50.39 (3) Facilities governed by ss. 45.50, 48.62, 49.70, 49.72, 50.02, 51.09, and 252.10, juvenile correctional facilities as defined in s. 938.02 (10p), correctional institutions governed by the department of corrections under s. 301.02, and the offices and clinics of persons licensed to treat the sick under chs. 446, 447, and 448 are exempt from ss. 50.32 to 50.39. Sections 50.32 to 50.39 do not abridge the rights of the medical examining board, physical therapists affiliated credentialing board, podiatrists podiatry affiliated credentialing board, dentistry examining board, pharmacy examining board, chiropractic examining board, and board of nursing in carrying out their statutory duties and responsibilities.
113,18
Section
18. 146.37 (1g) of the statutes is amended to read:
146.37 (1g) Except as provided in s. 153.85, no person acting in good faith who participates in the review or evaluation of the services of health care providers or facilities or the charges for such services conducted in connection with any program organized and operated to help improve the quality of health care, to avoid improper utilization of the services of health care providers or facilities or to determine the reasonable charges for such services, or who participates in the obtaining of health care information under ch. 153, is liable for any civil damages as a result of any act or omission by such person in the course of such review or evaluation. Acts and omissions to which this subsection applies include, but are not limited to, acts or omissions by peer review committees or hospital governing bodies in censuring, reprimanding, limiting or revoking hospital staff privileges or notifying the medical examining board or podiatrists podiatry affiliated credentialing board under s. 50.36 or taking any other disciplinary action against a health care provider or facility and acts or omissions by a medical director in reviewing the performance of emergency medical technicians or ambulance service providers.
113,19
Section
19. 180.1901 (1m) (bk) of the statutes is amended to read:
180.1901 (1m) (bk) Podiatrists Podiatry affiliated credentialing board under subch. IV of ch. 448.
113,20
Section
20. 185.981 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
185.981 (1) Cooperative associations may be organized under this chapter without capital stock, exclusively to establish and operate in the state or in any county or counties therein a nonprofit plan or plans for sickness care, including hospital care, for their members and their dependents through contracts with physicians, medical societies, chiropractors, optometrists, dentists, dental societies, hospitals, podiatrists and others.
113,21
Section
21. 185.981 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
185.981 (2) Such associations shall operate only on a cooperative nonprofit basis and for the purpose of establishing, maintaining and operating a voluntary nonprofit health, dental or vision care plan or plans or for constructing, operating and maintaining nonprofit hospitals or other facilities whereby sickness care, including hospital, dental or vision care, is provided at the expense of such association, its members or both, to such persons or groups of persons as shall become subscribers to such plan, under contracts which will entitle each such subscriber to definite medical, surgical, chiropractic, vision, dental or hospital care, appliances and supplies, by physicians and surgeons licensed and registered under ch. 448, podiatrists licensed under ch. 448, optometrists licensed under ch. 449, chiropractors licensed under ch. 446 and dentists licensed under ch. 447 in their offices, in hospitals, in other facilities and in the home.
113,22
Section
22. 185.981 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:
185.981 (3) No cooperative association organized for the purposes provided in ss. 185.981 to 185.983 shall be prevented from contracting with any hospital in this state for the rendition of such hospital care as is included within such a plan because such hospital participates in any other such plan, or in a plan organized and operated under ss. 148.03 and 613.80. No hospital may discriminate against any physician and surgeon, chiropractor or
, dentist, or podiatrist with respect to the use of such hospital's facilities by reason of his or her participation in a sickness care plan of a cooperative.
113,23
Section
23. 185.981 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:
185.981 (4) No contract by or on behalf of any such cooperative association shall provide for the payment of any cash, indemnity or other material benefit by that association to the subscriber or the subscriber's estate on account of death, illness or injury, nor be in any way related to the payment of any such benefit by any other agency, but any such association may stipulate in its plan that it will pay any nonparticipating physician and surgeon, optometrist, chiropractor, dentist or, podiatrist, or hospital outside of its normal territory for sickness or hospital care rendered any covered member or a member's covered dependent who is in need of the benefits of such plan when he or she is outside of the territory of such association in which the benefits of such plan are normally available. Any such plan may prescribe monetary limitations with respect to such extraterritorial benefits.
