§ 23-43-03 — Emergency medical services operations - Assessment and transportation of stroke patients to a comprehensive stroke center, primary stroke center, or acute stroke-ready hospital

stroke patients to a comprehensive stroke center, primary stroke center, or acute
stroke-ready hospital.
1. Before June first of each year the department of health and human services shall send
the list of comprehensive stroke centers, primary stroke centers, and acute
stroke-ready hospitals to the medical director of each licensed emergency medical
services operation in this state. The department of health and human services shall
maintain a copy of the list and shall post a list of comprehensive stroke centers,
primary stroke centers, and acute stroke-ready hospitals to the department of health
and human services' website.
2. The department of health and human services shall adopt and distribute a nationally
recognized, standardized stroke triage assessment tool. The department shall post this
stroke triage assessment tool on the department's website and provide a copy of the
assessment tool to each licensed emergency medical services operation. Each
licensed emergency medical services operation shall use a stroke triage assessment
tool that is substantially similar to the sample stroke triage assessment tool provided
by the department of health and human services.
3. Each emergency medical services operation in the state shall establish prehospital
care protocols related to the assessment, treatment, and transport of a stroke patient
by a licensed emergency medical services operation. Such protocols must include
plans for the triage and transport of an acute stroke patient to the closest
comprehensive or primary stroke center or when appropriate to an acute stroke-ready
hospital, within a specified time frame of onset of symptoms.
4. As part of current training requirements, each emergency medical services operation
in the state shall establish protocols to assure licensed emergency medical services
providers and 911 dispatch personnel receive regular training on the assessment and
treatment of stroke patients.
5. An emergency medical services operation shall comply with this chapter.
6. All data reported under this chapter must be made available to the department of
health and human services and to all other government agencies, or contractors of
government agencies, which have responsibility for the management and
administration of emergency medical services throughout the state.
7. This chapter may not be construed to require disclosure of any confidential information
or other data in violation of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act of 1996 [Pub. L. 104-191; 110 Stat. 1936; 29 U.S.C. 1181 et seq.].