2006 Code of Virginia § 32.1-116.1 - Prehospital patient care reporting procedure; trauma registry; confidentiality

32.1-116.1. Prehospital patient care reporting procedure; trauma registry;confidentiality.

A. In order to collect data on the incidence, severity and cause of trauma,integrate the information available from other state agencies on trauma andimprove the delivery of prehospital and hospital emergency medical services,there is hereby established the Emergency Medical Services Patient CareInformation System. The Emergency Medical Services Patient Care InformationSystem shall include the prehospital patient care reporting procedure and thetrauma registry.

All licensed emergency medical services agencies shall participate in theprehospital patient care reporting procedure by making available to theCommissioner or his designees the minimum data set on forms prescribed by theBoard or locally developed forms which contain equivalent information. Theminimum data set shall include, but not be limited to, type of medicalemergency or nature of the call, the response time, the treatment providedand other items as prescribed by the Board.

Each licensed emergency medical services agency shall, upon request, disclosethe prehospital care report to law-enforcement officials (i) when the patientis the victim of a crime or (ii) when the patient is in the custody of thelaw-enforcement officials and has received emergency medical services or hasrefused emergency medical services.

The Commissioner may delegate the responsibility for collection of this datato the Regional Emergency Medical Services Councils, Department of Healthpersonnel or individuals under contract to the Department. The Advisory Boardshall assist in the design, implementation, subsequent revisions and analysesof the data of the prehospital patient care reporting procedures.

B. All licensed hospitals which render emergency medical services shallparticipate in the trauma registry by making available to the Commissioner orhis designees abstracts of the records of all patients admitted to theinstitutions' trauma and general surgery services with diagnoses related totrauma. The abstracts shall be submitted on forms provided by the Departmentand shall include the minimum data set prescribed by the Board.

The Commissioner shall seek the advice and assistance of the Advisory Boardand the Committee on Trauma of the Virginia Chapter of the American Collegeof Surgeons in the design, implementation, subsequent revisions and analysesof the trauma registry.

C. Patient and other data or information submitted to the trauma registry ortransmitted to the Commissioner, the Advisory Board, any committee acting onbehalf of the Advisory Board, any hospital or prehospital care provider, anyregional emergency medical services council, permitted emergency medicalservices agency, or other group or committee for the purpose of monitoringand improving the quality of care pursuant to 32.1-111.3, shall beprivileged and shall not be disclosed or obtained by legal discoveryproceedings, unless a circuit court, after a hearing and for good cause shownarising from extraordinary circumstances, orders disclosure of such data.

(1987, c. 480; 2002, cc. 568, 658; 2003, c. 471; 2006, c. 412.)