113,24
Section
24. 185.982 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
185.982 (1) No sickness care plan or contract issued thereunder by such cooperative association shall interfere with the manner or mode of the practice of medicine, optometry, chiropractic or, dentistry,
or podiatry, the relationship of physician, chiropractor, optometrist or, dentist, or podiatrist and patient, nor the responsibility of physician, chiropractor, optometrist or, dentist, or podiatrist to patient. A plan may require persons covered to utilize health care providers designated by the cooperative association. The cooperative association may provide health care services directly through providers who are employees of the cooperative association or through agreements with individual providers or groups of providers organized on a group practice or individual practice basis. In making such agreements, no plan may refuse to provide coverage for vision care services or procedures provided by an optometrist licensed under ch. 449 within the scope of the practice of optometry, as defined in s. 449.01 (1), if the plan provides coverage for the same services or procedures when provided by another health care provider.
113,25
Section
25. 343.62 (4) (a) 4. of the statutes is amended to read:
343.62 (4) (a) 4. The applicant submits with the application a statement completed within the immediately preceding 24 months, except as provided by rule, by a physician licensed to practice medicine in any state, from an advanced practice nurse licensed to practice nursing in any state, from a physician assistant licensed or certified to practice in any state, from a podiatrist licensed to practice in any state, from a chiropractor licensed to practice chiropractic in any state, or from a Christian Science practitioner residing in this state, and listed in the Christian Science journal certifying that, in the medical care provider's judgment, the applicant is physically fit to teach driving.
113,26
Section
26. Subchapter IV (title) of chapter 448 [precedes 448.60] of the statutes is amended to read:
CHAPTER 448
SUBCHAPTER IV
PODIATRISTS PODIATRY AFFILIATED
CREDENTIALING BOARD
113,27
Section
27. 448.60 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
448.60 (1) "Affiliated credentialing board" means the podiatrists podiatry affiliated credentialing board.
113,28
Section
28. 450.11 (8) (bm) of the statutes is amended to read:
450.11 (8) (bm) The podiatrists podiatry affiliated credentialing board, insofar as this section applies to podiatrists.
113,29
Section
29. 632.64 of the statutes is amended to read:
632.64 Certification of disability.
Insurers For the purpose of insurance policies that they issue, insurers doing a life insurance business in this state shall afford equal weight to a certification of disability signed by a physician with respect to matters within the scope of the physician's professional license and, to a certification of disability signed by a chiropractor with respect to matters within the scope of the chiropractor's professional license for the purpose of insurance policies they issue
, and to a certification of disability signed by a podiatrist with respect to matters within the scope of the podiatrist's professional license. This section does not require an insurer to treat a certificate of disability as conclusive evidence of disability.
113,30
Section
30. 632.99 of the statutes is amended to read:
632.99 Certifications of disability.
Every For the purpose of insurance policies that they issue, every insurer doing a health or disability insurance business in this state shall afford equal weight to a certification of disability signed by a physician with respect to matters within the scope of the physician's professional license and, to a certification of disability signed by a chiropractor with respect to matters within the scope of the chiropractor's professional license for the purpose of insurance policies they issue, and to a certification of disability signed by a podiatrist with respect to matters within the scope of the podiatrist's professional license. This section does not require an insurer to treat any certification of disability as conclusive evidence of disability.
113,31
Section
31. 655.45 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
655.45 (1) For the quarter beginning on July 1, 1986, and for each quarter thereafter, the director of state courts shall file reports complying with sub. (2) with the medical examining board, the physical therapists affiliated credentialing board, the podiatrists podiatry affiliated credentialing board, the board of nursing and the department, respectively, regarding health care providers licensed by the respective bodies.
113,32
Section
32. 812.30 (9) of the statutes is amended to read:
812.30
(9) "Need-based public assistance" means aid to families with dependent children, relief funded by a relief block grant under ch. 49, relief provided by counties under s. 59.53 (21), medical assistance, supplemental security income, food stamps, or benefits received by veterans under s. 45.40
(1) (1m) or under
38 USC 501 to
562.
113,33
Section
33. 814.29 (1) (d) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
814.29
(1) (d) 1. That the person is a recipient of means-tested public assistance, including aid to families with dependent children, relief funded by a relief block grant under ch. 49, relief provided by counties under s. 59.53 (21), medical assistance, supplemental security income, food stamps or benefits received by veterans under s. 45.40
(1) (1m) or under
38 USC 501 to
562.
