§ 23-43-01 — Stroke system

The department of health and human services shall establish and maintain a
comprehensive stroke system for the state. The program must comply with this chapter; be
based on department-approved, nationally recognized guidelines and protocols; and provide
specific patient care and support services criteria stroke centers shall meet to ensure stroke
patients receive safe and effective care, and must modify the state's emergency medical
response system to assure stroke patients are quickly identified and transported to and treated
in facilities that have specialized programs for providing timely and effective treatment for stroke
patients. The stroke system must include standards for the following components:
1. A system plan.
2. Prehospital emergency medical services.
3. Hospitals, for which the standards must include:
a. Standards for designation, redesignation, and removal of designation.
b. Standards for evaluation and quality improvement programs for designated
facilities. The standards must require each facility to collect quality improvement
data and to provide specified portions to the department of health and human
services for use in state and regional stroke quality improvement programs.
4. A stroke registry. Data in the stroke registry is not subject to subpoena or discovery or
introduction into evidence in any civil action. A designated facility shall participate in
the stroke registry. A hospital not designated shall provide to the stroke registry a
minimum set of data elements for all stroke patients as determined by the stroke
system of care advisory task force.
5. A stroke quality improvement program to monitor the performance of the stroke
system. The proceedings and records of the stroke quality improvement program are
not subject to subpoena or discovery or introduction into evidence in any civil action
arising out of any matter that is the subject of consideration by the stroke quality
improvement program.