On March 29, 2007, Governor Bill Ritter signed Executive Order B 002 07 which created the Governor's Task Force on Nurse Workforce and Patient Safety. The executive order calls for a diverse group of stakeholders to develop recommendations focused on nursing-sensitive quality measures, nursing education and retaining experienced nurses in the workforce.

Nursing-sensitive quality measures have received attention both in Colorado and around the nation. Nursing is vital to patient safety and patient care. The Task Force made a recommendation to the Governor's Office that Colorado hospitals collect and report on the Colorado Hospital Report Card data for specific nursing-sensitive care measures.

As a result, all hospitals with 100 or more licensed beds are required by SB 08-196 to collect data for the following specific nursing-sensitive metrics for the purpose of public reporting:

• Practice Environment Scale
  
  
• Skill Mix
  
  
• Nursing Hours per Patient Days
  
  
• Voluntary Turnover
  
  
• Patient Falls
  
  
• Patient Falls with Injury
  
  
• RN Education
  
  
• RN Certification