Health Professionals Guide to Newborn Screening

Newborn Screening Statute WS 253.13

Tests for Congenital Disorders:

(1) BLOOD TESTS. The attending physician or nurse certified under s. 441.15 shall cause every infant born in each hospital or maternity home, prior to its discharge therefrom, to be subjected to blood tests for congenital and metabolic disorders, as specified in rules promulgated by the department. If the infant is born elsewhere than in a hospital or maternity home, the attending physician, nurse certified under s. 441.14 or birth attendant who attended the birth shall cause the infant, within one week of birth, to be subjected to these blood tests.
 
(1m) URINE TESTS. The department may establish a urine test program to test infants for causes of congenital disorders. The State Laboratory of Hygiene board may establish the methods of obtaining urine specimens and testing such specimens, and may develop materials for use in tests. No person may be required to participate in programs developed under his subsection.
 
(2) TEST; DIAGNOSTIC, DIETARY AND FOLLOW-UP COUSELING PROGRAM; FEES. The department shall contract with the State Laboratory of Hygiene to perform the test specified under this section and to furnish material for use in the tests. The department shall provide necessary diagnostic services, special dietary treatment as prescribed by a physician for a patient with a congenital disorder as identified by tests under sub. (1) or (1m) and follow-up counseling for the patient and his or her family. The State Laboratory of Hygiene board on behalf of the department, shall impose a fee for tests performed under this section sufficient to pay for services provided under the contract and shall include as part of this fee and pay the department an amount the department determines is sufficient to fund the provision of diagnostic and counseling services, special dietary treatment and periodic evaluation of infant screening programs under this section.
 
(3) EXCEPTIONS. This section shall not apply if the parents or legal guardian of the child object thereto on the grounds that the test conflicts with their religious tenets and practices. No tests may be performed under sub (1) or (1m) unless the parents or legal guardian are fully informed of the purposes of the testing under this section and have been given reasonable opportunity to object as authorized in this subsection or in sub (1M) to such tests.
 
(4) CONFIDENTIALITY OF TESTS AND RELATED INFORMATION. The State Laboratory of Hygiene shall provide the test results to the physician, who shall advise the parents or legal guardian of the results. No information obtained under this section from the parents or guardian or from specimens from the infant 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). The State Laboratory of Hygiene board shall provide to the department the names and addresses of parents of infants who have positive test results.
 
(5) RELATED SERVICES. The department shall disseminate information to families whose children suffer from congenital disorders and to women of child-bearing age with a history of congenital disorders concerning the need for and availability of follow-up counseling and special dietary treatment and the necessity for testing infants. The department shall also refer families of children who suffer from congenital disorders to available health and social services programs. The department shall periodically consult appropriate experts in reviewing and evaluating the state's infant screening program.

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