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REFERENCE TITLE: artificial intelligence; nursing tasks; pilot |
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State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature Second Regular Session 2026
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HB 4080 |
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Introduced by Representatives Wilmeth: Willoughby |
AN ACT
Establishing the artificial intelligence nursing innovation pilot program.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Department of health services; artificial intelligence nursing innovation pilot program; advisory committee; reports; delayed repeal; definitions
A. The artificial intelligence nursing innovation pilot program is established within the department of health services to develop and test innovative artificial intelligence that performs nursing-adjacent tasks or workflows in a clinical setting.� The pilot program's goals are to test solutions that can uphold current standards in patient safety and privacy, support improvements in patient health outcomes and assist the nursing workforce.� The department of health services shall:
1. Administer the pilot program established by this section.
2. On or before October 1, 2026, establish an advisory committee that is composed of not more than seven members, including representatives from the department of health services and the Arizona state board of nursing, at least one representative from an accredited Arizona school of nursing and one nursing professional who is licensed pursuant to title 32, chapter 15, Arizona Revised Statutes, and who has recent bedside nursing experience or clinical experience of at least five years.
3. Provide staff and meeting space for the advisory committee.
4. Notwithstanding title 41, chapter 23, Arizona Revised Statutes, on or before January 1, 2027, select not more than five technology vendors that provide artificial intelligence services and that are recommended by the advisory committee for participation in the pilot program.
B. The advisory committee shall:
1. At its first meeting, select one member to serve as chairperson.
2. Develop and recommend to the department of health services an application for technology vendors to apply to participate in the pilot program that requires at least the information prescribed in subsection C of this section.
3. Develop and recommend to the department of health services policies, procedures and guidelines for reviewing and approving technology vendor applications that fulfill the purpose of the pilot program and that ensure patient safety and compliance with applicable state and federal laws.
4. On or before December 1, 2026, review all technology vendor applications submitted under this section and recommend up to five qualified applicants to the department of health services.
5. Monitor each pilot program participant to ensure that patient safety and privacy are protected and that the pilot program operates in compliance with this section.
C. The application to participate in the pilot program shall require a technology vendor to submit at least the following information:
1. A description of the proposed artificial intelligence agent's model and the expected outcomes.� The artificial intelligence agent must be designed to perform nursing-adjacent tasks or workflows.
2. The technology vendor's agreement with an accredited Arizona school of nursing that defines the school's role in education, evaluation and oversight during the pilot program.
3. Specific goals and all methods the technology vendor will use to evaluate progress and outcomes, including patient safety and privacy metrics and health care workforce compatibility outcomes.
4. A timeline for implementing the artificial intelligence agent within a health care setting.
5. A detailed explanation of the artificial intelligence agent's safety mechanisms, including:
(a) Human involvement, including a description of the role of a licensed or appropriately credentialed health care professional's ability to intervene in, modify or override the outputs or actions of the artificial intelligence agent as necessary to protect patient safety and privacy.
(b) Escalation, including a description of the processes by which the artificial intelligence agent identifies circumstances that require review, confirmation or intervention by a human health care professional.
(c) Audibility and documentation, including a description of the methods used to record, log and retain information related to the operation of the artificial intelligence agent.
(d) Controls and guardrails to ensure patient safety, including a description of the technical, operational and procedural safeguards implemented to limit the scope of the artificial intelligence agent's operation of authorized nursing-adjacent tasks or workflows, to prevent unauthorized or unsafe use and to ensure compliance with applicable patient safety and privacy requirements.
6. A plan for each of the following:
(a) Sustaining the model after the termination of the pilot program.
(b) Obtaining licensure of the artificial intelligence agent.
(c) Terminating the model on the termination of the pilot program or as directed by the department of health services.
D. The following reports shall be submitted by the following entities:
1. On or before December 1, 2027 and December 1, 2028, the advisory committee shall prepare and submit a report to the department of health services that includes at least the following:
(a) A description of the pilot program and the progress from implementation to the current date.
(b) Program outcomes since the implementation of the pilot program.
2. On or before July 1, 2029, the advisory committee shall submit a final report to the department of health services that includes policy implications of the pilot program, findings and legislative recommendations, including a recommendation on the regulatory framework for ongoing registration or licensing of artificial intelligence in health care.
3. On or before January 1, 2028, January 1, 2029 and August 1, 2029, the department of health services shall review the advisory committee reports submitted pursuant to this subsection, approve each report, in whole or in part, and submit each approved report to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate and a copy of the report to the secretary of state.
E. This section is repealed from and after December 31, 2029.
F. For the purpose of this section:
1. "Artificial intelligence agent" means a machine-based system that, for a given set of human-defined objectives, makes predictions and recommendations, generates outputs or takes actions using data, including personal health information, that is designed to operate as a functional participant within nursing practice or health care delivery and that may operate autonomously or semi-autonomously within the pilot program.
2. "Nursing-adjacent tasks or workflows":
(a) Includes functions that support or supplement the work of licensed nurses.
(b) Does not include functions that independently assess or treat patients.