AI Regulation Tracker / New law

Rhode Island Now Requires Providers to Tell Patients When AI Writes the Visit Note and to Check It for Accuracy

Regulatory summary: Rhode Island H 7538 Substitute A, the Use of Artificial Intelligence by Healthcare Providers Notification Act, was signed by Governor Dan McKee on June 22, 2026 and took effect upon passage. Codified as chapter 23-106 of the Rhode Island General Laws, it requires any healthcare provider or healthcare facility that.

A new Rhode Island law makes disclosure of ambient AI documentation mandatory for physicians, nurses, dentists, and other licensed clinicians, and adds a duty to review the AI-generated record for accuracy after each in-person or telehealth visit. Governor Dan McKee signed it on June 22, 2026, and it took effect on passage.

Primary source

By Anthony Guerriero, Founder, The Leveraged Years · Reviewed by The Leveraged Years Editorial Desk · Published July 9, 2026 · Last updated July 9, 2026

Rhode Island Now Requires Providers to Tell Patients When AI Writes the Visit Note and to Check It for Accuracy regulation briefing

The Leveraged Years AI Regulation Tracker

Key takeaways

Rhode Island moved from having no rule specific to AI scribes to a statute that makes two things mandatory whenever AI documents a visit: telling the patient that AI is being used for that purpose, and reviewing the AI-produced note for accuracy after the visit. Substitute A added the accuracy-review duty; the bill as introduced required only notification.
Physicians, physician assistants, dentists, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, nursing assistants, and any other state-licensed clinician; hospitals, clinics, and other facilities as defined in section 23-17-2; telehealth providers serving Rhode Island patients; and the compliance, privacy, and vendor-management teams that stand behind them.
Status: Enacted and in force.
Confirm where ambient AI is already in use across the organization, add a standardized notification to intake and telehealth scripts, and build the post-visit accuracy check into the note-signing workflow so the reviewing clinician attests that the AI draft was checked.

Regulatory Briefing

Bindingness: State statute, in force. H 7538 Substitute A was enacted as chapter 23-106 of the Rhode Island General Laws, signed by Governor McKee on June 22, 2026, with the act stating it takes effect upon passage. This is binding Rhode Island law now, not a proposal or a policy statement. The chapter is short and creates duties directly; it does not set out fines, a private right of action, or a dedicated enforcement agency in its text, so oversight runs through the existing licensing authority of the Department of Health.
Scope: All healthcare providers and healthcare facilities in Rhode Island that employ AI to document in-person or telehealth visits. AI is defined broadly as any technology that can simulate human intelligence, including natural language processing, trained language models, reinforcement learning from human feedback, and machine learning systems. Healthcare facility carries the meaning already set in section 23-17-2 of the general laws.
What Changed: Rhode Island moved from having no rule specific to AI scribes to a statute that makes two things mandatory whenever AI documents a visit: telling the patient that AI is being used for that purpose, and reviewing the AI-produced note for accuracy after the visit. Substitute A added the accuracy-review duty; the bill as introduced required only notification.
Who This Affects: Physicians, physician assistants, dentists, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, nursing assistants, and any other state-licensed clinician; hospitals, clinics, and other facilities as defined in section 23-17-2; telehealth providers serving Rhode Island patients; and the compliance, privacy, and vendor-management teams that stand behind them.
Current Status: Enacted and in force. Signed June 22, 2026; effective upon passage.
Effective Date: June 22, 2026 (upon passage).
Primary Source: https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7538A.pdf
Secondary Analysis: Transparency Coalition (Rhode Island enacts new AI laws, describing the notify-plus-accuracy-review duties and the June 22 signing); The Independent, independentri.com (Tanzi bill to mandate disclosure of AI use in healthcare, framing notice as a patient right to opt out); Healthcare IT News (Rhode Island passes ambient AI scribe opt-out law).
Workflow Impact: Practices using ambient AI documentation need a patient-facing disclosure at or before the visit and a defined post-visit step in which a human reviews the AI-generated note for accuracy before it is finalized in the record. Vendor contracts and clinical templates should reflect both duties.
Operational Next Step: Confirm where ambient AI is already in use across the organization, add a standardized notification to intake and telehealth scripts, and build the post-visit accuracy check into the note-signing workflow so the reviewing clinician attests that the AI draft was checked.
Last Verified: July 10, 2026

Date	Jurisdiction	Rule	Affected professionals	Status or effective date
2026-07-09	United States (Rhode Island)	Rhode Island moved from having no rule specific to AI scribes to a statute that makes two things mandatory whenever AI documents a visit: telling the patient that AI is being used for that purpose, and reviewing the AI-produced note for accuracy after the visit. Substitute A added the accuracy-review duty; the bill as introduced required only notification.	Physicians, physician assistants, dentists, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, nursing assistants, and any other state-licensed clinician; hospitals, clinics, and other facilities as defined in section 23-17-2; telehealth providers serving Rhode Island patients; and the compliance, privacy, and vendor-management teams that stand behind them.	Enacted and in force. Signed June 22, 2026; effective upon passage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Rhode Island H 7538 in force?

Yes. It was signed by Governor McKee on June 22, 2026 and took effect upon passage. It is now chapter 23-106 of the Rhode Island General Laws.

Does the law ban AI scribes in healthcare?

No. It permits AI documentation but requires providers and facilities to notify the patient that AI is being used and to review the AI-generated note for accuracy after the visit.

Who has to comply?

Physicians, physician assistants, dentists, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, nursing assistants, any other clinician licensed by the Department of Health, and healthcare facilities as defined in section 23-17-2.

Do patients have a right to opt out of AI documentation?

The sponsor and press describe it as an opt-out law, and a notified patient can decline AI use. The codified duties are notification and post-visit accuracy review; practices should give patients a real, honored way to refuse.

Are there fines for noncompliance?

The chapter text does not set out fines, a private right of action, or a dedicated enforcement body. Because the duty attaches to licensed clinicians and facilities, enforcement runs through Department of Health licensing.