Oregon bill would require hospitals to log unsafe devices, protect staff who report them

State Representative Travis Nelson on Thursday urged the House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care to pass House Bill 2794, telling lawmakers the measure is designed “not an attack on hospitals ... it’s about protection.” The bill would require hospitals and long‑term care facilities to establish a clear process for staff to report faulty or dangerous equipment, keep those reports for five years and bar retaliation against workers who make internal or OHA complaints.

Nelson said the bill grew from a local patient‑safety incident in which a hospital system switched to a new intravenous catheter that, staff reported, led to IVs “coming apart,” vascular inflammation and other harms. “Almost immediately after the switch, providers began reporting serious problems,” Nelson said, adding the system ultimately gathered more than 2,000 provider responses and took three months to fully revert to the earlier device.

Supporters — including several nurses who testified — said current internal incident reporting can be ineffective. “We believe that this bill would give nurses like me the ability to report medical equipment that is harming our patients,” said Chris Rompala, a registered nurse and Oregon Nurses Association board member. Rompala described lengthy delays and staff workarounds at his hospital before management reviewed the product and reverted to the prior IV.

Hospital representatives said patient safety is their top priority but warned the bill, as written in the dash‑1 amendment, risks duplicating existing reporting systems. Troy Duker, government affairs director for the Hospital Association of Oregon, noted providers can already file complaints with the Oregon Health Authority under ORS 441.044 and can submit device reports to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s medical device reporting portal. Duker also pointed to the Oregon Patient Safety Commission’s reporting and mediation programs.

Andy Easton, government relations for Samaritan Health Services, said Samaritan has a “robust internal reporting system” and that adding a mandatory external reporting pathway to OHA could, without careful design, discourage internal reporting and learning. “OHA primarily serves a regulatory function and does not create an environment that promotes learning and continuous improvement without fear,” Easton testified.

Nelson said he had revised aspects of the bill after hospital conversations to place some reporting burden on patient inquiry rather than forcing hospitals to proactively disclose all complaints. He told the committee the bill also would let patients ask whether a device used in their care had a history of safety concerns and require truthful answers when patients inquire.

The committee closed the public hearing on HB 2794 without a floor vote and heard continuing offers from hospitals and nursing groups to work together on statutory language. Nelson said he would continue to refine the bill with stakeholders before further committee action.