Read the full stored bill text
Wisconsin Legislature: AB799: Bill Text
Skip navigation
Home
Documents
Senate
Assembly
Committees
Service Agencies
Docs
Options
Help
2025 Biennium
Statutes
Admin. Rules
Indices
Miscellaneous
Archives
Home
Bill, Rule, and Appointment Histories
Senators
Representatives
Committees
Text of Introduced Proposals
Amendment Text
Acts
Veto Messages
Enrolled Bills
Votes
Assembly and Senate Floor Calendars
Schedule of Committee Activities
Assembly and Senate Journals
Committee Records (ROCPs)
Legislative Rules
All Session-Related Documents
Subject Index to Acts
Subject Index to Legislation
Subject Index to Journals
Author Index to Legislation
Subject Index to Clearinghouse Rules
Miscellaneous Budget Documents
Executive Orders
Rulings of the Chair
Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules
Opinions of the Attorney General
Town Law Forms
Law
Districts
Session
Drafting Files
Feeds
Preferences
Show tree
Hide tree
Feedback
Help
Home
Senate Home
Senators
Committees
Session
Chief Clerk
Sergeant at Arms
Civics Education
Human Resources
Assembly Home
Representatives
Committees
Session
Chief Clerk
Sergeant at Arms
Human Resources
Schedule
Joint
Senate
Assembly
Study
Legislative Audit Bureau
Legislative Council
Legislative Fiscal Bureau
Legislative Human Resources Office
Legislative Reference Bureau
Legislative Technology Services Bureau
Menu
»
2025
»
Related Documents
»
Proposal Text
»
AB799: Bill Text
Up
Up
2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-5750/1
MED:cjs/skw/wlj
2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 799
December 23, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives
Brooks
,
Dittrich
,
Kurtz
,
Doyle
,
Johnson
,
Ortiz-Velez
,
Spaude
,
Subeck
,
Vining
and
O'Connor
, cosponsored by Senators
Feyen
,
James
,
Wanggaard
and
Cabral-Guevara
. Referred to Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care.
AB799,1,3
1
An Act
to amend
440.03 (9) (a) (intro.) and 448.115 (1) (intro.);
to create
2
20.165 (1) (hr) and 440.10 of the statutes;
relating to:
a health professional
3
assistance program and making an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill directs the Department of Safety and Professional Services to contract with an entity to establish and operate a health professional assistance program to coordinate detection, evaluation, treatment, and continuing care monitoring for health care providers who are suffering from a condition that could lead to impairment, which the bill defines as the inability of a health care provider to practice with reasonable skill or safety due to a health condition.
Under the bill, the entity selected by DSPS to provide the program must be sponsored by a health care provider professional association or society, be organized as a not-for-profit entity, contract with or employ a medical director who specializes or has training or expertise in addiction medicine, and contract with or employ health care providers as needed for the program’s operation. In addition, the program must adopt certain procedures, including procedures for 1) determining eligibility for the program; 2) contracting or coordinating with a network of health care providers to provide care for participants; 3) monitoring the continuing care and support of participants; 4) intervening when participants violate any terms of program participation or when participants may require additional evaluation or treatment; and 5) safeguarding confidentiality.
The bill allows a credentialing board that regulates health care providers to participate in the program with respect to one or more credentials issued by that board. If a credentialing board participates in the program, the credentialing board is not required to participate in the program with respect to each credential issued by the board, but may limit its participation to one or more specified credentials.
The bill provides that the program must allow health care providers who are suffering from a condition that could lead to impairment to participate on a voluntary and confidential basis. The bill provides that voluntary participation in the program does not limit a credentialing board’s authority to investigate or discipline the participating health care provider on the basis of conduct that is unrelated to the health care provider’s participation in the program.
The bill permits health care providers and credentialing boards that have reason to believe that a health care provider has a condition that could lead to impairment to report the health care provider to the program. The bill requires the program to receive and assess the reports and determine whether the health care provider who is the subject of the report requires further screening, evaluation, treatment, or other action. If the program determines that a health care provider requires further screening, evaluation, treatment, or other action, the program must offer the health care provider the option to voluntarily participate in the program.
