146.905146.905 Reduction in fees prohibited. 146.905(1)(1) Except as provided in sub. (2), a health care provider, as defined in s. 146.81 (1) (a) to (p), that provides a service or a product to an individual with coverage under a disability insurance policy, as defined in s. 632.895 (1) (a), may not reduce or eliminate or offer to reduce or eliminate coinsurance or a deductible required under the terms of the disability insurance policy. 146.905(2)(2) Subsection (1) does not apply if payment of the total fee would impose an undue financial hardship on the individual receiving the service or product. 146.91146.91 Long-term care insurance. 146.91(1)(1) In this section, “long-term care insurance” means insurance that provides coverage both for an extended stay in a nursing home and home health services for a person with a chronic condition. The insurance may also provide coverage for other services that assist the insured person in living outside a nursing home including but not limited to adult day care and continuing care retirement communities. 146.91(2)(2) The department, with the advice of the council on long-term care insurance, the office of the commissioner of insurance, the board on aging and long-term care and the department of employee trust funds, shall design a program that includes the following: 146.91(2)(a)(a) Subsidizing premiums for persons purchasing long-term care insurance, based on the purchasers’ ability to pay. 146.91(2)(b)(b) Reinsuring by the state of policies issued in this state by long-term care insurers. 146.91(3)(3) The department shall collect any data on health care costs and utilization that the department determines to be necessary to design the program under sub. (2). 146.91(6)(6) The department, with the advice of the council on long-term care insurance, may examine use of tax incentives for the sale and purchase of long-term care insurance. 146.95146.95 Patient visitation. 146.95(2)(a)(a) Any individual who is 18 years of age or older may identify to a health care provider at an inpatient health care facility at any time, either orally or in writing, those persons with whom the individual wishes to visit while the individual is a patient at the inpatient health care facility. Except as provided in par. (b), no inpatient health care facility may deny visitation during the inpatient health care facility’s regular visiting hours to any person identified by the individual. 146.95(2)(b)(b) Subject to s. 51.61 for a treatment facility, an inpatient health care facility may deny visitation with a patient to any person if any of the following applies: 146.95(2)(b)1.1. The inpatient health care facility or a health care provider determines that the patient may not receive any visitors. 146.95(2)(b)2.2. The inpatient health care facility or a health care provider determines that the presence of the person would endanger the health or safety of the patient. 146.95(2)(b)3.3. The inpatient health care facility determines that the presence of the person would interfere with the primary operations of the inpatient health care facility. 146.95(2)(b)4.4. The patient has subsequently expressed in writing to a health care provider at the inpatient health care facility that the patient no longer wishes to visit with the person. Unless subd. 2. applies, an inpatient health care facility may not under this subdivision deny visitation to the person based on a claim by someone other than a health care provider that the patient has orally expressed that the patient no longer wishes to visit with that person. 146.95 HistoryHistory: 1997 a. 153. 146.96146.96 Uniform claim processing form. Beginning no later than July 1, 2004, every health care provider, as defined in s. 146.81 (1) (a) to (p), shall use the uniform claim processing form developed by the commissioner of insurance under s. 601.41 (9) (b) when submitting a claim to an insurer. 146.96 HistoryHistory: 2001 a. 109; 2009 a. 28. 146.997146.997 Health care worker protection. 146.997(1)(a)(a) “Department” means the department of workforce development. 146.997(1)(c)(c) “Health care facility” means a facility, as defined in s. 647.01 (4), or any hospital, nursing home, community-based residential facility, county home, county infirmary, county hospital, county mental health complex or other place licensed or approved by the department of health services under s. 49.70, 49.71, 49.72, 50.03, 50.35, 51.08 or 51.09 or a facility under s. 45.50, 51.05, 51.06, 233.40, 233.41, 233.42 or 252.10. 146.997(1)(d)(d) “Health care provider” means any of the following: 146.997 NoteNOTE: Subd. 3. is shown as amended by 2023 Wis. Acts 87 and 88 and as merged by the legislative reference bureau under s. 13.92 (2) (i). 146.997(1)(d)4.4. A physician, physician assistant, podiatrist, perfusionist, physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, occupational therapist, occupational therapy assistant, or genetic counselor licensed under ch. 448; a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant who holds a compact privilege under subch. XI of ch. 448; an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant who holds a compact privilege under subch. XII of ch. 448; or a physician assistant who holds a compact privilege under subch. XIII of ch. 448. 146.997 NoteNOTE: The cross-reference to subch. XI of ch. 448 was changed from subch. X of ch. 448 and the cross-reference to subch. XII of ch. 448 was changed from subch. XI of ch. 448 by the legislative reference bureau under s. 13.92 (1) (bm) 2. to reflect the renumbering under s. 13.92 (1) (bm) 2. of subchs. X and XI of ch. 448.
