January 2011 Special Session Date of enactment:
January 27, 2011
Senate Bill 1 Date of publication*:
January 31, 2011
2011 WISCONSIN ACT 2
An Act to repeal 146.38 (3) (d) and 146.38 (3) (e); to renumber and amend 146.38 (1) (b), 907.01 and 907.02; to amend 146.38 (1m), 146.38 (2), 146.38 (3) (intro.), 146.38 (3) (a), (b) and (c), 230.85 (3) (b), 802.10 (7), 809.103 (2) (a), 814.04 (intro.), 814.29 (3) (a), 907.03, 940.08 (1), 940.24 (1) and 940.295 (3) (a) 3.; and to create 146.38 (1) (b) 1., 146.38 (1) (b) 2., 146.38 (1) (b) 3., 146.38 (1) (b) 4., 146.38 (1) (bm), 146.38 (2m), 146.38 (3m), 146.38 (3t), 146.38 (6), 153.05 (3m), 893.555, 895.043 (6), 895.044, 895.045 (3), 895.046, 895.047, 904.16, 907.01 (3), 907.02 (2), 940.08 (3), 940.24 (3) and 940.295 (3) (am) of the statutes; relating to: limiting noneconomic damages awarded in actions against long-term care providers; actions against manufacturers, distributors, sellers, and promoters of certain products; confidentiality of health care services reviews; use as evidence of information regarding health care providers; reporting of quality indicators identifying individual hospitals; homicide or injury by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire; criminal abuse of individuals at risk; criminal abuse and neglect of patients and residents; evidence of lay and expert witnesses; damages for frivolous claims; and punitive damage awards.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
2,1
Section
1. 146.38 (1) (b) of the statutes is renumbered 146.38 (1) (b) (intro.) and amended to read:
146.38 (1) (b) (intro.) "Health care provider" includes an ambulance service provider, as defined in s. 256.01 (3), an emergency medical technician, as defined in s. 256.01 (5), and a first responder, as defined in s. 256.01 (9). means any of the following:
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2. 146.38 (1) (b) 1. of the statutes is created to read:
146.38 (1) (b) 1. A person specified in s. 146.81 (1) (a) to (hp), (r), or (s).
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3. 146.38 (1) (b) 2. of the statutes is created to read:
146.38 (1) (b) 2. A facility, association, or business entity, as specified in s. 146.81 (1) (i) to (q).
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4. 146.38 (1) (b) 3. of the statutes is created to read:
146.38 (1) (b) 3. A person working under the supervision of or in collaboration with a person specified in subd. 1.
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5. 146.38 (1) (b) 4. of the statutes is created to read:
146.38 (1) (b) 4. A parent, subsidiary, or affiliate organization of a facility, association, or business entity, as specified in subd. 2.
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Section
6. 146.38 (1) (bm) of the statutes is created to read:
146.38 (1) (bm) "Incident or occurrence report" means a written or oral statement that is made to notify a person, organization, or an evaluator who reviews or evaluates the services of health care providers or charges for such services of an incident, practice, or other situation that becomes the subject of such a review or evaluation.
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7. 146.38 (1m) of the statutes is amended to read:
146.38 (1m) No person who participates in the review or evaluation of the services of health care providers or facilities or charges for such services may disclose an incident or occurrence report or any information acquired in connection with such review or evaluation except as provided in sub. (3) or (3m).
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8. 146.38 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
146.38 (2) All persons, organizations
, or evaluators reviewing or evaluating, whether from one or more entities, who review or evaluate the services of health care providers in order to help improve the quality of health care, to avoid improper utilization of the services of health care providers, or to determine the reasonable charges for such services shall keep a record of their investigations, inquiries, proceedings and conclusions. No such record may be released to any person under s. 804.10 (4) or otherwise except as provided in sub. (3) or (3m). No such record may be used in any civil or criminal action for personal injuries against the health care provider or facility or any other health care provider; however, except for incident or occurrence reports or records from other persons, organizations, or evaluators reviewing or evaluating health care providers, information, documents or records presented during the review or evaluation may not be construed as immune from discovery under s. 804.10 (4) or use in any civil or criminal action merely because they were so presented. Any person who testifies during or participates in the review or evaluation may testify in any civil or criminal action as to matters within his or her knowledge, but may not testify as to information obtained through his or her participation in the review or evaluation, nor as to any conclusion of such review or evaluation.
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9. 146.38 (2m) of the statutes is created to read:
146.38 (2m) An incident or occurrence report may not be used in any civil or criminal action against a health care provider.