Under current law, a physician who has reason to believe that certain facts about another physician are true, including that the other physician is engaging or has engaged in acts that constitute a pattern of unprofessional conduct or that the other physician is or may be medically incompetent, must promptly submit a written report to the Medical Examining Board that includes facts relating to the conduct of the other physician. The bill provides that a physician can fulfill their reporting obligation by submitting a written report to the program, instead of the Medical Examining Board, if the Medical Examining Board is participating in the program with respect to physician credentials.
The bill provides that a health care provider’s participation in the program, any treatment received through the program, and any information reported to the program shall remain confidential except as provided in the bill; that the program may disclose information about a health care provider to a credentialing board only in certain circumstances; and that no person may require that a health care provider disclose their participation in the program or any treatment received through the program. The bill further provides that information, interviews, reports, statements, memoranda, and other documents that are furnished to the program or produced by the program are privileged and confidential.
The bill provides immunity from civil liability as specified in the bill for the program and its employees, officers, and agents and reporting health care providers.
Finally, the bill directs DSPS to charge a fee of $70 to each health care provider whose credential is served by the program to be paid at the time the health care provider is issued or renews their credential. The bill provides funding for the program costs using moneys collected from those fees.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
AB799,1
1
Section
1
.
20.165 (1) (hr) of the statutes is created to read:
AB799,2,4
2
20.165
(1)
(hr)
Health professional assistance programs
. All moneys received
3
from fees under s. 440.10 (2) (d) for costs associated with the health professional
4
assistance program under s. 440.10.
AB799,2
5
Section
2
.
440.03 (9) (a) (intro.) of the statutes, as affected by
2025
6
Wisconsin Act 20
, is amended to read:
AB799,2,12
7
440.03
(9)
(a) (intro.) Subject to pars. (b) and (c) and
s.
ss. 440.10 (2) (d) and
8
458.33 (2) (b) and (5), the department shall, biennially, determine each fee for an
9
initial credential for which no examination is required, for a reciprocal credential,
10
and for a credential renewal and any fees imposed under ss. 447.51 (2), 448.986 (2),
11
448.9875 (2), 448.9885 (2), 448.9888 (2), 457.51 (2), and 459.71 (2) by doing all of the
12
following:
AB799,3
13
Section
3
.
440.10 of the statutes is created to read:
AB799,2,15
14
440.10 Health professional assistance program. (1)
Definitions
. In
15
this section:
AB799,2,17
16
(a) “Impairment” means an inability of a health care provider to practice with
17
reasonable skill or safety due to a health condition.
AB799,2,19
18
(b) “Participant” means a holder of a participating credential who participates
19
in the program, as described in sub. (3) (b).
AB799,3,2
1
(c) “Participating credential” means a credential with respect to which a
2
credentialing board is participating in the program, as provided in sub. (2) (b).
AB799,3,5
3
(d) “Participating credentialing board” means a credentialing board that is
4
participating in the program with respect to one or more credentials, as provided in
5
sub. (2) (b).
AB799,3,7
6
(e) “Program” means the health professional assistance program operated by
7
an entity with which the department enters into a contract under sub. (2) (a).
AB799,3,14
8
(2)
Contract; participation and fees
. (a) The department shall contract
9
with an entity to establish and operate a health professional assistance program to
10
coordinate detection, evaluation, treatment, and continuing care monitoring for
11
health care providers described in sub. (3) (b) who are suffering from a condition
12
that could lead to impairment. A contract under this paragraph shall establish the
13
specific services that the program may provide. The entity described under this
14
paragraph must meet all of the following requirements:
AB799,3,16
15
1. The entity is sponsored by one or more professional associations or societies
16
of health care providers.
AB799,3,19
17
2. The entity is an entity organized under the law of this state that is
18
described in section
501
(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and that is exempt
19
from federal income tax under section
501
(a) of the Internal Revenue Code.
