House Bill 1310 establishes a statewide stroke plan for Indiana and expands the state’s stroke-care reporting and oversight framework. It requires the Indiana Department of Health to maintain updated lists of hospitals certified as comprehensive stroke centers, primary stroke centers, acute stroke ready hospitals, and thrombectomy-capable stroke centers, and it adds thrombectomy-capable stroke center certification to the categories tracked by the state. Hospitals with these certifications must provide certification details to the department and notify it quickly if certification is suspended, revoked, or downgraded. The bill also prohibits health care facilities from advertising themselves as certain types of stroke centers unless they are certified by an approved certifying entity.
The bill directs the department to create and implement a statewide stroke plan aimed at continuous quality improvement in stroke response and treatment. That plan must include a statewide stroke database, use of recognized stroke quality metrics and data platforms, and a focus on transferring patients to the closest appropriate facility. It also requires certain hospitals, including comprehensive stroke centers, thrombectomy-capable stroke centers, and primary stroke centers, to report stroke-case data and thrombectomy procedure details, while allowing acute stroke ready hospitals and emergency medical dispatch agencies to report relevant data as well. The department must establish reporting procedures, data oversight, and evidence-based follow-up care guidelines, and it must issue an annual report to the governor and legislative services.
In terms of legal impact, HB1310 amends existing Indiana Code provisions governing stroke center lists and emergency medical services protocols and adds a new chapter to the health code on prevention and treatment programs. It expands the state’s role in collecting, analyzing, and publishing stroke-care data, while also creating compliance obligations for hospitals and dispatch agencies. The bill includes a confidentiality safeguard stating that it does not require disclosure of protected health information in violation of HIPAA.
Because no committee transcript or vote record is provided, there is no documented legislative debate or recorded sentiment to assess from the available materials. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears policy-driven and technical, with an emphasis on improving stroke outcomes, standardizing certification references, and increasing transparency and quality improvement in emergency stroke care. The main likely points of contention would be the reporting burden on hospitals and dispatch agencies, the advertising restriction tied to certification, and any concerns about data sharing, though no specific opposition is shown in the provided record.
HB1310 would amend Indiana’s health statutes to require the Department of Health to maintain and update stroke-center certification lists, recognize thrombectomy-capable stroke centers in those lists, and oversee a statewide stroke plan and database. It imposes new reporting duties on certified hospitals and optional reporting pathways for acute stroke ready hospitals and emergency medical dispatch agencies, while also restricting how facilities may advertise stroke-center status. The bill would create new administrative responsibilities for the state department and participating providers, but it expressly preserves HIPAA confidentiality protections.
No committee discussion or voting history was provided, so there is no direct evidence of support or opposition from the legislative record included here. The bill’s text suggests a generally favorable, public-health-oriented approach focused on improving stroke response, treatment quality, and data-driven oversight. Any sentiment inferred from the measure itself would likely be positive among health-system and patient-safety advocates, with possible caution from providers concerned about compliance and reporting requirements.
The most likely areas of contention are the new reporting and data-sharing obligations for hospitals and emergency medical dispatch agencies, the requirement that facilities not advertise stroke-center status without proper certification, and the scope of the Department of Health’s oversight and database responsibilities. Hospitals may be concerned about administrative burden, while privacy-focused stakeholders may scrutinize how data are collected and shared, even though the bill includes a HIPAA safeguard. No specific opposing or supporting groups are identified in the provided materials.