MONROE - Two local hospitals were among nearly two dozen Wisconsin hospitals fined for various violations of a state law requiring hospitals to provide information about emergency contraception to rape victims.
According to the Department of Health Services report, the Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County and Monroe Clinic were found to be out of compliance with the state law in April of 2015 and February of 2016, respectively.
A 2007 state law requires hospitals to provide information to a rape victim regarding the option to receive emergency contraceptives and to provide those contraceptives on the victim's request.
The Wisconsin State Journal reported Sunday that 22 hospitals throughout Wisconsin were fined since 2008 for various violations of the law. Most hospitals were fined $2,500 or $5,000.
The Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County was fined $7,500 for its infractions, which chief operating officer Kathy Kuepers said occurred because the hospital kept incomplete documentation about the information given to rape victims.
"We are now in 100 percent compliance with the law and we have informed our staff that everything they do needs to be completely documented," Kuepers said.
Monroe Clinic was fined $2,500 for its infractions, which were similar to the Memorial Hospital's infractions but smaller in scope.
Patricia Lawson, director of marketing for Monroe Clinic, said the clinic provided, and still provides, emergency contraception to rape victims, but a documentation error was found during the survey in 2016.
Specifically, the survey found that the clinic had no record of the hospital providing a specific patient with written information regarding emergency contraceptives, according to the report from the DHS.
"There's always an opportunity for us to improve our documentation," Lawson said.
According to the Department of Health Services report, the Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County and Monroe Clinic were found to be out of compliance with the state law in April of 2015 and February of 2016, respectively.
A 2007 state law requires hospitals to provide information to a rape victim regarding the option to receive emergency contraceptives and to provide those contraceptives on the victim's request.
The Wisconsin State Journal reported Sunday that 22 hospitals throughout Wisconsin were fined since 2008 for various violations of the law. Most hospitals were fined $2,500 or $5,000.
The Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County was fined $7,500 for its infractions, which chief operating officer Kathy Kuepers said occurred because the hospital kept incomplete documentation about the information given to rape victims.
"We are now in 100 percent compliance with the law and we have informed our staff that everything they do needs to be completely documented," Kuepers said.
Monroe Clinic was fined $2,500 for its infractions, which were similar to the Memorial Hospital's infractions but smaller in scope.
Patricia Lawson, director of marketing for Monroe Clinic, said the clinic provided, and still provides, emergency contraception to rape victims, but a documentation error was found during the survey in 2016.
Specifically, the survey found that the clinic had no record of the hospital providing a specific patient with written information regarding emergency contraceptives, according to the report from the DHS.
"There's always an opportunity for us to improve our documentation," Lawson said.