Overview
Reporting certain conditions to appropriate public health agencies (PHAs) is legally required in all states and territories. Because public health reporting requirements and practices vary across jurisdictions, it can be difficult for healthcare organizations (HCOs) to know what to report, when to report, and to whom to report. As a result, many HCOs struggle to comply with state laws, and reporting may not be in place to address public health emergencies or outbreaks. Historically, there have been issues with reporting timeliness and completeness. In addition, HCOs have not always received the information they would like about these conditions in their jurisdictions from public health. Electronic case reporting (eCR) is implemented via the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Informatics Messaging Services (AIMS) platform and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Reportable Condition Knowledge Management System (RCKMS) to address these issues.
Benefits of eCR for Healthcare Organizations:
- eCR relieves healthcare provider burden by automating the reporting process as well as the burden of investigation and follow-up by providing more complete clinical data, and, thereby, freeing up staff time to devote to patient care.
- Additionally, eCR reduces much of the investigation and follow-up burden for PHAs, enabling staff to devote more time to public health practice.
- eCR manages the determination of what is reportable and to which public agencies it should be reported in the background of electronic health record (EHR) systems.
- eCR helps HCOs comply with state, Tribal, local, and/or territorial laws.
- When a condition is found to be reportable, eCR provides information on that condition from the appropriate public health jurisdiction to healthcare providers.
Healthcare Readiness and Implementation Checklist
This checklist outlines the actions HCOs must take to enable the eCR workflow. View the Healthcare Readiness and Implementation Checklist page for details on eCR prerequisites and implementation steps for HCOs.
Introduction to eCR for Healthcare Organizations
New to eCR? Watch the Introduction to eCR for Healthcare Organizations video recording and/or download the companion transcript designed to help orient HCOs to eCR.
- View the video recording (external link)
- Download the transcript (file download)
Technical Content and Guidance for EHR Implementers
This site also includes information for EHR vendors and development teams as well as healthcare technical staff. This content covers EHR triggering, eICR creation, validation, and standards, Reportability Response receipt and use, and eCR exchange and transport.
