96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
SB1927

 

Introduced 2/20/2009, by Sen. Ira I. Silverstein

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
210 ILCS 85/9   from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 150
210 ILCS 85/9.6 new

    Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall investigate every allegation of abuse or neglect of a patient received by the Department. Provides that no administrator, agent, or employee of a hospital or a member of its medical staff may abuse or neglect a patient in the hospital, and provides that any hospital administrator, agent, employee, or medical staff member who has reasonable cause to believe that any patient with whom he or she has direct contact has been subjected to abuse or neglect in the hospital shall promptly report or cause a report to be made to a designated hospital administrator responsible for providing such reports to the Department of Public Health. Sets forth other provisions concerning protection of hospital patients from abuse and neglect. Provides that if no health care surrogate is available for a patient who lacks decision-making capacity, then the hospital may contact the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission to determine the need for a temporary guardian of the person.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB1927 LRB096 11262 DRJ 21678 b

1     AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Hospital Licensing Act is amended by
5 changing Section 9 and by adding Section 9.6 as follows:
 
6     (210 ILCS 85/9)  (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 150)
7     Sec. 9. Inspections and investigations. The Department
8 shall make or cause to be made such inspections and
9 investigations as it deems necessary, except that the
10 Department shall investigate every allegation of abuse or
11 neglect of a patient received by the Department. Information
12 received by the Department through filed reports, inspection,
13 or as otherwise authorized under this Act shall not be
14 disclosed publicly in such manner as to identify individuals or
15 hospitals, except (i) in a proceeding involving the denial,
16 suspension, or revocation of a permit to establish a hospital
17 or a proceeding involving the denial, suspension, or revocation
18 of a license to open, conduct, operate, and maintain a
19 hospital, (ii) to the Department of Children and Family
20 Services in the course of a child abuse or neglect
21 investigation conducted by that Department or by the Department
22 of Public Health, (iii) in accordance with Section 6.14a of
23 this Act, or (iv) in other circumstances as may be approved by

 

 

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1 the Hospital Licensing Board.
2 (Source: P.A. 90-608, eff. 6-30-98; 91-242, eff. 1-1-00.)
 
3     (210 ILCS 85/9.6 new)
4     Sec. 9.6. Patient protection from abuse and neglect.
5     (a) No administrator, agent, or employee of a hospital or a
6 member of its medical staff may abuse or neglect a patient in
7 the hospital.
8     (b) Any hospital administrator, agent, employee, or
9 medical staff member who has reasonable cause to believe that
10 any patient with whom he or she has direct contact has been
11 subjected to abuse or neglect in the hospital shall promptly
12 report or cause a report to be made to a designated hospital
13 administrator responsible for providing such reports to the
14 Department as required by this Section.
15     (c) Retaliation against a person who lawfully and in good
16 faith makes a report under this Section is prohibited.
17     (d) Upon receiving a report under subsection (b) of this
18 Section, the hospital shall submit the report to the Department
19 within 24 hours of obtaining such report. In the event that the
20 hospital receives multiple reports involving a single alleged
21 instance of abuse or neglect, the hospital shall submit one
22 report to the Department.
23     (e) Upon receiving a report under this Section, the
24 hospital shall promptly conduct an internal review to ensure
25 the alleged victim's safety. Measures to protect the alleged

 

 

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1 victim shall be taken as deemed necessary by the hospital's
2 administrator and may include, but are not limited to, removing
3 suspected violators from further patient contact during the
4 hospital's internal review. If the alleged victim lacks
5 decision-making capacity under the Health Care Surrogate Act
6 and no health care surrogate is available, the hospital may
7 contact the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission to
8 determine the need for a temporary guardian of that person.
9     (f) All internal hospital reviews shall be conducted by a
10 designated hospital employee or agent who is qualified to
11 detect abuse and neglect and is not involved in the alleged
12 victim's treatment. All internal review findings must be
13 documented and filed according to hospital procedures and shall
14 be made available to the Department upon request. All internal
15 review findings involving eligible persons, as defined in the
16 Guardianship and Advocacy Act, shall also be made available,
17 subject to confidentiality requirements, to the Human Rights
18 Authority division of the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission
19 and the agency designated by the Governor under Section 1 of
20 the Protection and Advocacy for Developmentally Disabled
21 Persons Act upon request in the course of monitoring or
22 investigating rights protections.
23     (g) Any other person may make a report of patient abuse to
24 the Department if that person has reasonable cause to believe
25 that a patient has been abused or neglected in the hospital.
26     (h) The report required under this Section shall include:

