North Dakota Century Code Title 23. Health and Safety § 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

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.].