(a)        The Department shall designate as a primary stroke center any hospital licensed under this Article that demonstrates to the Department that the hospital is certified by the Joint Commission or other nationally recognized accrediting body that requires conformance to best practices for stroke care in order to be identified as a primary stroke center. A hospital that is certified by the Joint Commission or other nationally recognized accrediting body that requires conformance to best practices for stroke care in order to be identified as a primary stroke center shall report the certification to the Department within 90 days of receiving that certification. A hospital shall inform the Department of any changes to its certification status within 30 days of any change.

(b)        Each hospital designated as a primary stroke center pursuant to this section shall make efforts to coordinate the provision of appropriate acute stroke care with other hospitals licensed in this State through a formal written agreement. The agreement shall, at a minimum, address (i) transportation of acute stroke patients to hospitals designated as primary stroke centers and (ii) acceptance by hospitals designated as primary stroke centers of acute stroke patients initially treated at hospitals that are not capable of providing appropriate stroke care.

(c)        The Department shall maintain within the Division of Health Service Regulation, Office of Emergency Services, a list of the hospitals designated as primary stroke centers in accordance with this section and post the list on the Department’s Internet Web site. Annually on June 1, the Department shall transmit this list to the medical director of each licensed emergency medical services provider in this State.

(d)       A hospital licensed under this Article shall not advertise or hold itself out to the public as a primary stroke center unless certified as a primary stroke center by the Joint Commission or other nationally recognized accrediting body that requires conformance to best practices for stroke care in order to be identified as a primary stroke center.

(e)        Nothing in this section shall be construed to do any of the following:

(1)        Establish a standard of medical practice for stroke patients.

(2)        Restrict in any way the authority of any hospital to provide services authorized under its hospital license.

(f)        The Department may adopt rules to implement the provisions of this section. ?(2013-44, s. 1.)

Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 131E-78.5

  • Commission: means the North Carolina Medical Care Commission. See North Carolina General Statutes 131E-76
  • Department: means the Department of Health and Human Services. See North Carolina General Statutes 131E-1
  • following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
  • Hospital: means any facility which has an organized medical staff and which is designed, used, and operated to provide health care, diagnostic and therapeutic services, and continuous nursing care primarily to inpatients where such care and services are rendered under the supervision and direction of physicians licensed under Chapter 90 of the N. See North Carolina General Statutes 131E-76
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
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