 

 

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1 the name of the patient; the name and address of the hospital
2 treating the patient; the age of the patient; the nature of the
3 patient's condition, including any evidence of previous
4 injuries or disabilities; and any other information that the
5 reporter believes might be helpful in establishing the cause of
6 the reported abuse or neglect and the identity of the person
7 believed to have caused the abuse or neglect.
8     (i) Except for wilful and wanton misconduct, any
9 individual, person, institution, or agency participating in
10 good faith in the making of a report under this Section, or in
11 the investigation of such a report or in making a disclosure of
12 information concerning reports of abuse under this Section,
13 shall have immunity from any liability, whether civil,
14 professional, or criminal, that otherwise might result by
15 reason of such actions.
16     (j) No administrator, agent, or employee of a hospital
17 shall adopt or employ practices or procedures designed to
18 discourage good faith reporting of patient abuse or neglect
19 under this Section.
20     (k) Every hospital shall ensure that all employees are
21 trained in the detection and reporting of abuse and neglect of
22 patients within one month after being hired and retrained at
23 least every 2 years thereafter.
24     (l) The Department shall investigate each report of patient
25 abuse or neglect made under this Section according to the
26 procedures of the Department, except that a report of abuse or

 

 

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1 neglect which indicates that a patient's life or safety is in
2 imminent danger shall be investigated within 24 hours of such
3 report. Under no circumstances may a hospital's internal review
4 of an allegation of abuse or neglect replace an investigation
5 of the allegation by the Department.
6     (m) The Department shall keep a continuing record of all
7 reports made pursuant to this Section, including indications of
8 the final determination of any investigation and the final
9 disposition of all reports. The Department shall inform the
10 investigated hospital and any other person making a report
11 under subsection (g) of its final determination or disposition
12 in writing.
13     (n) The Department shall not disclose to the public any
14 information regarding any reports and investigations under
15 this Section unless and until the report of abuse or neglect is
16 substantiated following a full and proper investigation.
17     (o) All patient identifiable information in any report or
18 investigation under this Section shall be confidential and
19 shall not be disclosed except as authorized by this Act or
20 other applicable law.
21     (p) Nothing in this Section relieves a hospital
22 administrator, employee, agent, or medical staff member from
23 contacting appropriate law enforcement authorities as required
24 by law.
25     (q) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to mean that
26 a patient is a victim of abuse or neglect because of health

 

 

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1 care services provided or not provided by health care
2 professionals.
3     (r) Nothing in this Section shall require a hospital,
4 including its employees, agents, and medical staff members, to
5 provide any services to a patient in contravention of his or
6 her stated or implied objection thereto upon grounds that such
7 services conflict with his or her religious beliefs or
8 practices, nor shall such a patient be considered abused under
9 this Section for the exercise of such beliefs or practices.
10     (s) As used in this Section, the following terms have the
11 following meanings:
12     "Abuse" means any physical or mental injury or sexual abuse
13 intentionally inflicted by a hospital employee, agent, or
14 medical staff member on a patient of the hospital and does not
15 include any hospital, medical, health care, or other personal
16 care services done in good faith in the interest of the patient
17 according to established medical and clinical standards of
18 care.
19     "Mental injury" means intentionally caused emotional
20 distress in a patient from words or gestures that would be
21 considered by a reasonable person to be humiliating, harassing,
22 or threatening and which causes observable and substantial
23 impairment.
24     "Neglect" means the failure by a hospital employee, agent,
25 or medical staff member to provide nutrition, hydration,
26 hygiene, or supervision that is necessary to maintain the

 

 

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1 health and safety of a patient of the hospital. The term does
2 not include care refused by a patient of the hospital, nor does
3 it include any hospital care, medical care, health care, or
4 other personal care services provided in good faith in the
5 interest of the patient according to established medical and
6 clinical standards of care.
7     "Sexual abuse" means any intentional act of sexual contact
8 or sexual penetration of a patient in the hospital.
9     "Substantiated", with respect to a report of abuse or
10 neglect, means that a preponderance of the evidence indicates
11 that abuse occurred.