R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-11-5: Reports of cases by public and private institutions.

The superintendent or other officer or other person in charge of public or private institutions, such as hospitals or other licensed health care facilities, dispensaries, clinics, homes, asylums, and charitable and correctional institutions, shall promptly report the identity of every patient suffering from a sexually transmitted disease in any form in a manner that may be prescribed by the director of the department of health.