Section Gen Couns 4.02 - Standards of practice Genetic counselors shall adhere to the minimum standards of practice of genetic counseling established in the profession, including the following areas:
(1) REFERRALS. Referrals are not required but may be accepted from licensed healthcare professionals. Patients may also self-refer for genetic counseling services.(2) INFORMED CONSENT. (a) Any genetic counselor who provides services to a patient shall inform the patient about the availability of reasonable alternatives and about the benefits and risks of these options. The genetic counselor shall obtain consent to perform any services prior to providing them. The reasonable genetic counselor standard is the standard for informing a patient under this section. The reasonable genetic counselor standard requires disclosure only of information that a reasonable genetic counselor would know and disclose under the circumstances.(b) The genetic counselor's duty to inform the patient under par. (a) does not require disclosure of any of the following: 1. Detailed technical information that the patient likely would not understand.2. Risks apparent or known to the patient.3. Extremely remote possibilities that might falsely or detrimentally alarm the patient.4. Information in emergencies where failure to provide certain information would be more harmful to the patient than giving the information.5. Information in cases where the patient is incapable of consenting.6. Information about reasonable alternatives for any condition the genetic counselor has not included in the genetic counselor's diagnosis at the time the genetic counselor informs the patient of the diagnosis.(c) A genetic counselor's patient record shall include documentation that reasonable alternatives have been communicated to the patient and informed consent has been obtained from the patient as required under par. (a).(3) RECORDKEEPING. (a) When patient healthcare records are not maintained by a separate entity, a genetic counselor shall ensure patient healthcare records are maintained on every patient for a period of not less than 10 years after the date of the last entry, or for a longer period as may be otherwise required by law.(b) A patient healthcare record shall contain all of the following clinical health care information that applies to the patient's medical condition: 1. Pertinent patient history.2. Pertinent objective findings related to examination and test results.3. Assessment or diagnosis.4. Recommendations for the patient.(c) Each patient healthcare record entry shall be dated, shall identify the genetic counselor, and shall be sufficiently legible to allow interpretation by other healthcare practitioners.Wis. Admin. Code Genetic Counselors Affiliated Credentialing Board Gen Couns 4.02
Adopted by, EmR2313: emerg. cr., eff. 9-15-23; CR 23-061: cr. Register May 28 No. 821, eff. 6/1/2024