House File 493 - Introduced HOUSE FILE BY FREVERT, REICHERT, and MERTZ Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act requiring a registered nurse to be present in operating 2 rooms during certain surgical procedures. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 2556HH 83 5 jr/nh/5 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 135B.18B NURSE REQUIRED IN 1 2 OPERATING ROOM. 1 3 1. The department, in accordance with chapter 17A and with 1 4 the approval of the state board of health, shall adopt and 1 5 enforce rules that require hospitals and ambulatory surgical 1 6 centers to require that a registered nurse, qualified by 1 7 training and experience in operating room nursing, shall be 1 8 present as a circulating nurse in each separate operating room 1 9 where invasive surgery is being performed for the duration of 1 10 the operative procedure. The rules shall be formulated in 1 11 consultation with the director or director's designee and with 1 12 affected professional industry and consumer groups. 1 13 2. Nothing in this section precludes a circulating nurse 1 14 from leaving the operating room as part of the operative 1 15 procedure, leaving the operating room for short periods, or, 1 16 in accordance with employee rules or regulations, being 1 17 relieved during an operative procedure by another circulating 1 18 nurse assigned to continue the operative procedure. 1 19 3. For the purposes of this section, "invasive procedure" 1 20 means the surgical entry into tissues, cavities, or organs of 1 21 the human body, or the repair of major traumatic injuries. An 1 22 "invasive procedure" may be performed for a diagnostic or 1 23 treatment=related purpose. 1 24 Sec. 2. IMPLEMENTATION OF ACT. Section 25B.2, subsection 1 25 3, shall not apply to this Act. 1 26 EXPLANATION 1 27 This bill requires the presence of a registered nurse 1 28 during all invasive procedures in hospital operating rooms and 1 29 ambulatory surgical centers. 1 30 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 1 31 section 25B.3. The bill makes inapplicable Code section 1 32 25B.2, subsection 3, which would relieve a political 1 33 subdivision from complying with a state mandate if funding for 1 34 the cost of the state mandate is not provided or specified. 1 35 Therefore, political subdivisions are required to comply with 2 1 any state mandate included in the bill. 2 2 LSB 2556HH 83 2 3 jr/nh/5