Patient’s Representative Forms and Resources Now Available
This bulletin is being sent to aging and disability, health care, public health, and additional key lists, including local public health officers, Tribal health directors, LHD nurses, and local public health department staff.
Overview of patient’s representative
As of June 1, 2026, the 2025 Wisconsin Act 115 update to Wis. Stat. § 50.06 creates a new legal decision-maker and an alternative route for admission to a Community Based Residential Facility (CBRF) or nursing home from inpatient hospitalization. The new legal decision-maker—entitled patient’s representative—may act in circumstances when a family member in a hospital is incapacitated and lacks advanced directives or a legal decision-maker to access post-hospital facility placement and health care decisions. The goal of this legislation is to help incapacitated patients access post-hospital facility care faster, reduce unnecessary hospital stays, ease strain on Wisconsin’s health care system, and include family involvement in decision making.
Patient’s representative resources and forms
Per statute, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) created two required forms to establish the patient’s representative authority. While DHS is responsible for developing forms and resources consistent with the statute, DHS cannot provide legal advice or interpretation on impact to individual agency policy and workflows.
Forms
Forms required to establish the patient’s representative authority:
Translated versions of required forms and additional educational resources will be posted on the DHS website as they are available.
Resources
DHS developed an on-demand Act 115 patient’s representative webinar that provides an overview of 2025 Wisconsin Act 115 update to Wis. Stat. § 50.06 and the role of the patient’s representative, including necessary forms and access to Medicaid services.
All DHS forms and resources regarding the patient’s representative can be found on the Advanced Directives webpage.
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