AB799,3,22
20
3. The entity contracts with or employs a medical director who holds a license
21
to practice medicine and surgery under subch. II ch. 448 and specializes or has
22
training and expertise in addiction medicine.
AB799,3,24
23
4. The entity contracts with or employs health care providers necessary for
24
the entity’s operations.
AB799,4,5
1
(b) A credentialing board that regulates health care providers may participate
2
in the program with respect to one or more credentials issued by that board. If a
3
credentialing board participates in the program, the credentialing board is not
4
required to participate in the program with respect to each credential issued by the
5
board, but may limit its participation to one or more specified credentials.
AB799,4,6
6
(c) The program shall adopt procedures for all of the following:
AB799,4,7
7
1. Determining eligibility for the services of program.
AB799,4,9
8
2. Contracting or coordinating with a network of health care providers to
9
provide care for participants.
AB799,4,10
10
3. Receiving and assessing reports under sub. (5).
AB799,4,11
11
4. Safeguarding confidentiality as required under sub. (6).
AB799,4,12
12
5. Monitoring the continuing care and support of participants.
AB799,4,14
13
6. Intervening when participants violate any terms of program participation
14
or when participants may require additional evaluation or treatment.
AB799,4,17
15
7. Reporting to the participating credentialing board on the progress and
16
program compliance of participants who have consented to the disclosure of such
17
information under sub. (6) (a) 3.
AB799,4,18
18
8. Performing any other agreed upon activities.
AB799,4,22
19
(d) The department shall, in addition to the applicable fee determined under
20
s. 440.03 (9), charge a fee of $70 to the holder of each participating credential, to be
21
paid at the time the health care provider is issued an initial credential and at the
22
time the health care provider renews their credential.
AB799,4,24
23
(e) The department shall ensure that the program is coordinated with the
24
procedure under s. 440.03 (1c).
AB799,5,2
1
(f) The department shall pay the costs associated with the contract under this
2
subsection from the appropriation under s. 20.165 (1) (hr).
AB799,5,4
3
(3)
Health professional assistance program.
All of the following apply to
4
the program:
AB799,5,5
5
(a) The program shall provide all services established under sub. (2) (a).
AB799,5,8
6
(b) The program shall allow holders of participating credentials who are
7
suffering from a condition that could lead to impairment to participate in the
8
program on a voluntary and confidential basis.
AB799,5,11
9
(c) The program and its employees, officers, and agents shall be immune from
10
civil liability for any damages that result from the provision of services described, or
11
the taking of any action authorized, under this section.
AB799,5,14
12
(d) The program shall base the scope of services provided to participants on
13
information that is science-based and published in peer-reviewed journals and
14
textbooks and accords with national standards.
AB799,5,18
15
(4)
Voluntary assistance
. (a) A health care provider who holds a
16
participating credential may voluntarily request participation in the program for a
17
condition that could lead to impairment if the health care provider believes that
18
their participation is necessary to prevent or reverse impairment.
AB799,5,23
19
(b) A participant’s voluntary participation in the program or any treatment
20
received through the program shall not limit a credentialing board’s authority to
21
investigate, discipline, or take action to suspend, limit, or revoke the credential of
22
the health care provider on the basis of violations based on conduct unrelated to the
23
health care provider’s participation in the program.
AB799,6,2
24
(5)
Reports to program
. (a) 1. A health care provider who reasonably
1
believes that a colleague health care provider has a condition that could lead to
2
impairment may report the colleague health care provider to the program.
Down
Down
/2025/related/proposals/ab799
true
proposaltext
/2025/related/proposals/ab799
proposaltext/2025/REG/AB799
proposaltext/2025/REG/AB799
section
true
Menu
»
2025
»
Related Documents
»
Proposal Text
»
AB799: Bill Text
×
Details for
PDF view
Link
(Permanent link)
Bookmark this location
View toggle
Go to top of document
Search in this chapter
Search in this section
Search in this agency
Search in this chapter group
Search in this chapter
Search in this section
Cross references for section
Acts affecting this section
References to this
1970 Statutes Annotations
Appellate Court Citations
Administrative Code Index
Reference lines
Clear highlighting