LRB-1334/1
JEO:skg:jlb
1995 - 1996 LEGISLATURE
March 13, 1995 - Introduced by Representatives Baldus, Ainsworth, Huber,
Seratti, Ziegelbauer, Handrick, Plombon and L. Young. Referred to
Committee on Insurance, Securities and Corporate Policy.
AB193,1,2
1An Act to amend 448.08 (4); and
to create 180.1901 (1m) (g) of the statutes;
2relating to: health care professional service corporations.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, certain health care professionals may organize a "service
corporation" for the purpose of assisting those professionals in carrying on their
professions. The shareholders in a health care professional service corporation do
not need to be licensed, certified or registered in the same health care profession.
Current law permits any of the following health care professionals to be shareholders
in a health care professional service corporation: a registered nurse; licensed
practical nurse; nurse-midwife; physician; podiatrist; physician assistant;
occupational therapist; occupational therapy assistant; respiratory care
practitioner; pharmacist; optometrist; psychologist; private practice school
psychologist; social worker; marriage and family therapist; and professional
counselor.
Also, under current law the patients compensation fund (fund) covers certain
claims that arise from the acts or omissions of physicians, nurse anesthetists or their
employes. The fund does not cover an employe who is a health care professional if
the health care professional may practice without the direction and supervision of
a physician or nurse anesthetist and if, at the time of an act or omission giving rise
to a claim under the fund, the health care professional was not practicing under the
direction and supervision of a physician or nurse anesthetist.
This bill provides that speech-language pathologists and audiologists may also
be shareholders in a health care professional service corporation. Because a
speech-language pathologist or audiologist may practice without the direction and
supervision of a physician or nurse anesthetist, under the bill a speech-language
pathologist or audiologist who is an employe of a health care professional service
corporation will not be covered by the fund if, at the time of an act or omission giving
rise to a claim under the fund, the speech-language pathologist or audiologist was
not practicing under the direction and supervision of a physician or nurse
anesthetist.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB193, s. 1
1Section
1. 180.1901 (1m) (g) of the statutes is created to read:
AB193,2,32
180.1901
(1m) (g) Hearing and speech examining board under subch. II of ch.
3459.
AB193, s. 2
4Section
2. 448.08 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB193,2,135
448.08
(4) Professional partnerships and corporations permitted.
6Notwithstanding any other provision in this section, it is lawful for 2 or more
7physicians or 2 or more podiatrists, who have entered into a bona fide partnership
8for the practice of medicine or podiatry, to render a single bill for such services in the
9name of such partnership; and it also is lawful for a service corporation to render a
10single bill for services in the name of the corporation; provided that each individual
11physician or podiatrist that renders billed services and each individual licensed,
12registered or certified under ch. 449, 450, 455
or, 457
or 459 that renders billed
13services is individually identified as having rendered such services.
