HB5492 Engrossed LRB095 15957 DRJ 41967 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 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act
5 is amended by adding Section 32.6 as follows:
 
6     (210 ILCS 50/32.6 new)
7     Sec. 32.6. Freestanding Emergency Center; patient
8 protection from abuse.
9     (a) No administrator, agent, or employee of an FEC or a
10 member of its medical staff may abuse a patient in the FEC.
11     (b) Any FEC administrator, agent, employee, or medical
12 staff member who has reasonable cause to believe that any
13 patient with whom he or she has direct contact has been
14 subjected to abuse in the FEC shall promptly report or cause a
15 report to be made to a designated FEC administrator responsible
16 for providing such reports to the Department as required by
17 this Section.
18     (c) Retaliation against a person who lawfully and in good
19 faith makes a report under this Section is prohibited.
20     (d) Upon receiving a report under subsection (b) of this
21 Section, the FEC shall submit the report to the Department
22 within 24 hours of obtaining such report. In the event that the
23 FEC receives multiple reports involving a single alleged

 

 

HB5492 Engrossed - 2 - LRB095 15957 DRJ 41967 b

1 instance of abuse, the FEC shall submit one report to the
2 Department.
3     (e) Upon receiving a report under this Section, the FEC
4 shall promptly conduct an internal review to ensure the alleged
5 victim's safety. Measures to protect the alleged victim shall
6 be taken as deemed necessary by the FEC's administrator and may
7 include, but are not limited to, removing suspected violators
8 from further patient contact during the FEC's internal review.
9 If the alleged victim lacks decision-making capacity under the
10 Health Care Surrogate Act and no health care surrogate is
11 available, the FEC may contact the Illinois Guardianship and
12 Advocacy Commission to determine the need for a temporary
13 guardian of that person.
14     (f) All internal FEC reviews shall be conducted by a
15 designated FEC employee or agent who is qualified to detect
16 abuse and is not involved in the alleged victim's treatment.
17 All internal review findings must be documented and filed
18 according to FEC procedures and shall be made available to the
19 Department upon request.
20     (g) Any other person may make a report of patient abuse to
21 the Department if that person has reasonable cause to believe
22 that a patient has been abused in the FEC.
23     (h) The report required under this Section shall include:
24 the name of the patient; the name and address of the FEC
25 treating the patient; the age of the patient; the nature of the
26 patient's condition, including any evidence of previous

 

 

HB5492 Engrossed - 3 - LRB095 15957 DRJ 41967 b

1 injuries or disabilities; and any other information that the
2 reporter believes might be helpful in establishing the cause of
3 the reported abuse and the identity of the person believed to
4 have caused the abuse.
5     (i) Any individual, person, institution, or agency
6 participating in good faith in the making of a report under
7 this Section, or in the investigation of such a report or in
8 making a disclosure of information concerning reports of abuse
9 under this Section, shall have immunity from any liability,
10 whether civil, professional, or criminal, that otherwise might
11 result by reason of such actions. For the purpose of any
12 proceedings, whether civil, professional, or criminal, the
13 good faith of any persons required to report cases of suspected
14 abuse under this Section or who disclose information concerning
15 reports of abuse in compliance with this Section, shall be
16 presumed.
17     (j) No administrator, agent, or employee of an FEC shall
18 adopt or employ practices or procedures designed to discourage
19 good faith reporting of patient abuse under this Section.
20     (k) Every FEC shall ensure that all new and existing
21 employees are trained in the detection and reporting of abuse
22 of patients and retrained at least every 2 years thereafter.
23     (l) The Department shall investigate each report of patient
24 abuse made under this Section according to the procedures of
25 the Department, except that a report of abuse which indicates
26 that a patient's life or safety is in imminent danger shall be

 

 

HB5492 Engrossed - 4 - LRB095 15957 DRJ 41967 b

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

 

 

HB5492 Engrossed - 5 - LRB095 15957 DRJ 41967 b

1 its employees, agents, and medical staff members, to provide
2 any services to a patient in contravention of his or her stated
3 or implied objection thereto upon grounds that such services
4 conflict with his or her religious beliefs or practices, nor
5 shall such a patient be considered abused under this Section
6 for the exercise of such beliefs or practices.
7     (s) As used in this Section, the following terms have the
8 following meanings:
9     "Abuse" means any physical or mental injury or sexual abuse
10 intentionally inflicted by an FEC employee, agent, or medical
11 staff member on a patient of the FEC and does not include any
12 FEC, medical, health care, or other personal care services done
13 in good faith in the interest of the patient according to
14 established medical and clinical standards of care.
15     "FEC" means a Freestanding Emergency Center licensed under
16 Section 32.5.
17     "Mental injury" means intentionally caused emotional
18 distress in a patient from words or gestures that would be
19 considered by a reasonable person to be humiliating, harassing,
20 or threatening and which causes observable and substantial
21 impairment.
22     "Sexual abuse" means any intentional act of sexual contact
23 or sexual penetration of a patient in the hospital.
24     "Substantiated", with respect to a report of abuse, means
25 that a preponderance of the evidence indicates that abuse
26 occurred.

