Section DHS 124.07 - Maternity and neonatal care(1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (a) "Neonatal" means pertaining to the first 28 days following birth.(c) "Nurse-midwife" means an individual licensed under s. 441.15, Stats., and ch. N 4.(d) "Perinatal" means pertaining to the mother, fetus or infant, in anticipation of and during pregnancy and through the first 28 days following birth.(2) PERSONNEL. (a) A registered nurse shall be responsible for the admission assessment of the maternity patient in labor and continuing assessment and support of the mother and fetus during labor, delivery and the early postpartum period.(b) A registered nurse shall be responsible for the admission assessment of the newborn infant and continuing assessment until the newborn infant is stabilized as defined by current, accepted standards of practice.(c) Hospitals with maternity units shall have a qualified anesthesia provider available at all times to provide emergency care to maternity patients.(3) ADMISSION AND PATIENT PLACEMENT. Hospitals with maternity units shall do all of the following: (a) The hospital shall establish and implement written policies for maternity and non-maternity patients who may be admitted to the maternity unit, including a policy that delineates medical staff responsibility for the admission of maternity patients in non-emergency situations.(b) The hospital's infection prevention policies shall address patient placement and visitation in the maternity unit.(c) The hospital shall establish and implement written policies for admission of newborn infants, including newborn infants born outside the hospital, and criteria for identifying conditions for directly admitting or readmitting newborn infants to the newborn nursery or neonatal intensive care unit for further treatment and follow-up care. For an infant delivered outside the hospital, admission may be made directly to the newborn nursery or neonatal intensive care unit if the admission complies with infection control policies adopted by the hospital to protect patients from communicable disease or infection.(4) TRANSFER. A maternity unit shall do all of the following: (a) Provide adequate facilities, personnel, and equipment and support services for the care of high-risk infants, including premature infants, or a plan for transfer of these infants to a neonatal or pediatric intensive care unit.(b) Establish and implement written policies and procedures for inter-hospital transfer of perinatal and neonatal patients.(c) Establish and implement written policies for the transfer of infants from one hospital to another hospital.(d) Have available personnel and equipment to transfer infants to another hospital. The execution of transfer is a joint responsibility of the sending and receiving hospitals.(5) DELIVERY. Hospitals with maternity units shall do all of the following: (a) If cesarean deliveries are not performed in the maternity unit, equipment for neonatal stabilization and resuscitation shall be available during delivery.(b) Delivery rooms shall be used only for delivery and operating procedures related to deliveries unless permitted by a written safety risk assessment that facilitates safe delivery of care.(6) TESTS FOR CONGENITAL DISORDERS. The hospital shall establish and implement written policies that address the screening and testing of newborns for congenital and metabolic disorders consistent with s. 253.13, Stats., and ch. DHS 115.(7) SECURITY. (a) The hospital shall establish and implement written policies that address infant identification and security.(b) An infant may be discharged only to a parent who has lawful custody of the infant or to an individual who is legally authorized to receive the infant. If the infant is discharged to a legally authorized individual, that individual shall provide identification and, if applicable, the identification of the agency the individual represents. The hospital shall record the identity of the legally authorized individual to whom the infant is discharged.(8) LABOR-INDUCING MEDICATIONS. (a) Only a physician or a nurse-midwife may order the administration of a labor-inducing medication.(b) Only a physician or a nurse-midwife or a registered nurse who has adequate training and experience may administer a labor-inducing medication.(c) A registered nurse shall be present when administration of a labor-inducing medication is initiated and shall remain immediately available to monitor maternal and fetal well-being. Hospitals shall develop and implement policies allowing the registered nurse to discontinue the labor-inducing medication if circumstances warrant discontinuation and no standing orders by a physician or a nurse-midwife are in place authorizing their discontinuation.(d) A registered nurse shall closely monitor and document the administration of a labor-inducing medication. Monitoring shall include monitoring of the fetus and monitoring of uterine contraction during administration of a labor-inducing medication.(e) The physician or nurse-midwife, who prescribed the labor-inducing medication, or another physician or nurse-midwife, shall be readily available during its administration so that, if needed, he or she will arrive at the patient's bedside within 30 minutes after being notified.(9) RELIGIOUS CIRCUMCISIONS. A separate room apart from the newborn nursery shall be provided when circumcisions are performed according to religious rites. A physician, physician's assistant or registered nurse shall be present during the performance of the religious rite. Aseptic techniques shall be used when an infant is circumcised.Wis. Admin. Code Department of Health Services DHS 124.07
Cr. Register, January, 1988, No. 385, eff. 2-1-88.Amended by, CR 19-135: r. and recr. Register June 2020 No. 774, eff. 7-1-20; renum. (1) (b) to (d) under s. 13.92(4) (b) 1, Stats., Register June 2020 No. 774, eff. 7/1/2020