Requiring that a primary care doctor authorize visits to specialists, known as gatekeeping, was instituted in the 1980's and early 90's by many health insurers to control costs and overuse of specialists.
Under current public health law, the state's Patient Bill of Rights allows patients to authorize visits from any adult they wish to see, but problems arose because there was no standard for cases in which a patient is unconscious, incapacitated or rushed into a hospital or health care center in an emergency.
Though Seoul will not send a delegation to Mr. Kim's funeral on Dec. 28, it authorized visits to the North by the widows of former President Kim Dae-jung, who held a landmark summit meeting with Mr. Kim in 2000, and a former Hyundai chairman, Chung Mong-hun, who had business ties with North Korea.
Obama has allowed Americans to more easily make authorized visits but tourism remains banned.
The team arrived Sunday after months of negotiations with the Syrian government and is authorized to visit only three predetermined sites.
They had asked for $2,000 for each of the 24,700 pilgrims authorized to visit Mecca by the Organization of the Islamic Conference.
Defense psychiatrists have been authorized to visit Mr. Weston, and their evaluations likely would form the basis for any insanity claim.
United States exporters of grains and other food products would be authorized to visit the island to promote sales, just as scholars and journalists are currently allowed, the lawmakers said.
The regulations say, "For the purpose of detecting or preventing terrorist activities, the F.B.I. is authorized to visit any place and attend any event that is open to the public...
And for the purposes of detecting terrorist activities, the police were authorized to visit places and attend events on the same terms as members of the public, although they were not allowed to retain information unless relevant "to potential unlawful or terrorist activity," according to the relaxed rules.
As for attending events at places like mosques, the change reads: "For the purpose of detecting or preventing terrorist activities, the F.B.I. is authorized to visit any place and attend any event that is open to the public, on the same terms and conditions as members of the public generally".
