Changes coming to how notifiable conditions are reported

The state Department of Health’s Office of Infectious Disease team would like to share upcoming changes to Notifiable Conditions reporting, which will be implemented starting January 1, 2023.

These following changes apply to health care providers, laboratories, facilities, and local health jurisdictions.

Report Rapid Screening Test Results

WAC 246-101-200 states an individual or entity including, but not limited to, health care providers and health care facilities and Community Based Organizations, that conduct rapid screening tests for certain conditions (blood lead level testing, Hepatitis C (acute and chronic infection), HIV infection, or COVID-19) meets the definition of a laboratory under the chapter and must fulfill the reporting requirements outlined in WAC 246-101-201 through 246-101-230.

Report Deidentified Negative Results

All laboratories, including those entities falling under the above definition for rapid screening test result reporting, must report deidentified negative screening results for chlamydia trachomatis, hepatitis C virus, HIV, Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonorrhea), and treponema pallidum (syphilis). In the context of this section of rule, “deidentified negative screening result” means an initial test result that indicates the absence of disease and that has personally identifiable information removed from it in alignment with HIPAA. See WAC 246-101-201 for more information.

Report Race, Ethnicity, and Preferred Language

Health care providers and facilities, laboratories, and local health jurisdictions must report patient race, ethnicity, and preferred language information with each case of a notifiable condition. Patient’s REaL data must be identified by the patient and reported using categories defined in the rule. Among the numerous changes Notifiable Conditions Rule Revision Implementation | Washington State Department of Health is the addition of patient race, ethnicity, and preferred language (REaL) as required data reporting components, along with defined reporting categories for each.

The addition of patient race, ethnicity, and language (REaL) reporting in Chapter 246-101 WAC is intended to help reveal inequities across and within groups to better understand populations disproportionately impacted by notifiable conditions, to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services and to tailor public health strategies for improved effectiveness. These data are instrumental for public health efforts in preventing and controlling communicable diseases and other conditions.

Understand Additional Changes to Laboratory Reporting Requirements for HIV and HCV

In addition to the changes listed above, there are several specific changes to laboratory reporting requirements for HIV and HCV that can be found Notifiable conditions and laboratories page: WAC 246-101-201.

Different groups within the Office of Infectious Disease will share more information via Webinars, regular monthly meetings, and additional email communications. For implementation questions on the recent Notifiable Conditions revision, email OID Notifiable Conditions oid.notifiableconditions@doh.wa.gov.