Purpose

• Establish cardiovascular prescreening as part of student health checks to identify potential heart problems that could lead to sudden cardiac events, starting with student athletes and expanding to all students in a phased timeline.

Key Provisions

• For student athletes (beginning with the 2028-2029 school year):

  • A qualified licensed health care professional performing a sports physical must include a cardiovascular prescreening based on nationally recognized, evidence-based pediatric guidelines.
  • Prescreening topics include testing for prior elevated blood pressure, unexplained chest pain or fainting during exercise (syncope), palpitations or reduced exercise tolerance, and known heart conditions (such as arrhythmia syndromes or atrial fibrillation), implanted medical devices, cardiac medications, risk factors like premature sudden cardiac death, and concerns such as unexplained drowning or seizures.
  • The screening should look for signs like a pathologic heart murmur, irregular rhythm, abnormal pulses, or other findings suggesting structural or electrical heart disease.
  • If the prescreening is positive, the individual must be referred to a cardiologist for further evaluation and testing.
  • The screening must occur no more than three months before the start of the athletic season.

• Data collection and public reporting:

  • The Department of Health (DoH) must publish an annual report on its website showing the total number of exams and the number of referrals to a cardiologist.
  • The DoH must monitor and record the share of screenings that are positive and the follow-up actions, including, where possible, data on false positives and additional diagnostic studies.

• For all students (beginning with the 2028-2029 school year):

  • The opportunity for prescreening expands to all students and should be integrated into annual well-child visits to ensure every student receives it.
  • Prescreening must be performed by a qualified licensed health care professional and follow the same nationally recognized, evidence-based guidelines.
  • Key elements include targeted personal and family history and a focused physical examination to detect or raise suspicion for cardiovascular disease, with the same list of potential findings as for athletes (blood pressure, chest pain or syncope, palpitations or decreased exercise tolerance, known heart conditions, implanted devices, medications, history of drowning or seizures, and findings like pathologic murmurs or irregular rhythms).

• Education and information for families:

  • The DoH and the Department of Education must provide educational materials to children and their parents/guardians that reflect evidence-based information about medical conditions that can cause sudden cardiac arrest and heart failure.
  • Starting in 2028-2029, each school district must annually distribute these educational materials to parents/guardians of students who participate in school sports as part of preparticipation physical examination processes and athletic permission forms.

• Professional education for health care providers:

  • DoH must promote policies, programs, and ongoing training to improve health care provider knowledge about prescreening guidelines, including how to conduct cardiovascular risk assessments (family history and symptoms), how to recognize early signs of cardiac arrest and heart failure, and how to refer positive findings.

• Rulemaking:

  • DoH, in consultation with the Department of Education, must adopt rules to implement this section, using nationally recognized, evidence-based guidelines for pediatric cardiovascular care.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Adds a new requirement (Minnesota Statutes chapter 145, new section 145.678) creating mandatory cardiovascular prescreening for student athletes and, later, for all students.
• Establishes a two-phase rollout:
  • Phase 1 (starting 2028-2029): prescreening for student athletes during pre-season physicals with cardiology referrals for positive findings.
  • Phase 2 (starting 2028-2029): extending prescreening to all students and integrating it into annual well-child visits.
• Requires annual DoH reporting and data collection on screening outcomes, including positive rates and referrals, and where possible, false positives.
• Mandates education materials for families and school districts and ongoing professional education for health care providers.
• Requires DoH and DoE rulemaking to implement the prescreening program using established, evidence-based pediatric cardiovascular guidelines.

Practical Implications

• Increased screening for heart conditions among students and athletes to identify potential risks early.
• More referrals to pediatric cardiologists for investigation of positive findings.
• Enhanced transparency through public reporting on screening results and follow-up.
• Additional educational resources for families and ongoing professional training for clinicians.

Relevant Terms - cardiovascular prescreening - student athletes - preparticipation physical examination - sudden cardiac arrest - heart failure - pediatric cardiovascular care guidelines (nationally recognized, evidence-based) - personal and family history - focused physical examination - pathologic heart murmur - irregular rhythm - abnormal pulses - structural or electrical heart disease - positive screen - referral to cardiologist - Department of Health (DoH) - Department of Education (DoE) - annual report - false positives - follow-up diagnostic studies - educational materials - professional education - rulemaking - well-child visits - athletic permission forms