113,34
Section
34. 895.48 (1m) (a) (intro.) and 2. of the statutes are amended to read:
895.48 (1m) (a) Except as provided in par. (b), any physician, physician assistant, podiatrist, or athletic trainer licensed under ch. 448, chiropractor licensed under ch. 446, dentist licensed under ch. 447, emergency medical technician licensed under s. 256.15, first responder certified under s. 256.15 (8), physician assistant licensed under ch. 448, registered nurse licensed under ch. 441, or a massage therapist or bodyworker issued a certificate under ch. 460 who renders voluntary health care to a participant in an athletic event or contest sponsored by a nonprofit corporation, as defined in s. 66.0129 (6) (b), a private school, as defined in s. 115.001 (3r), a public agency, as defined in s. 46.856 (1) (b), or a school, as defined in s. 609.655 (1) (c), is immune from civil liability for his or her acts or omissions in rendering that care if all of the following conditions exist:
2. The physician, podiatrist, athletic trainer, chiropractor, dentist, emergency medical technician, first responder, physician assistant, registered nurse, massage therapist or bodyworker does not receive compensation for the health care, other than reimbursement for expenses.
113,35
Section
35. 905.04 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:
905.04 (title) Physician-patient, registered nurse-patient, chiropractor-patient, psychologist-patient, social worker-patient, marriage and family therapist-patient, podiatrist-patient and professional counselor-patient privilege.
113,36
Section
36. 905.04 (1) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
905.04 (1) (b) A communication or information is "confidential" if not intended to be disclosed to 3rd persons other than those present to further the interest of the patient in the consultation, examination, or interview, or to persons reasonably necessary for the transmission of the communication or information, or to persons who are participating in the diagnosis and treatment under the direction of the physician, podiatrist, registered nurse, chiropractor, psychologist, social worker, marriage and family therapist or professional counselor, including the members of the patient's family.
113,37
Section
37. 905.04 (1) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
905.04 (1) (c) "Patient" means an individual, couple, family or group of individuals who consults with or is examined or interviewed by a physician, podiatrist, registered nurse, chiropractor, psychologist, social worker, marriage and family therapist or professional counselor.
113,38
Section
38. 905.04 (1) (dg) of the statutes is created to read:
905.04 (1) (dg) "Podiatrist" means a person licensed under s. 448.63 or a person reasonably believed by the patient to be a podiatrist.
113,39
Section
39. 905.04 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
905.04 (2) General rule of privilege. A patient has a privilege to refuse to disclose and to prevent any other person from disclosing confidential communications made or information obtained or disseminated for purposes of diagnosis or treatment of the patient's physical, mental or emotional condition, among the patient, the patient's physician, the patient's podiatrist, the patient's registered nurse, the patient's chiropractor, the patient's psychologist, the patient's social worker, the patient's marriage and family therapist, the patient's professional counselor or persons, including members of the patient's family, who are participating in the diagnosis or treatment under the direction of the physician, podiatrist, registered nurse, chiropractor, psychologist, social worker, marriage and family therapist or professional counselor.
113,40
Section
40. 905.04 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:
905.04 (3) Who may claim the privilege. The privilege may be claimed by the patient, by the patient's guardian or conservator, or by the personal representative of a deceased patient. The person who was the physician, podiatrist, registered nurse, chiropractor, psychologist, social worker, marriage and family therapist or professional counselor may claim the privilege but only on behalf of the patient. The authority so to do is presumed in the absence of evidence to the contrary.
113,41
Section
41.
Initial applicability.
(1) Certifications of disability by podiatrists.
(a) Life insurance. If a life insurance policy that is in effect on the effective date of this subsection contains a provision that is inconsistent with the treatment of section 632.64 of the statutes, the treatment of section 632.64 of the statutes first applies to that life insurance policy on the date on which it is renewed.
(b) Health or disability insurance. If a health or disability insurance policy that is in effect on the effective date of this subsection contains a provision that is inconsistent with the treatment of section 632.99 of the statutes, the treatment of section 632.99 of the statutes first applies to that health or disability insurance policy on the date on which it is renewed.
