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Committee clears House Bill 89 to clarify LPN role in delegated nursing assessments
Summary
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted to send House Bill 89 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. The bill replaces the ambiguous term "contribute" with clearer language about performing delegated, focused assessments by licensed practical nurses (LPNs).
At a meeting of the Idaho Senate Health and Welfare Committee, Representative Healy introduced House Bill 89, a technical change to nursing scope-of-practice language intended to clarify how licensed practical nurses may be asked to assist with patient assessments.
The bill replaces the term "contributing to an assessment" with language that aligns with existing Idaho Administrative Code (IDAPA) and describes "performing appropriate delegated focused assessments," the sponsor said, arguing the revision reduces ambiguity about what an RN may delegate to an LPN.
Representative Healy told the committee, "this may be the simplest you do see this year," and said the change is intended to reflect how teams actually work in clinical settings. He said the word "contributing" proved vague: "Can you help me by contributing to this assessment? What does that even mean?" Healy added that IDAPA rules consistently use the term "assess," not "contribute."
Senator Shippey asked whether there is any practical difference between "performing delegated assessments" and "performing appropriate delegated focused assessments." Healy answered that "there really isn't a difference," explaining that "focused means just, again, that list, and delegated is also," and that the addition of "appropriate" was requested by a nursing group to ensure delegated tasks stayed within the RN's purview.
Healy gave examples to illustrate the limit: asking an LPN to take vital signs or assess skin would be appropriate, while asking an LPN to complete an intake for which the RN is responsible would not.
Senator Blaylock moved to send House Bill 89 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation; Senator Wintrow seconded. The committee approved the motion by voice vote and the bill was sent to the floor with a due-pass recommendation.
The bill text aligns committee language with IDAPA terminology and, according to the sponsor, is intended as a cleanup to remove ambiguity about delegation and scope of practice for nursing teams.
