Wisconsin Code § 253.115

Newborn hearing screening
Open in Lexace · Ask the AI about this section
(1) DEFINITIONS.
In this section:
(a) “Hearing loss” means an inability in one or both ears to
detect sounds at 30 decibels hearing level or greater in the frequency region of 500 to 4,000 hertz that affects speech recognition and auditory comprehension.
(b) “Hertz” means a unit of frequency equal to one cycle per
second.
(c) “Hospital” has the meaning given in s. 50.33 (2).
(d) “Infant” means a child from birth to 3 months of age.
(e) “Newborn hearing screening program” means a system of
a hospital under which an infant may be tested, using currently
available medical techniques, to determine if the infant has a
hearing loss.
(f) “Nurse-midwife” means an individual who is licensed as
an advanced practice registered nurse and possesses a certified
nurse-midwife specialty designation under s. 441.09.
(5) REFERRAL TO FOLLOW-UP SERVICES. The department
shall provide referrals to intervention programs for hearing loss.
(6) EXCEPTIONS. (a) Subsection (4) does not apply if the parents or legal guardian of the child object to a screen for hearing
loss on the grounds that the test conflicts with their religious
tenets and practices.
(b) No screening may be performed under sub. (4) unless the
parents or legal guardian are fully informed of the purposes of a
screen for hearing loss and have been given reasonable opportunity to object under par. (a) to the screen.
(7) SCREENING RESULTS. (a) The physician, nurse-midwife,
or certified professional midwife licensed under s. 440.982 who
is required to ensure that the infant is screened for hearing loss
under sub. (4) shall do all of the following:
(8) CONFIDENTIALITY. Except as provided under sub. (7) (a)
3. and (b), no information obtained under this section from the
parents or legal guardian may be disclosed except for use in statistical data compiled by the department without reference to the
identity of any individual and except as provided in s. 146.82 (2).

‹ Prev All Wisconsin sections Next ›


Lexace provides legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney–client relationship is created. Statute text is provided for general information and may not reflect the most recent amendments; verify against the official state code.