§ 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 healthcare
providers on ways to improve the quality of care;
(2) Facilitate the communication and analysis of health information and data among the
healthcare 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, healthcare information
shall not be provided in a format that contains individually identifiable information
about a patient. The sharing of healthcare 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.