Additional Resources for New SASETA Requirements

December 31, 2018

MEMORANDUM

New Hospital Requirements for Sexual Assault Treatment Update: Task Force Resources/Filing of Treatment/Transfer Plans after January 2, 2019

Public Act 100-0775 significantly revised the Sexual Assault Survivors Emergency Treatment Act (SASETA) with many new requirements for hospitals effective January 1, 2019. See IHA’s previous memo that includes links to a summary of the law, webinar recording, slides, handouts, written Q&A, implementation timeline and other helpful information.

Task Force Resources
The Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Services Implementation Task Force (Task Force), established by the Act, has developed additional resources to aid in compliance with the new requirements: hospital educational materials, a sample photo documentation policy including procedure and equipment suggestions, and a sample Memorandum of Understanding with a rape crisis center. Hospitals are not required to use these sample documents and they may be modified to meet the needs of the facility so the above two sample documents link to Word documents.

Filing of New Treatment/Transfer Plans
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has indicated it plans to release emergency rules and new treatment/transfer plan forms on January 2, 2019. Hospitals should begin to start filing new treatment or transfer plans showing compliance with the new requirements using one of the new forms: treatment hospital, treatment hospital with pediatric transfer, out-of-state treatment hospital or transfer hospital. There is no firm date when these new plans must be filed, but hospitals will be contacted by IDPH if not received in a timely manner.

When the new plans are approved, the IDPH approval letter will provide instruction on how/when to submit updates or addendums as additional requirements become effective, such as the photo documentation requirement (effective July 1, 2019) if a hospital currently does not utilize photo documentation.

OAG Online ED Staff Training Module – Reminder to Respond to IHA
The Office of Attorney General (OAG) has offered that hospitals may want to utilize the 2-hour OAG-prepared Sexual Assault training (scheduled to be available March 1, 2019) on their own learning management system that provides online training to employees. This training may be used to comply with the new requirement for Emergency Department staff to receive 2 hours of sexual assault training by July 1, 2020 and then 2 hours every 2 years thereafter.

Please contact IHA to either:

  • indicate an interest in using the hospital’s own learning management system to administer this SANE training; he will connect the hospital with OAG staff to understand system requirements, or
  • provide the estimated number of ED employees anticipated to access the OAG’s training on the OAG’s platform.

For questions, please contact Sandy Kraiss at 630-276-5522.