Wisconsin 2023-2024 Regular Session

Wisconsin Senate Bill SB922

Introduced
1/19/24  
Refer
1/19/24  

Caption

Prohibiting discrimination or retaliation against health care providers by health care entities and credentialing boards for ordering or discussing innovative or novel therapies.

Impact

If enacted, SB922 would change the landscape of health care practices in Wisconsin, reinforcing the autonomy of health care providers in making treatment decisions based on clinical judgment and patient needs. This legislation would prevent health care entities from imposing restrictions that could limit the discussion of innovative therapies, potentially facilitating broader access to cutting-edge treatments. While the intention is to promote innovation in patient care, it could also encourage debates on the balance between patient safety and the introduction of novel treatments that may not yet have extensive clinical backing.

Summary

Senate Bill 922 aims to safeguard health care providers from discrimination or retaliation by health care entities and credentialing boards when they order or discuss innovative or novel therapies for patients. The bill stipulates that health care providers can only be protected if they order such therapies based on their professional assessment and the patient's request, ensuring that these therapies have FDA approval or emergency authorization. The purpose of this legislation is to encourage the adoption and discussion of new treatment options that could benefit patients, particularly in contexts where traditional treatments may not be effective.

Contention

The bill has sparked discussions regarding the implications of allowing a wide array of novel therapies, particularly around concerns that it could lead to the use of experimental treatments without sufficient oversight or regulation. There are particular points of contention regarding therapies related to gender transition, where the bill explicitly excludes protection for treatments that involve delaying or suppressing pubertal development in minors. This restriction highlights ongoing societal debates about gender identity and the appropriate bounds of medical treatment for transgender youth, setting the stage for further legislative and ethical discussions.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

WI AB609

Prohibiting discrimination or retaliation against health care providers by health care entities and credentialing boards for ordering or discussing innovative or novel therapies.

WI SB924

Right of health care providers to express professional opinions related to health or medical information or guidance.

WI AB611

Right of health care providers to express professional opinions related to health or medical information or guidance.

WI SB1702

Gender transition; prohibitions; hormone therapies

WI SB2043

Relating to prohibited retaliation against a physician or health care provider for reporting certain violations or taking certain actions with respect to the provision of health care services; providing a civil remedy.

WI HB4100

Relating to prohibited retaliation against a physician or health care provider for reporting certain violations or taking certain actions with respect to the provision of health care services; providing a civil remedy.

WI HB2269

Hospitals; reports of threats or acts of violence against health care providers.

WI SB1260

Hospitals; reports of threats or acts of violence against health care providers.

WI SB63

Enacting the help not harm act, restricting use of state funds to promote gender transitioning, prohibiting healthcare providers from providing gender transition care to children whose gender identity is inconsistent with the child's sex, authorizing a civil cause of action against healthcare providers for providing such treatments, requiring professional discipline against a healthcare provider who performs such treatment, prohibiting professional liability insurance from covering damages for healthcare providers that provide gender transition treatment to children and adding violation of the act to the definition of unprofessional conduct for physicians.

WI HB1105

Relating to preventative health care and public health, including prohibited immunization and face-covering requirements, private business or school closures, and the ordering and administration of immunizations by a pharmacist.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.