Electronic Case Reporting (eCR)
Electronic case reporting (eCR) is the automated reporting of cases from an electronic health report (EHR) product to an appropriate public health agency. It securely transfers patient and clinical information from the health care organization for disease tracking, case management and contact tracing.
The NYC Health Department uses the Health Level Seven electronic initial case report standards for electronic case reporting and to support federal regulations. The Health Department registry accepts reporting data from eligible hospitals, critical health agencies, and eligible professionals located in NYC.
Until electronic case reporting is implemented for all applicable conditions, health care providers must manually report notifiable diseases and conditions through PRISM in accordance with NYC Health Department reporting requirements. For immediately notifiable conditions, providers must notify the NYC Health Department by phone immediately, regardless of whether an electronic report is submitted.
Eligible Reporters
Any health care organization or provider treating patients in New York City can participate in electronic case reporting. Organizations or providers treating patients outside the city should visit the New York State Electronic Case Reporting Registry.
To participate, reporters must have a certified electronic health record (EHR) product.
- To find certified products, use the Certified Health IT Product List. The certification criteria filter for electronic health report products should be set to “170.315 (f)(5): transmission to public health agencies - electronic case reporting.”
Benefits
There are several benefits for providers who report to the electronic case reporting registry, including:
- Supporting identification of health needs to better target populations in need of public health interventions.
- Reducing the burden of reporting to public health agencies without disrupting the clinical workflow.
- Helping to eliminate the manual case reporting process.
- Meeting regulatory reporting requirements.
- Meeting federal requirements.
Onboarding
If your organization is interested in starting electronic case reporting, email eICR@health.nyc.gov.
The process and timeline for implementing electronic case reporting can vary, as it depends on the vendor’s technical ability and resources.
The onboarding process consists of four phases:
- Initial Discussions: We introduce the organizations to the NYC registry and our process. When the organization is ready to move forward with implementation, we discuss preparation for testing, required documentation, and implementation approach. We also provide resources for organizations to connect with the CDC directly if required.
- Testing: We connect organizations with the Association of Public Health Laboratories Informatics Messaging Services platform, complete trigger code test cases, and perform the Extensible Markup Language content and structure validation.
- Determine Production Readiness: The organization completes all testing requirements and deploys production data. It will start the certification process with the Health Department.
- Certification: During this phase the organization and the Health Department will partner to identify gaps in reporting data and will facilitate biweekly calls to close gaps. When the organization receives our certification, their reporting data will be promoted to production. Certification does not currently replace NYC Health Department reporting requirements. Providers must continue to report notifiable diseases and conditions through PRISM or by phone, as indicated at Reportable Diseases and Conditions.
The Electronic Case Reporting AIMS Platform website has resources and information to help healthcare organizations prepare for onboarding:
- Readiness and Implementation Checklist: An overview of AIMS implementation areas of interest.
- Confirm Policy Path: An overview of reporting data sharing and various options.
- Electronic Health Reporting Triggering: How trigger codes are used to create initial case reports.