 

 

HB5492 Engrossed - 6 - LRB095 15957 DRJ 41967 b

1     (t) Notwithstanding any other rulemaking authority that
2 may exist, neither the Governor nor any agency or agency head
3 under the jurisdiction of the Governor has any authority to
4 make or promulgate rules to implement or enforce the provisions
5 of this Section. If, however, the Governor believes that rules
6 are necessary to implement or enforce the provisions of this
7 Section, the Governor may suggest rules to the General Assembly
8 by filing them with the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of
9 the Senate and by requesting that the General Assembly
10 authorize such rulemaking by law, enact those suggested rules
11 into law, or take any other appropriate action in the General
12 Assembly's discretion. Nothing in this Section shall be
13 interpreted to grant rulemaking authority under any other
14 Illinois statute where such authority is not otherwise
15 explicitly given. For the purposes of this Section, "rules" is
16 given the meaning contained in Section 1-70 of the Illinois
17 Administrative Procedure Act, and "agency" and "agency head"
18 are given the meanings contained in Sections 1-20 and 1-25 of
19 the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to the extent that
20 such definitions apply to agencies and agency heads under the
21 jurisdiction of the Governor.
 
22     Section 10. The Hospital Licensing Act is amended by
23 changing Section 9 and by adding Section 9.6 as follows:
 
24     (210 ILCS 85/9)  (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 150)

 

 

HB5492 Engrossed - 7 - LRB095 15957 DRJ 41967 b

1     Sec. 9. Inspections and investigations. The Department
2 shall make or cause to be made such inspections and
3 investigations as it deems necessary, except that the
4 Department shall investigate every allegation of abuse of a
5 patient received by the Department. Information received by the
6 Department through filed reports, inspection, or as otherwise
7 authorized under this Act shall not be disclosed publicly in
8 such manner as to identify individuals or hospitals, except (i)
9 in a proceeding involving the denial, suspension, or revocation
10 of a permit to establish a hospital or a proceeding involving
11 the denial, suspension, or revocation of a license to open,
12 conduct, operate, and maintain a hospital, (ii) to the
13 Department of Children and Family Services in the course of a
14 child abuse or neglect investigation conducted by that
15 Department or by the Department of Public Health, (iii) in
16 accordance with Section 6.14a of this Act, or (iv) in other
17 circumstances as may be approved by the Hospital Licensing
18 Board.
19 (Source: P.A. 90-608, eff. 6-30-98; 91-242, eff. 1-1-00.)
 
20     (210 ILCS 85/9.6 new)
21     Sec. 9.6. Patient protection from abuse.
22     (a) No administrator, agent, or employee of a hospital or a
23 member of its medical staff may abuse a patient in the
24 hospital.
25     (b) Any hospital administrator, agent, employee, or

 

 

HB5492 Engrossed - 8 - LRB095 15957 DRJ 41967 b

1 medical staff member who has reasonable cause to believe that
2 any patient with whom he or she has direct contact has been
3 subjected to abuse in the hospital shall promptly report or
4 cause a report to be made to a designated hospital
5 administrator responsible for providing such reports to the
6 Department as required by this Section.
7     (c) Retaliation against a person who lawfully and in good
8 faith makes a report under this Section is prohibited.
9     (d) Upon receiving a report under subsection (b) of this
10 Section, the hospital shall submit the report to the Department
11 within 24 hours of obtaining such report. In the event that the
12 hospital receives multiple reports involving a single alleged
13 instance of abuse, the hospital shall submit one report to the
14 Department.
15     (e) Upon receiving a report under this Section, the
16 hospital shall promptly conduct an internal review to ensure
17 the alleged victim's safety. Measures to protect the alleged
18 victim shall be taken as deemed necessary by the hospital's
19 administrator and may include, but are not limited to, removing
20 suspected violators from further patient contact during the
21 hospital's internal review. If the alleged victim lacks
22 decision-making capacity under the Health Care Surrogate Act
23 and no health care surrogate is available, the hospital may
24 contact the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission to
25 determine the need for a temporary guardian of that person.
26     (f) All internal hospital reviews shall be conducted by a

 

 

HB5492 Engrossed - 9 - LRB095 15957 DRJ 41967 b

1 designated hospital employee or agent who is qualified to
2 detect abuse and is not involved in the alleged victim's
3 treatment. All internal review findings must be documented and
4 filed according to hospital procedures and shall be made
5 available to the Department upon request.
6     (g) Any other person may make a report of patient abuse to
7 the Department if that person has reasonable cause to believe
8 that a patient has been abused in the hospital.
9     (h) The report required under this Section shall include:
10 the name of the patient; the name and address of the hospital
11 treating the patient; the age of the patient; the nature of the
12 patient's condition, including any evidence of previous
13 injuries or disabilities; and any other information that the
14 reporter believes might be helpful in establishing the cause of
15 the reported abuse and the identity of the person believed to
16 have caused the abuse.
17     (i) Any individual, person, institution, or agency
18 participating in good faith in the making of a report under
19 this Section, or in the investigation of such a report or in
20 making a disclosure of information concerning reports of abuse
21 under this Section, shall have immunity from any liability,
22 whether civil, professional, or criminal, that otherwise might
23 result by reason of such actions. For the purpose of any
24 proceedings, whether civil, professional, or criminal, the
25 good faith of any persons required to report cases of suspected
26 abuse under this Section or who disclose information concerning

