settings. Workers can report concerns about quality of care, staffing levels, equipment shortages, or other patient safety issues to their supervisors, state authorities, government officials, or the media without fear of retaliation such as firing, demotion, or harassment. If a health care facility retaliates against a worker for raising safety concerns, the worker can sue for actual damages, attorney fees, and punitive damages up to one million dollars, or join a class action lawsuit. The bill also requires Medicare-participating providers to establish systems for anonymous reporting of patient safety concerns and to investigate those reports, effective one year after the law is enacted.
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