This bill creates a new chapter in Title 70 RCW and assigns the Department of Health responsibility for oversight and coordination of a statewide cardiac and stroke system of care. It directs the department to develop care system standards, categorize stroke and cardiac centers, collect and evaluate performance data, and establish and operate a statewide cardiac and stroke registry; RCW 70.168.150 is recodified into the new chapter. The department is given rulemaking authority to define required data elements and standards, establish data validation and continuous quality improvement, enter data-sharing agreements, and minimize new reporting by using existing data sources. Hospitals must begin quarterly submission of required registry data on July 1, 2027, and emergency medical services providers must begin submitting required data via the Washington emergency medical services information system on the same date. The department must provide technical assistance to EMS regions, trauma regions, and hospitals (including critical access and rural hospitals) and, within funds appropriated for those purposes, help hospitals obtain data platforms, support rural prehospital services with equipment and training, and conduct public education about heart attack and stroke signs and calling 911. The department must provide quarterly performance reports to the emergency cardiac and stroke technical advisory committee and produce an aggregate summary and analysis posted online and sent to the governor and relevant legislative committees beginning July 1, 2028, including recommendations about whether on-site verification of hospital adherence is needed. The bill makes data elements that identify individual patients, providers, or facility care outcomes confidential and exempt from public disclosure under chapter 42.56 RCW, not subject to subpoena or discovery, and not admissible as evidence. Overall, the measure is a procedural and regulatory change: it creates a new statutory framework and reporting requirements, establishes a registry and oversight duties, grants rulemaking and data-sharing authority, and creates confidentiality protections. Important specifics are not included in the provided text: the exact data elements required for reporting, the content of the recodified RCW 70.168.150, the new chapter number, any funding amounts, details about the Washington EMS information system, and the composition or authority of the emergency cardiac and stroke technical advisory committee.

If enacted, the Department of Health becomes the central coordinator for cardiac and stroke care and will run a statewide registry, which means hospitals and licensed ambulance/aid services must start sending specified care data regularly beginning July 1, 2027. That will create ongoing reporting work for hospitals and EMS providers and likely require new staff time, processes, or contracts to meet quarterly submission schedules; critical access and rural hospitals may get help buying data platforms or training but only if the legislature provides funds. The department will analyze the results, give performance reports to its advisory committee each quarter, publish an annual aggregate report starting July 1, 2028, and provide quality improvement assistance and public education funded as appropriated. The Department of Health takes on more operational responsibilities and will need funding, rulemaking, and technical support to run the registry and validate data; providers face reduced legal and public disclosure risk for any identifiable registry data because those elements are exempt from public records and discovery. Important details are missing, however: the exact data elements to be reported, how much money will be appropriated for the supports promised, and whether the state will use on-site hospital verification are not specified in the extracted text, so the actual costs and enforcement approach remain uncertain.