50.90 Definitions. In this subchapter:

(1) “Hospice" means any of the following:

(a) An organization that primarily provides palliative care and supportive care to an individual with terminal illness where he or she lives or stays and, if necessary to meet the needs of an individual with terminal illness, arranges for or provides short-term inpatient care and treatment or provides respite care.

(b) A program, within an organization, that primarily provides palliative care and supportive care to an individual with terminal illness where he or she lives or stays, that uses designated staff time and facility services, that is distinct from other programs of care provided, and, if necessary to meet the needs of an individual with terminal illness, that arranges for or provides short-term inpatient care and treatment or respite care.

(c) A place, including a freestanding structure or a separate part of a structure in which other services are provided, that primarily provides palliative and supportive care and a place of residence to individuals with terminal illness and provides or arranges for short-term inpatient care as needed.

(1m) “Managing employee" means a general manager, business manager, administrator, director or other individual who exercises operational or managerial control over, or who directly or indirectly conducts, the operation of the hospice.

(2) “Organization" means a public agency, as defined in s. 46.856 (1) (b), a nonprofit corporation, a for-profit stock corporation, a cooperative, an unincorporated cooperative association, a partnership, a limited liability company or a sole proprietorship.

(3) “Palliative care" means management and support provided for the reduction or abatement of pain, for other physical symptoms and for psychosocial or spiritual needs of individuals with terminal illness and includes physician services, skilled nursing care, medical social services, services of volunteers and bereavement services. “Palliative care" does not mean treatment provided in order to cure a medical condition or disease or to artificially prolong life.

(3g) “Respite care" means care provided to a terminally ill individual in order to provide temporary relief to the primary caregiver.

(3m) “Short-term care" means care provided to a terminally ill individual in an inpatient setting for brief periods of time for the purpose of pain control or acute or chronic symptom management.

(4) “Supportive care" means services provided during the final stages of an individual's terminal illness and dying and after the individual's death to meet the psychosocial, social and spiritual needs of family members of the terminally ill individual and other individuals caring for the terminally ill individual. “Supportive care" includes personal adjustment counseling, financial counseling, respite services, bereavement counseling and follow-up services provided by volunteers or other persons.

(5) “Terminal illness" means a medical prognosis that an individual's life expectancy is less than 12 months.

History: 1989 a. 199; 1993 a. 112; 2003 a. 33; 2005 a. 441.