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10. 146.38 (3) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
146.38 (3) (intro.) Information acquired in connection with the review and evaluation of health care services shall be disclosed and records of such review and evaluation shall be released, with the identity of any patient whose treatment is reviewed being withheld unless the patient has granted permission to disclose identity except as permitted under s. 146.82, in the following circumstances:
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11. 146.38 (3) (a), (b) and (c) of the statutes are amended to read:
146.38 (3) (a) To the health care provider or facility whose services are being reviewed or evaluated, upon the request of such provider or facility;
(b) To any person with the consent of the health care provider or facility whose services are being reviewed or evaluated;
(c) To the person requesting the review or evaluation, for use solely for the purpose of improving the quality of health care, avoiding the improper utilization of the services of health care providers and facilities, and determining the reasonable charges for such services;
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12. 146.38 (3) (d) of the statutes is repealed.
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13. 146.38 (3) (e) of the statutes is repealed.
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14. 146.38 (3m) of the statutes is created to read:
146.38 (3m) (a) Information acquired in connection with the review and evaluation of health care services may be disclosed, and records of such review and evaluation may be released, in statistical form with the consent of the person authorizing or with the authority to authorize the review or evaluation. Information disclosed or records released under this subsection shall not reveal the identity of any patient except as permitted under s. 146.82.
(b) Information acquired in connection with the review or evaluation of health care services may be disclosed, and the records of such a review or evaluation released, to any of the following persons, with the consent of the person authorizing or with the authority to authorize the review or evaluation:
1. The employer of a health care provider, as defined in sub. (1) (b) 1. and 3.
2. The parent, subsidiary, or affiliate organization of a health care provider, as defined in sub. (1) (b) 2.
3. The parent, subsidiary, or affiliate organization of the employer of a health care provider, as defined in sub. (1) (b) 1. and 3.
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15. 146.38 (3t) of the statutes is created to read:
146.38 (3t) A record described under sub. (2) or an incident or occurrence report disclosed either under sub. (3) or (3m) or in violation of this section remains confidential and may not be used in any civil or criminal action against the health care provider or any other health care provider.
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16. 146.38 (6) of the statutes is created to read:
146.38 (6) Health care provider specific information acquired by an administrative agency in order to help improve the quality of health care, to avoid the improper utilization of services of health care providers, or to determine the reasonable charges for health care services is exempt from inspection, copying, or receipt under s. 19.35 (1).
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17. 153.05 (3m) of the statutes is created to read:
153.05 (3m) The entity under contract under sub. (2m) (a) may report quality indicators identifying individual hospitals based on data the entity collects under this subchapter.
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18. 230.85 (3) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
230.85 (3) (b) If, after hearing, the division of equal rights finds that the respondent did not engage in or threaten a retaliatory action it shall order the complaint dismissed. The division of equal rights shall order the employee's appointing authority to insert a copy of the findings and orders into the employee's personnel file and, if the respondent is a natural person, order the respondent's appointing authority to insert such a copy into the respondent's personnel file. If the division of equal rights finds by unanimous vote that the employee filed a frivolous complaint it may order payment of the respondent's reasonable actual attorney fees and actual costs. Payment may be assessed against either the employee or the employee's attorney, or assessed so that the employee and the employee's attorney each pay a portion. To find a complaint frivolous the division of equal rights must find that s. 802.05 (2) or 895.044 has been violated.
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19. 802.10 (7) of the statutes is amended to read:
802.10 (7) Sanctions. Violations of a scheduling or pretrial order are subject to ss. 802.05, 804.12 and, 805.03, and 895.044.
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20. 809.103 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
809.103 (2) (a) Is frivolous, as determined under s. 802.05 (2) or 895.044.
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21. 814.04 (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
814.04 Items of costs. (intro.) Except as provided in ss. 93.20, 100.195 (5m) (b), 100.30 (5m), 106.50 (6) (i) and (6m) (a), 111.397 (2) (a), 115.80 (9), 281.36 (2) (b) 1., 767.553 (4) (d), 769.313, 802.05, 814.245, 895.035 (4), 895.044, 895.443 (3), 895.444 (2), 895.445 (3), 895.446 (3), 895.506, 943.212 (2) (b), 943.245 (2) (d), 943.51 (2) (b), and 995.10 (3), when allowed costs shall be as follows:
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22. 814.29 (3) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
814.29
(3) (a) A request for leave to commence or defend an action, proceeding, writ of error or appeal without being required to pay fees or costs or to give security for costs constitutes consent of the affiant and counsel for the affiant that if the judgment is in favor of the affiant the court may order the opposing party to first pay the amount of unpaid fees and costs, including attorney fees under ss. 802.05
and, 804.12 (1) (c)
, and 895.044 and under
42 USC 1988 and to pay the balance to the plaintiff.
2,23
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23. 893.555 of the statutes is created to read:
893.555 Limitation of damages; long-term care providers. (1) In this section:
(a) "Long-term care provider" means any of the following:
1. An adult family home, as defined in s. 50.01 (1).
2. A residential care apartment complex, as defined in s. 50.01 (1d).
3. A community-based residential facility, as defined in s. 50.01 (1g).
