2017 Rhode Island General Laws
Title 23 - Health and Safety
Chapter 23-78.1 - Stroke Prevention and Treatment Act of 2009
Section 23-78.1-6 - Continuous improvement of quality of care for individuals with stroke.

§ 23-78.1-6. Continuous improvement of quality of care for individuals with stroke.

(a) The department of health shall establish and implement a plan for achieving continuous quality improvement in the quality of care provided under the statewide system for stroke response and treatment. In implementing this plan, the department of health shall undertake the following activities:

(1) Develop incentives and provide assistance for sharing information and data among health care providers on ways to improve the quality of care;

(2) Facilitate the communication and analysis of health information and data among the health care professionals providing care for individuals with stroke;

(3) Require the application of evidence-based treatment guidelines regarding the transitioning of patients to community-based follow-up care in hospital outpatient, physician office, and ambulatory clinic settings for ongoing care after hospital discharge following acute treatment for a stroke;

(4) Require comprehensive and primary stroke center hospitals and acute stroke-ready hospitals and emergency medical services agencies to report data consistent with nationally recognized guidelines on the treatment of individuals with confirmed stroke within the statewide system for stroke response and treatment;

(5) Analyze data generated by the statewide system on stroke response and treatment; and

(6) The department of health shall maintain a statewide stroke database that compiles information and statistics on stroke care that align with the stroke consensus metrics developed and approved by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (the Joint Commission). The department of health shall utilize Get With The Guidelines Stroke as the stroke registry data platform or another nationally recognized data set platform with confidentiality standards no less secure. To every extent possible, the department of health shall coordinate with national voluntary health organizations involved in stroke quality improvement to avoid duplication and redundancy. The department of health shall establish reporting requirements and specifications to ensure the uniformity and integrity of data submitted to the statewide database/registry.

(b) Except to the extent necessary to address continuity of care issues, health care information shall not be provided in a format that contains individually identifiable information about a patient. The sharing of health care information containing individually identifiable information about patients shall be limited to that information necessary to address continuity of care issues, and shall otherwise be released in accordance with chapter 37.3 of title 5 and subject to the confidentiality provisions required by that chapter and by other relevant state and federal law.

(c) Annual reports. On June 1 after enactment of this chapter and annually thereafter, the department of health and the Rhode Island stroke task force shall report to the general assembly on statewide progress toward improving quality of care and patient outcomes under the statewide system for stroke response and treatment.

History of Section.
(P.L. 2009, ch. 88, § 1; P.L. 2009, ch. 89, § 1; P.L. 2015, ch. 99, § 1; P.L. 2015, ch. 108, § 1; P.L. 2017, ch. 201, § 1; P.L. 2017, ch. 303, § 1.)