SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the department of public health shall promulgate regulations that implement a statewide standard pre-hospital care protocol related to the assessment, treatment, and transport of stroke patients by emergency medical services providers to a hospital designated to care for stroke patients. Such protocol shall be based on national evidence-based guidelines for transport of stroke patients, consider crossing state lines, and include plans for the triage and transport of suspected stroke patients, including, but not limited to, those who may have an emergent large vessel occlusion, to an appropriate facility within a specified time frame of onset of symptoms.

The protocol shall include statewide criteria for designating hospitals in a system, including but not limited to a thrombectomy-capable designation or other tiered designation as the department shall determine, to treat stroke level patients based on patient acuity and may include additional criteria to determine the most appropriate destination for the level of care required. In developing criteria, the department shall consider:

(i) Designation models and criteria developed by The Joint Commission, DNV GL Healthcare, and any other national certifying body recognized by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services;

(ii) Designation models and criteria adopted by other states, taking into account the differences in geography and health care resources of such other states; and

(iii) the clinical and operational capability of a facility to provide stroke services, including emergency and ancillary stroke services.

The department and regional emergency medical services councils, as defined in section 1 of chapter 111C, shall annually review and update, if appropriate, their pre-hospital care protocols and point-of-entry plans to ensure stroke patients are transported to the most appropriate facility in accordance with this section.

SECTION 2. The department of public health, in consultation with the center for health information and analysis, shall incorporate national evidence-based quality and utilization metrics for stroke care into the standard quality measure set established under section 14 of chapter 12C of the General Laws. The department shall consider current stroke data that is reported to the department of public health and measures in current use in national quality improvement programs including, but not limited to, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the National Quality Forum, or other nationally recognized data platforms.

SECTION 3. Not later than 3 months after the effective date of this act, the department of public health shall promulgate regulations pursuant to section 1 of this act.