Alaska Statutes Title 18. Health, Safety, Housing, Human Rights, and Public Defender § 18.15.205. Screening for congenital heart disease

(a) A provider of birthing services who attends a birth in the state shall ensure that, as close to 24 hours after the birth as feasible, screening for congenital heart defects through pulse oximetry equipment and methods appropriate for use on a newborn is performed on the newborn, unless screening is refused under (d) of this section.

(b) A provider of birthing services who attends a birth in the state shall, as soon as possible after screening conducted under (a) of this section, make a referral for confirmatory testing on a newborn whose pulse oximetry results are abnormal and provide advice to the parent or legal guardian regarding the need for appropriate interventions.

(c) The provider who performs pulse oximetry screening under (a) of this section shall report to the parents and attending physicians of the newborn and to the department the results of screening.

(d) Before performing screening for congenital heart disease under (a) of this section, a provider of birthing services shall provide to a parent or legal guardian of a newborn information on the screening and the option to refuse the screening.

(e) The department shall establish procedures for submitting reports of newborn screening results to the department and for summarizing reported data.

(f) In this section, “provider of birthing services” means a physician, midwife, nurse, or other qualified professional who attends the delivery of a newborn in the course of the provider's practice.