SB257,7,2 22(3) Visitation and support for a patient with a disability. (a) Upon the request
23of a patient with a disability, a health care facility shall allow a patient with a
24disability to designate at least 3 support persons and shall allow at least one support
25person to be physically present with the patient with a disability during the patient's

1stay in the health care facility if necessary to facilitate the care of a patient with a
2disability, including if any of the following apply:
SB257,7,53 1. The patient with a disability has a cognitive or mental health disability and
4requires the assistance of a support person to ensure effective communication with
5health care providers.
SB257,7,86 2. The patient with a disability is deaf, hard of hearing, or has other
7communication barriers and requires the assistance of a support person to ensure
8effective communication with health care providers.
SB257,7,109 3. The patient with a disability is making a decision to consent to treatment or
10to refuse treatment.
SB257,7,1311 4. The patient with a disability needs assistance with activities of daily living
12and the health care providers are unable to assist or are less effective than the
13support person at providing the assistance.
SB257,7,1514 5. The patient with a disability has behavioral health needs that the support
15person can address more effectively than the health care providers.
SB257,7,2016 (b) A health care facility may not require, as a condition of having a support
17person present under this subsection, a patient with a disability to execute a
18declaration to physicians under s. 154.03, consent to a do-not-resuscitate order
19under subch. III of ch. 154, or execute a physician order for life-sustaining
20treatment.
SB257,8,2 21(4) Hospital or primary care facility visitation. (a) Notwithstanding s. 146.95
22(2) (b), a child has the right to have daily personal contact at reasonable times with
23a parent, an individual standing in the place of a parent, or a legal guardian while
24the child receives care in a hospital or primary care facility, subject to par. (d). A
25hospital or primary care facility shall allow a parent, an individual standing in the

1place of a parent, or a legal guardian visiting a child under this paragraph to leave
2and reenter the hospital or primary care facility while the child is receiving care.
SB257,8,83 (b) Notwithstanding s. 146.95 (2) (b), an adult has the right to have daily
4personal contact at reasonable times with a spouse, support person, or legal guardian
5while the adult receives care in a hospital or primary care facility, subject to par. (d).
6A hospital or primary care facility shall allow a spouse, support person, or legal
7guardian visiting an adult under this paragraph to leave and reenter the hospital or
8primary care facility while the adult is receiving care.
SB257,8,109 (c) A hospital or primary care facility may not require a patient to waive the
10rights specified in par. (a) or (b).
SB257,8,1211 (d) A hospital or primary care facility may restrict access of any individual to
12a patient if any of the following apply:
SB257,8,1313 1. The patient has requested the individual's access to the patient be restricted.
SB257,8,1514 2. A law enforcement agency has requested the individual's access to the
15patient be restricted.
SB257,8,1616 3. A court order requires the individual's access to the patient be restricted.
SB257,8,1717 4. Restricted access is necessary to prevent disruption to the care of the patient.
SB257,8,2318 5. The individual has signs and symptoms of a communicable infection, except
19that hospital or primary care facility shall permit an individual under this
20subdivision to have access to a patient through means that ensure the protection of
21the patient, including allowing access to the patient through telecommunication
22means or allowing personal contact if the individual follows infection prevention and
23control practices.
SB257,8,2524 6. The individual is determined to be a danger to the patient or to be contrary
25to the welfare of the patient.
SB257,9,1
17. Restricted access is permissible under sub. (7).
SB257,9,5 2(5) Hospice visitation. A patient who is receiving hospice care or the guardian,
3spouse, or support person of a patient who is receiving hospice care may designate
4additional family members and friends who may have personal contact with the
5patient at reasonable times.
SB257,9,10 6(6) Clergy member or lay person offering religious or spiritual support
7visitation.
A health care facility must permit a clergy member or lay person offering
8religious or spiritual support to have personal contact with a patient to pray with or
9offer spiritual support for the patient while the patient receives care from the health
10care facility.
SB257,9,12 11(7) Visitation limits or restrictions. A health care facility may establish
12visitation policies that limit or restrict visitation when any of the following is true:
SB257,9,1413 (a) The presence of visitors would be medically or therapeutically
14contraindicated.
SB257,9,1615 (b) The presence of visitors would interfere with the care of or rights of any
16patient or resident.
SB257,9,1817 (c) Visitors are engaging in disruptive, threatening, or violent behavior toward
18a staff member, patient, or other visitor.
SB257,9,1919 (d) Visitors are noncompliant with a policy of the health care facility.
SB257,9,22 20(8) Informational materials. (a) Within 30 days after the effective date of this
21paragraph .... [LRB inserts date], the department shall develop informational
22materials on patient visitation under this section.
SB257,9,2523 (b) The department shall submit a report regarding patient visitation under
24this section to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s. 13.172
25(3).
SB257,10,3
1(c) A health care facility shall make the informational materials under par. (a)
2accessible to patients and residents upon admission or registration and shall post the
3informational materials on its website.
SB257,10,84 (d) Every 60 days or upon the release of applicable federal guidelines, the
5department, with input from the long-term care industry and the hospital industry,
6shall reevaluate and update the informational materials under par. (a) as needed to
7allow for the maximum possible visitation in a health care facility under applicable
8federal guidelines.
SB257,10,119 (e) The informational materials under par. (a) shall take into consideration and
10include the highest amount of privacy and dignity for interaction between patients
11and visitors.
SB257,10,17 12(9) Complaints and investigation. (a) An individual may file with the
13appropriate state agency or licensing board, including the department, a complaint
14against a health care provider or a health care facility for failing to comply with this
15section. That state agency or licensing board shall investigate the complaint and
16may penalize a health care provider or health care facility for failure to comply with
17this section.
SB257,10,19 18(10) Limited liability of health care facilities. A state agency may not take
19any action against a health care facility for any of the following:
SB257,10,2020 (a) Giving a visitor or other individual access to a health care facility.
SB257,10,2221 (b) Failing to protect or otherwise ensure the safety or comfort of a visitor or
22other individual given access to a health care facility.
SB257,11,223 (c) Failing to follow the federal centers for disease control and prevention or the
24federal centers for medicare and medicaid services guidelines or other national

1guidelines that require or recommend restricting visitor access to a health care
2facility.
SB257,11,43 (d) The acts or omissions of any visitor or other individual who is given access
4to a health care facility.
SB257,11,5 5(11) Construction. (a) This section does not apply to any of the following:
SB257,11,86 1. A minor who is in the custody of a county department, as defined under s.
748.02 (2g), a licensed child welfare agency, or the department of children and
8families.
SB257,11,109 2. A minor who is a suspected victim in a pending abuse investigation under
10s. 48.981 (3).
SB257,11,1111 3. An individual who is in the custody of the department of corrections.
SB257,11,1412 4. An individual who is attending a preventive health care office visit during
13which evidence-based guidelines for preventive care recommend a confidential visit
14component for youth, as mutually agreed to by the patient and his or her physician.
SB257,11,1615 (b) The rights specified in this section may not be terminated, suspended, or
16waived by any of the following:
SB257,11,1717 1. A health care facility.
SB257,11,1818 2. The department.
SB257,11,1919 3. A state or local board of health.
SB257,11,2120 4. The governor upon declaring of a state of emergency under s. 323.10 or
21ordering the department to take action.
SB257,11,2222 (End)
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