214.160 Blood specimen of pregnant women to be taken -- Laboratory test --
866 words·~4 min read·
/ky/214-160A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Substance abuse tests of pregnant women and newborn infants -- Use of tests --
Report if infant is affected by substance abuse withdrawal symptoms -- Tests
for presence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
(1)Every physician and every other person legally permitted to engage in attendance
upon a pregnant woman in this state shall take or cause to be taken from the woman
a specimen of blood for serological test for syphilis as soon as he is engaged to
attend the woman and has reasonable grounds for suspecting that pregnancy exists.
If the woman is in labor at the time the diagnosis of pregnancy is made, which may
make it inadvisable to obtain a blood specimen at that time, the specimen shall be
obtained within ten
(10)days after delivery. The specimen of blood shall be
submitted to the laboratory of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services or a
laboratory approved by the cabinet for the purpose of having made a serological test
for syphilis. The test shall be of a type approved by the Cabinet for Health and
Family Services.
(2)The Cabinet for Health and Family Services shall, as often as necessary, publish a
list of the five
(5)most frequently abused substances, including alcohol, by pregnant
women in the Commonwealth. Any physician and any other person legally
permitted to engage in attendance upon a pregnant woman in this state may perform
a screening for alcohol or substance dependency or abuse, including a
comprehensive history of such behavior. Any physician may administer a
toxicology test to a pregnant woman under the physician's care within eight
hours after delivery to determine whether there is evidence that she has ingested
alcohol, a controlled substance, or a substance identified on the list provided by the
cabinet, or if the woman has obstetrical complications that are a medical indication
of possible use of any such substance for a nonmedical purpose.
(3)Any physician or person legally permitted to engage in attendance upon a pregnant
woman may administer to each newborn infant born under that person's care a
toxicology test to determine whether there is evidence of prenatal exposure to
alcohol, a controlled substance, or a substance identified on the list provided by the
Cabinet for Health and Family Services, if the attending person has reason to
believe, based on a medical assessment of the mother or the infant, that the mother
used any such substance for a nonmedical purpose during the pregnancy.
(4)The circumstances surrounding any positive toxicology finding shall be evaluated
by the attending person to determine if abuse or neglect of the infant, as defined
under KRS 600.020(1), shall be reported to the state's child protective services
agency.
(5)An infant affected by substance abuse withdrawal symptoms resulting from prenatal
drug exposure or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder shall be reported to the state's child
protective services agency in accordance with 42 U.S.C. sec. 5106a.
(6)No prenatal screening for alcohol or other substance abuse or positive toxicology
finding shall be used as prosecutorial evidence.
(7)No person shall conduct or cause to be conducted any toxicological test pursuant to
this section on any pregnant woman without first informing the pregnant woman of
the purpose of the test.
(8)Every physician or other person legally permitted to engage in attendance upon a
pregnant woman in the Commonwealth shall take or cause to be taken from the
woman a specimen of blood which shall be submitted for the purpose of serologic
testing for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen to a laboratory certified by the
United States Department for Health and Human Services pursuant to Section 333
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. sec. 263a), as revised by the Clinical
Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), Pub.L. 100-578.
(a)Every physician or other person legally permitted to engage in attendance
upon a pregnant woman in the Commonwealth shall take or cause to be taken
from the woman a specimen of blood which shall be submitted for the purpose
of serologic testing for the presence of hepatitis C virus antibodies and RNA
in the blood.
(b)The results of this testing shall be recorded by the physician or other person
legally permitted to engage in attendance upon a pregnant woman in the
Commonwealth, in:
1. The permanent medical record of the woman; and
2. The permanent medical record of the child or children she was pregnant
with at the time of the testing after the child or children are born.
(c)If the woman receives a test result that shows she is positive for hepatitis C
virus antibodies or RNA, the physician or other person legally permitted to
engage in attendance upon a pregnant woman in the Commonwealth shall
orally inform and clearly document the woman or the legal guardian of the
child or children she was pregnant with at the time of the testing, that it is
recommended that serologic testing for the presence of hepatitis C virus
antibodies and confirmation RNA in the blood be conducted on the child or
children she was pregnant with at the time of the testing at the twenty-four
(24)month recommended well baby pediatric check-up.