MN HF2464

Summary of HF 2464 (Minnesota)

• Informed consent requirement for sensitive examinations: Health professionals and medical students must obtain prior written consent before performing pelvic, breast, urogenital, or rectal examinations on anesthetized or unconscious patients, with exceptions for medical necessity or emergency situations; violations constitute grounds for disciplinary action.

• Safe haven law expansion: Adds newborn safety devices at fire stations and hospitals, and 911-dispatched ambulances, as designated "safe places" where parents can anonymously surrender unharmed newborns up to seven days old without prosecution.

• Higher Education Facilities Authority restructured: Renames the Minnesota Higher Education Facilities Authority to the Minnesota Health and Education Facilities Authority, expands its mission to include financing nonprofit health care facilities, and increases the bonding capacity from $2 billion to $5 billion ($2.75 billion for health care facilities, $2.25 billion for education facilities).

• Optometrist scope of practice expanded: Allows optometrists to administer Botulinum toxin (Botox) injections to periocular facial muscles, including for cosmetic purposes, and to perform certain local anesthesia injections for chalazia excision and minor skin lesion removal, subject to board approval demonstrating sufficient training.

• Maternal death studies made mandatory: Changes the commissioner of health's authority to conduct maternal death studies from permissive ("may") to mandatory ("must") within available funding to reduce preventable maternal deaths in Minnesota.