House Bill 17-1246 Summary

• Establishes definitions for heart attack care terminology, including "STEMI" (ST-elevation myocardial infarction), "PCI center," "Joint Commission," and "heart attack database" as a national registry for heart attack data.

• Requires hospitals accredited by the American College of Cardiology Accreditation Services or other nationally recognized bodies as STEMI receiving centers to report confirmed heart attack data to a national heart attack database consistent with nationally recognized guidelines.

• Mandates hospitals submit quarterly heart attack database reports to the Department of Public Health and Environment within 30 days of receiving them.

• Designates all heart attack data reports received by the department as privileged and strictly confidential, prohibiting their use in civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings and protecting patient record confidentiality in accordance with state and federal law.

• Requires the department to sign letters of commitment with nationally recognized bodies providing reports to ensure compliance with confidentiality requirements and establish benchmarking metrics at the national level.