Rhode Island General Laws Title 23. Health and Safety § 23-6.3-15. Laboratory analyses and reporting

(a) All biological samples or specimens taken for the purpose of performing laboratory analysis for the detection of antibody to HIV, by or under the direction or order of any healthcare provider working within the scope of his or her practice, shall be sent to the department of health laboratory for analysis.  This provision shall not apply to those HIV tests performed in a hospital laboratory, clinical laboratories as defined in § 23-16.2-2 with testing facilities located in Rhode Island, or to those sites performing rapid HIV testing.

(b) Hospitals shall forward all positive confirmatory HIV test results to the department.  All sites performing HIV testing must submit an annual HIV testing report to the department in accordance with regulations promulgated by the department.

(c) The department laboratory shall conduct all confirmatory testing for HIV/AIDS with the exception of written waivers issued by the department as indicated in subsection (d) below.

(d) Sites performing non-venapuncture HIV testing (e.g., rapid testing) must seek a waiver from the department to provide confirmatory HIV testing from a laboratory other than the state laboratory, and shall forward all positive and negative confirmatory HIV tests results to the department.

(e) Except in the case of anonymous HIV testing, a healthcare provider working within the scope of his or her practice providing samples of specimens for HIV testing, or results of HIV tests to the department, shall include the name of the patient and other identifying information including information related to the individual's health insurance policy as applicable.

(f) Any HIV cases reported in the previous code-based system shall remain in a code-based data set.  This does not prohibit a physician from submitting or requesting that an updated name case report on a patient replace a previously coded case report.