About Electronic Case Reporting
Historically, communicable disease reporting to state and county health departments was paper-based, relying heavily on FAX, telephone and snail mail. While sophisticated laboratory information systems allow timely and efficient electronic laboratory reporting (ELR), sophisticated electronic health record systems (EHRs) can allow for timely and efficient health information that is not available via ELR. Electronic case reporting (eCR) is the generation and transmission of reportable condition case reports from an EHR to public health for review and action. Both of these reporting tools are critical to Public Health disease surveillance programs and thus to population health.
Because Oregon supports an integrated disease surveillance system, participating in the Oregon eCR Project allows healthcare providers and health systems a way to report cases to the Oregon Public Health Division (OPHD) and Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs) for further investigation using electronic data interchange. In this system, the OPHD functions as an electronic hub to accept, route, and process eCRs containing critical demographic, clinical, and treatment information not typically included in ELRs.
In collaboration with the CDC, Oregon is onboarding eCR submitters using the
Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL)
Informatics Messaging Service (AIMS) platform. AIMS provides detailed information for both
Healthcare Providers and
EHR Implementers regarding the implementation and submission process. After notifying Oregon of intent to submit, sites interested in submitting eCR must reach out to
AIMS to get more information about how to proceed with testing.
Legally Mandated eCR Submission
- On March 9, 2020 OPHD adopted temporary rule OAR 333-018-0900 requiring healthcare providers and facilities to report COVID-19 cases. It was updated on March 30, 2020 to require the reporting of individuals with COVID-19 who are hospitalized, those who have died from COVID-19, and cases of Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in children (MIS-C).
- If the provider's EHR is capable of generating an electronic Initial Case Report (eICR) for Public Health (see the specification below), we strongly encourage this method of reporting. Please contact Oregon's eCR Project for information on pursing this option.
- Failure to report cases by any mechanism may result in civil penalties: Public Health Division- Chapter 3
- On January 1, 2022, eCR became required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Promoting Interoperability Program (PIP) for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals and the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Promoting Interoperability Performance Category for eligible clinicians.
- However, sites that are not participating in Promoting Interoperability measures are welcome to pursue eCR reporting
- Sites not sending eCR are encouraged to enter non-COVID case reports in our confidental online morbidity reporting system.
- Providers are encouraged to collect and report on expanded race, ethnicity, language and disability (REALD) data for all encounters. For more information about the requirements please visit the REALD provider page.
- Also see REALD Implemention webpage for information about administering the REALD questionairre and the "How To Report" section of the REALD Reporting page for information about submitting REALD.
Specifications
Tools and Standards
- Logical Observation Identifier Names and Codes (LOINC®) for specific laboratory procedure names
- Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine (SNOMED®) for descriptions of findings, specifically for organism names
- Reportable Condition Mapping Tables (RCMT) for mapping between reportable conditions, LOINC test codes, and SNOMED result codes
Public Health Promoting Interoperability