146.997 NoteNOTE: Subd. 5. is shown as affected by 2021 Wis. Acts 23 and 123 and as merged by the legislative reference bureau under s. 13.92 (2) (i). The language in brackets was inserted by 2021 Wis. Act 23 but rendered without effect by the treatment by 2021 Wis. Act 123. Corrective legislation is pending. 146.997(1)(d)8.8. A pharmacist or pharmacy technician licensed or registered under ch. 450. 146.997(1)(d)10.10. A psychologist who is licensed under ch. 455, who is exercising the temporary authorization to practice, as defined in s. 455.50 (2) (o), in this state, or who is practicing under the authority to practice interjurisdictional telepsychology, as defined in s. 455.50 (2) (b). 146.997(1)(d)11.11. A social worker, marriage and family therapist or professional counselor certified under subch. I of ch. 457 or a professional counselor who is exercising the privilege to practice, as defined in s. 457.50 (2) (s), in this state. 146.997(1)(d)12.12. A speech-language pathologist or audiologist who is licensed under subch. II of ch. 459 or who holds a compact privilege under subch. III of ch. 459, or a speech and language pathologist licensed by the department of public instruction. 146.997(1)(d)16.16. A corporation or limited liability company of any providers specified under subds. 1. to 14. that provides health care services. 146.997(1)(d)17.17. A cooperative health care association organized under s. 185.981 that directly provides services through salaried employees in its own facility. 146.997(2)(a)(a) Any employee of a health care facility or of a health care provider who is aware of any information, the disclosure of which is not expressly prohibited by any state law or rule or any federal law or regulation, that would lead a reasonable person to believe any of the following may report that information to any agency, as defined in s. 111.32 (6) (a), of the state; to any professionally recognized accrediting or standard-setting body that has accredited, certified or otherwise approved the health care facility or health care provider; to any officer or director of the health care facility or health care provider; or to any employee of the health care facility or health care provider who is in a supervisory capacity or in a position to take corrective action: 146.997(2)(a)1.1. That the health care facility or health care provider or any employee of the health care facility or health care provider has violated any state law or rule or federal law or regulation. 146.997(2)(a)2.2. That there exists any situation in which the quality of any health care service provided by the health care facility or health care provider or by any employee of the health care facility or health care provider violates any standard established by any state law or rule or federal law or regulation or any clinical or ethical standard established by a professionally recognized accrediting or standard-setting body and poses a potential risk to public health or safety. 146.997(2)(b)(b) An agency or accrediting or standard-setting body that receives a report under par. (a) shall, within 5 days after receiving the report, notify the health care facility or health provider that is the subject of the report, in writing, that a report alleging a violation specified in par. (a) 1. or 2. has been received and provide the health care facility or health care provider with a written summary of the contents of the report, unless the agency, or accrediting or standard-setting body determines that providing that notification and summary would jeopardize an ongoing investigation of a violation alleged in the report. The notification and summary may not disclose the identity of the person who made the report. 146.997(2)(c)(c) Any employee of a health care facility or health care provider may initiate, participate in or testify in any action or proceeding in which a violation specified in par. (a) 1. or 2. is alleged. 146.997(2)(d)(d) Any employee of a health care facility or health care provider may provide any information relating to an alleged violation specified in par. (a) 1. or 2. to any legislator or legislative committee. 