Rhode Island § 23-89-3 § 23-89-3. Access to palliative care.

Rhode Island Statutes

§ 23-89-3 — § 23-89-3. Access to palliative care.

Rhode Island § 23-89-3

Title 23Health and Safety

Ch. 23-89The Rhode Island Palliative Care and Quality of Life Act

This text of Rhode Island § 23-89-3 (§ 23-89-3. Access to palliative care.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Rhode Island primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-89-3 (2026).

Text

§ 23-89-3. Access to palliative care.
(a) As used in this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
         
(1) "Appropriateâ€� means consistent with applicable legal, health and professional standards,
            the patient's clinical and other circumstances, and the patient's reasonably known
            wishes and beliefs.
         
(2) "Medical careâ€� means services provided, requested, or supervised by a physician or
            advanced practice nurse.
         
(3) "Palliative careâ€� means patient and family centered medical care that optimizes quality
           

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§ 23-89-3. Access to palliative care.

(a) As used in this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(1) "Appropriateâ€� means consistent with applicable legal, health and professional standards, the patient's clinical and other circumstances, and the patient's reasonably known wishes and beliefs.

(2) "Medical careâ€� means services provided, requested, or supervised by a physician or advanced practice nurse.

(3) "Palliative careâ€� means patient and family centered medical care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing, and treating suffering caused by serious illness. Palliative care throughout the continuum of illness involves addressing physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs and facilitating patient autonomy, access to information, and choice. Palliative care includes, but is not limited to, discussions of the patient's goals for treatment; discussion of treatment options appropriate to the patient, including, where appropriate, hospice care; and comprehensive pain and symptom management.

(4) "Serious illnessâ€� means any medical illness or physical injury or condition that substantially impacts quality of life for more than a short period of time. Serious illness includes, but is not limited to, cancer; heart, renal or liver failure; lung disease; and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

(b) On or before January 1, 2015, all healthcare organizations which required a license to operate shall:

(1) Consult with the organization's physicians to educate them on how to provide information about appropriate palliative care services for those patients or residents with serious illnesses, who, in their professional medical opinion, would benefit from them.

(c) The department shall carry out this section with the consultation of the palliative care and quality of life interdisciplinary advisory council.

(d) In carrying out this section, the department shall take into account factors that may impact the development of such a system and its ability to facilitate access to palliative care, including the size of the healthcare organization; access and proximity to palliative care services, including the availability of hospice and palliative care board-certified practitioners and related workforce staff; and geographic factors.