Section 1.02. Definitions.

  As used in chs. PT 1 to 9 :

(1)  "Board" means the physical therapy examining board.

(3)  "Client" means a person who has contracted for, who receives, and or who has previously received or contracted for, the professional services of a physical therapist, a physical therapist assistant, student or temporary licensee, whether the physical therapist, student or temporary licensee is paid or unpaid for the service, and regardless of where such services occur. If a client is a person under age 18, the client's parent or legal guardian are also clients.

(4)  "Direct, immediate, on-premises supervision" means face-to-face contact between the supervisor and the person being supervised, as necessary, with the supervisor physically present in the same building when the service is performed by the person being supervised.

(5)  "Direct, immediate, one-to-one supervision" means one-to-one supervision with face-to-face contact between the person being supervised and the supervisor. The supervisor may assist the person being supervised as necessary.

(6)  "FSBPT" means the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy.

(7)  "General supervision" means direct, on-premises contact between a supervisor, and a physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, student or temporary licensee being supervised, as necessary. Between direct contacts, a supervisor is required to maintain indirect, off-premises telecommunication contact such that the person being supervised can, within 24 hours, establish direct telecommunication with a supervisor.

(8)  "Informed consent" means a client's voluntary, knowing and understood agreement to the service to be provided by the physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, temporary licensee, candidate for reentry, or student. Informed consent requires, at a minimum, that the licensee has provided information about reasonable alternate modes of diagnosis and treatment, and the risks and benefits of each, that a reasonable person in the client's position would need before making an informed decision concerning the mode of treatment or diagnosis.

(a) Informed consent may ordinarily be documented by the written signature of the client, the client's guardian or the client's power of attorney for healthcare, or in the alternative by a notation in the patient's health care record as defined in s. 146.81 (4) , Stats. If circumstances prevent signed documentation by the client, the licensee may document verbal consent within the patient's health care record.

(b) A client may withdraw informed consent verbally or in writing at any time before a service is completed.

(c) Informed consent shall include an understanding that the client may, upon request, have a chaperone present while services are provided.

(d) No service or part of a service may be provided without the client's informed consent or after informed consent has been withdrawn.

(e) No service or part of a service may be provided without informing the client of the general nature of the costs associated with the service provided or contact information for the entity who can address billing concerns.

(9)  "Intimate parts" has the meaning given in s. 939.22 (19) , Stats.

(10)  "License" means any license, permit, certificate or registration issued by the board.

(11)  "Licensee" means any person validly possessing any license granted and issued to that person by the board.

(12)  "Supervisor" means a person holding a regular license as a physical therapist who is competent to coordinate, direct, and inspect the accomplishments of another physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, student, or temporary licensee.

(13)  "Temporary licensee" means a graduate of a physical therapy school or program who has met the requirements for and who has been granted a temporary license to practice as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant as provided in ch. PT 3 .

(14)  "Unlicensed personnel" means a person other than a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant who performs patient related tasks consistent with the unlicensed personnel's education, training and expertise under the direct on-premises supervision of the physical therapist.

Cr. Register, September, 1995, No. 477 , eff. 10-1-95; r. (5), cr. (6), Register, April, 2000, No. 532 , eff. 5-1-00; CR 03-020 : am. (intro.), (2) and (6) Register April 2004 No. 580 , eff. 5-1-04; CR 12-002 : am. (1), renum. (2), (3), (4) to be (6), (10), (11), cr. (2) to (5), renum. (6) to be (14), cr. (7) to (9), (12), (13) Register August 2012 No. 680 , eff. 9-1-12; CR 15-027 : r. (2) Register January 2016 No. 721 , eff. 2-1-16.