146.997(3)(a)(a) No health care facility or health care provider and no employee of a health care facility or health care provider may take disciplinary action against, or threaten to take disciplinary action against, any person because the person reported in good faith any information under sub. (2) (a), in good faith initiated, participated in or testified in any action or proceeding under sub. (2) (c) or provided in good faith any information under sub. (2) (d) or because the health care facility, health care provider or employee believes that the person reported in good faith any information under sub. (2) (a), in good faith initiated, participated in or testified in any action or proceeding under sub. (2) (c) or provided in good faith any information under sub. (2) (d). 146.997(3)(b)(b) No health care facility or health care provider and no employee of a health care facility or health care provider may take disciplinary action against, or threaten to take disciplinary action against, any person on whose behalf another person reported in good faith any information under sub. (2) (a), in good faith initiated, participated in or testified in any action or proceeding under sub. (2) (c) or provided in good faith any information under sub. (2) (d) or because the health care facility, health care provider or employee believes that another person reported in good faith any information under sub. (2) (a), in good faith initiated, participated in or testified in any action or proceeding under sub. (2) (c) or provided in good faith any information under sub. (2) (d) on that person’s behalf. 146.997(3)(c)(c) For purposes of pars. (a) and (b), an employee is not acting in good faith if the employee reports any information under sub. (2) (a) that the employee knows or should know is false or misleading, initiates, participates in or testifies in any action or proceeding under sub. (2) (c) based on information that the employee knows or should know is false or misleading or provides any information under sub. (2) (d) that the employee knows or should know is false or misleading. 146.997(4)(a)(a) Any employee of a health care facility or health care provider who is subjected to disciplinary action, or who is threatened with disciplinary action, in violation of sub. (3) may file a complaint with the department under s. 106.54 (6). If the department finds that a violation of sub. (3) has been committed, the department may take such action under s. 111.39 as will effectuate the purpose of this section. 146.997(5)(5) Civil penalty. Any health care facility or health care provider and any employee of a health care facility or health care provider who takes disciplinary action against, or who threatens to take disciplinary action against, any person in violation of sub. (3) may be required to forfeit not more than $1,000 for a first violation, not more than $5,000 for a violation committed within 12 months of a previous violation and not more than $10,000 for a violation committed within 12 months of 2 or more previous violations. The 12-month period shall be measured by using the dates of the violations that resulted in convictions. 146.997(6)(6) Posting of notice. Each health care facility and health care provider shall post, in one or more conspicuous places where notices to employees are customarily posted, a notice in a form approved by the department setting forth employees’ rights under this section. Any health care facility or health care provider that violates this subsection shall forfeit not more than $100 for each offense. 146.997 HistoryHistory: 1999 a. 176, 186; 2001 a. 38, 70, 74, 89, 105; 2003 a. 33; 2005 a. 22; 2007 a. 20 s. 9121 (6) (a); 2007 a. 130; 2009 a. 165, 355; 2015 a. 265; 2017 a. 12; 2019 a. 100; 2021 a. 23 ss. 23, 71; 2021 a. 100, 123, 130, 131, 251; 2023 a. 55, 56, 81, 87, 88; s. 13.92 (1) (bm) 2.; s. 13.92 (2) (i); s. 35.17 correction in (1) (d) 6. 146.997 AnnotationThis section applies only to employees, a category that does not include interns who do not receive compensation or tangible benefits. Because the plaintiff received no compensation or tangible benefits, she was not an employee of the defendant and was not entitled to anti-retaliation protection under sub. (3) (a). Masri v. LIRC, 2014 WI 81, 356 Wis. 2d 405, 850 N.W.2d 298, 12-1047. 146.997 AnnotationWisconsin Health Care Workers: Whistleblower Protection. Neuser. Wis. Law. Mar. 2004.
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