Healthcare (Healthcare Workforce)

Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Prior to discharge of a postpartum patient, requires a hospital to ensure that a postpartum follow-up appointment is scheduled with an appropriate obstetric care provider. Provides that the appointment shall be scheduled for a date consistent with clinical guidelines, but no later than 6 weeks following birth, unless an earlier visit is medically indicated. Provides that a registered nurse or other designated clinical staff member may fulfill the scheduling requirement. Provides that a patient may decline to have an appointment scheduled, and such declination shall be documented in the patient's medical record. Establishes specified exemptions from discipline if an attempt to schedule an appointment was made. Grants the Department of Public Health rulemaking authority. Amends the University of Illinois Hospital Act to establish the same requirements for the University of Illinois Hospital. Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code. In provisions concerning petitions for involuntary admissions on an outpatient basis, adds a nurse practitioner to the list of examiners who may certify that an individual is subject to involuntary admission on an outpatient basis. Adds provisions that a certificate must contain the clinical observations of the examining psychiatrist or nurse practitioner when applicable. Reduces the number of certificates (from 2 to one) needed for a court to set a hearing without additional examination of the individual.

Amends the Nurse Practice Act. In provisions concerning registered professional nurses, adds provisions concerning: the use of artificial intelligence in recorded or transcribed encounters; prohibition on substituting artificial intelligence for nursing services; use of artificial intelligence as clinical decision support under the control of a registered professional nurse; patient notice and transparency; confidentiality protections; exceptions for nonclinical activity; and defined terms. Amends the grounds for discipline to add violations of the artificial intelligence provisions by a registered professional nurse. Requires a health care entity that employs registered professional nurses and deploys artificial intelligence in direct patient care to maintain validation and bias monitoring records for each system and make such records available to the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation upon request; provide registered professional nurses with training on intended use, data limits, and known failure modes; ensure registered professional nurses have access to data inputs and key factors that produced any recommendation used in direct patient care; and prohibit staffing, triage, admission, discharge, or transfer decisions that rely solely on artificial intelligence. Allows the Department to investigate any health care entity that employs registered professional nurses for a violation of the artificial intelligence provisions. Effective immediately.

Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Provides that registered professional nursing practice is a scientific process founded on a professional body of knowledge. Provides that professional nursing practice is a learned profession based on the understanding of the human condition across the life span and environment, includes all nursing specialties, and means the performance of any nursing act based upon professional knowledge, judgment, and skills acquired by means of completion of an approved professional nursing education program. Provides that registered professional nurses may delegate nursing interventions and tasks (rather than nursing interventions) to other registered professional nurses and licensed practical nurses based on a comprehensive nursing assessment. Provides that registered professional nurses may delegate tasks to unlicensed personnel based on a comprehensive nursing assessment. Provides that a registered professional nurse is prohibited from delegating work requiring nursing knowledge, assessment, judgment, inference, and decision making (including medication administration), the development of a plan of care, and the evaluation of a plan of care to unlicensed non-nurse personnel. Removes provisions concerning delegation of nursing interventions and administration of medications in community-based or in-home care settings. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Sets forth provisions requiring an individual or group policy of accident and health insurance amended, delivered, issued, or renewed in this State on or after January 1, 2028 to provide coverage for up to a 12-month supply of prescription hormone therapy, and the necessary supplies for self-administration, that is prescribed by a network provider within the provider's scope of practice and dispensed at one time for an enrollee by a provider or pharmacist, or at a location licensed or otherwise authorized to dispense drugs or supplies. Amends the Pharmacy Practice Act. Provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of law, a dispensing provider or pharmacist shall dispense, at a patient's request, up to a 12-month supply of a prescription hormone therapy and the necessary supplies for self-administration pursuant to a valid prescription that specifies an initial quantity followed by periodic refills, except as specified. Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971 and the Illinois Public Aid Code to require coverage under the provisions of those Acts.

Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Provides that an advanced practice registered nurse licensed under the Act may administer radiation to a human being and may supervise the administration of radiation by a person accredited to administer radiation to a human being by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security. Amends the Radiation Protection Act of 1990. In provisions concerning the limitations on the application of radiation to human beings, adds advanced practice registered nurses licensed under the Nurse Practice Act to the professionals who may intentionally administer radiation to a human being and to the professionals who may supervise a physician assistant, a technologist, a nurse, or other assistant administering radiation. Makes conforming changes in provisions concerning the accreditation of administrators of radiation.

Amends the Nursing Home Care Act. Replaces reporting requirement provisions for the Department of Public Health concerning nurse surveyors. Provides that, in addition to the listed information, the Department's annual report on all survey activity from the preceding fiscal year shall include: (i) the total number of authorized nursing home surveyor positions within the Department, (ii) the total number of filled and vacant nursing home surveyor positions, (iii) the average length of tenure for nursing home surveyors employed by the Department at the time the report is created, and (iv) any additional information the Department deems relevant regarding nursing home surveyor recruitment, retention, or workload.

Amends the Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center Act and the Hospital Licensing Act. Removes the requirement that an anesthesiologist must remain physically present during the delivery of anesthesia services. Amends the Medical Practice Act of 1987. In provisions concerning delegation of authority, removes the requirement that an anesthesiologist or physician must remain physically present during the delivery of anesthesia services by a certified registered nurse anesthetist. Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Removes the requirement that an anesthesiologist, physician, dentist, or podiatric physician must remain physically present during the delivery of anesthesia services by a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

Amends the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act. Provides that the comprehensive assessment of a patient prior to the patient's admission to an establishment shall be completed by a physician or a nurse practitioner or physician assistant. In provisions concerning licensure of an establishment, changes education requirements for the full-time director of an establishment. Makes changes to the definition of "medication administration" in provisions concerning service requirements. Provides that a licensed health care professional may be employed (instead of may not be employed) by the owner or operator of the establishment, its parent entity, or any other entity with ownership common to either the owner or operator of the establishment or parent entity, including, but not limited to, an affiliate of the owner or operator of the establishment, if the resident chooses to utilize the services of the licensed health care professional working within the scope of the professional's practice. Sets forth provisions concerning an emergency plan and disaster preparedness. Provides that incidents must be reported to the Department of Public Health within 24 hours after the incident or by the end of the next business day. Provides that staff in an establishment may be trained to assist in a nonemergency lift of a resident. Provides that repeated technical infractions by an establishment within a calendar year may result in a Type 3 violation.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Sets forth provisions requiring an individual or group policy of accident and health insurance amended, delivered, issued, or renewed in this State on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act to provide coverage for up to a 12-month supply of prescription hormone therapy, and the necessary supplies for self-administration, that is prescribed by a network provider within the provider's scope of practice and dispensed at one time for an enrollee by a provider or pharmacist, or at a location licensed or otherwise authorized to dispense drugs or supplies. Amends the Pharmacy Practice Act. Provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of law, a dispensing provider or pharmacist shall dispense, at a patient's request, up to a 12-month supply of a prescription hormone therapy and the necessary supplies for self-administration pursuant to a valid prescription that specifies an initial quantity followed by periodic refills, except as specified. Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, the School Code, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Limited Health Service Organization Act, the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act, and the Illinois Public Aid Code to require coverage under the provisions of those Acts.