 

 

HB5492 Engrossed - 10 - LRB095 15957 DRJ 41967 b

1 reports of abuse in compliance with this Section, shall be
2 presumed.
3     (j) No administrator, agent, or employee of a hospital
4 shall adopt or employ practices or procedures designed to
5 discourage good faith reporting of patient abuse under this
6 Section.
7     (k) Every hospital shall ensure that all new and existing
8 employees are trained in the detection and reporting of abuse
9 of patients and retrained at least every 2 years thereafter.
10     (l) The Department shall investigate each report of patient
11 abuse made under this Section according to the procedures of
12 the Department, except that a report of abuse which indicates
13 that a patient's life or safety is in imminent danger shall be
14 investigated within 24 hours of such report. Under no
15 circumstances may a hospital's internal review of an allegation
16 of abuse replace an investigation of the allegation by the
17 Department.
18     (m) The Department shall keep a continuing record of all
19 reports made pursuant to this Section, including indications of
20 the final determination of any investigation and the final
21 disposition of all reports. The Department shall inform the
22 investigated hospital and any other person making a report
23 under subsection (g) of its final determination or disposition
24 in writing.
25     (n) The Department shall not disclose to the public any
26 information regarding any reports and investigations under

 

 

HB5492 Engrossed - 11 - LRB095 15957 DRJ 41967 b

1 this Section unless and until the report of abuse is
2 substantiated following a full and proper investigation.
3     (o) All patient identifiable information in any report or
4 investigation under this Section shall be confidential and
5 shall not be disclosed except as authorized by this Act or
6 other applicable law.
7     (p) Nothing in this Section relieves a hospital
8 administrator, employee, agent, or medical staff member from
9 contacting appropriate law enforcement authorities as required
10 by law.
11     (q) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to mean that
12 a patient is a victim of abuse because of health care services
13 provided or not provided by health care professionals.
14     (r) Nothing in this Section shall require a hospital,
15 including its employees, agents, and medical staff members, to
16 provide any services to a patient in contravention of his or
17 her stated or implied objection thereto upon grounds that such
18 services conflict with his or her religious beliefs or
19 practices, nor shall such a patient be considered abused under
20 this Section for the exercise of such beliefs or practices.
21     (s) As used in this Section, the following terms have the
22 following meanings:
23     "Abuse" means any physical or mental injury or sexual abuse
24 intentionally inflicted by a hospital employee, agent, or
25 medical staff member on a patient of the hospital and does not
26 include any hospital, medical, health care, or other personal

 

 

HB5492 Engrossed - 12 - LRB095 15957 DRJ 41967 b

1 care services done in good faith in the interest of the patient
2 according to established medical and clinical standards of
3 care.
4     "Mental injury" means intentionally caused emotional
5 distress in a patient from words or gestures that would be
6 considered by a reasonable person to be humiliating, harassing,
7 or threatening and which causes observable and substantial
8 impairment.
9     "Sexual abuse" means any intentional act of sexual contact
10 or sexual penetration of a patient in the hospital.
11     "Substantiated", with respect to a report of abuse, means
12 that a preponderance of the evidence indicates that abuse
13 occurred.
14     (t) Notwithstanding any other rulemaking authority that
15 may exist, neither the Governor nor any agency or agency head
16 under the jurisdiction of the Governor has any authority to
17 make or promulgate rules to implement or enforce the provisions
18 of this Section. If, however, the Governor believes that rules
19 are necessary to implement or enforce the provisions of this
20 Section, the Governor may suggest rules to the General Assembly
21 by filing them with the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of
22 the Senate and by requesting that the General Assembly
23 authorize such rulemaking by law, enact those suggested rules
24 into law, or take any other appropriate action in the General
25 Assembly's discretion. Nothing in this Section shall be
26 interpreted to grant rulemaking authority under any other

 

 

HB5492 Engrossed - 13 - LRB095 15957 DRJ 41967 b

1 Illinois statute where such authority is not otherwise
2 explicitly given. For the purposes of this Section, "rules" is
3 given the meaning contained in Section 1-70 of the Illinois
4 Administrative Procedure Act, and "agency" and "agency head"
5 are given the meanings contained in Sections 1-20 and 1-25 of
6 the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to the extent that
7 such definitions apply to agencies and agency heads under the
8 jurisdiction of the Governor.