Notifiable conditions reporting

Questions and answers

• Why are some conditions notifiable?

  As a health care provider, you are the eyes and ears of Public Health. Reporting notifiable conditions makes it possible for us to detect outbreaks, prevent secondary transmission, and conduct disease surveillance. For some diseases, timely reporting can help prevent illness and death.

• Does HIPAA allow reporting of protected health information (PHI) to Public Health?

  Yes. HIPAA allows health care providers, health care facilities, and health plans to disclose protected health information to public health authorities for the purpose of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability [45 CFR § 164.512(b)]. Patient consent is not required.

  More information on HIPAA and notifiable conditions reporting is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• What conditions are health care providers required to report?

  For the most updated list of conditions that healthcare providers are required to report to Public Health, please refer to this Washington State Department of Health Notifiable Conditions reporting poster for health care providers/facilities.

• Are only specifically listed notifiable conditions reportable to Public Health?

  No. Notifiable conditions also include "unexplained critical illness or death," "rare diseases of public health significance" (such as a case of Cryptococcus gattii infection) and disease clusters of suspected foodborne or waterborne origin (for example, a single sporadic case of gastroenteritis due to norovirus is not reportable, but a cluster of ill children with vomiting and diarrhea after returning from camp would be).

• Should I await laboratory confirmation before reporting to Public Health?

  Not necessarily. Immediately notifiable conditions (for example, tuberculosis, measles, hepatitis A, pertussis, meningococcal disease, and suspected bioterrorism agents), should be reported as soon as they are clinically suspected, preferably while you are still with the patient. These are listed in bold. "If in Doubt, Report it Out."

• What information should I include about the patient when I report a case to Public Health?

  Provide the patient's notifiable condition, demographic and contact information, your name and phone number, relevant clinical and laboratory data (such as liver transaminases for patients with hepatitis), risk factors/suspect exposure sources (e.g., a history of injection drug use for hepatitis B or C), travel history, information on ill family members or other contacts, and whether the patient is in a sensitive occupation (such as a restaurant worker or child care provider with E. coli O157:H7). Please indicate if the patient is aware of the diagnosis, as we prefer to do interviews after the patient is informed.

• How do I report a case?

  Report cases of tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV/AIDS to their respective programs in Public Health. For all other conditions, contact the Communicable Disease Epidemiology and Immunization Section at 206-296-4774. See full contact info in the upper right of this page.

• If a notifiable condition is reportable by the laboratory, do I still need to report a case?

  Yes. Don't assume that a laboratory has reported a condition. Laboratories don't report suspected cases, clinically diagnosed cases, or clusters of illness that are not laboratory-confirmed.

• If I am not the patient’s primary care provider, do I still need to report?

  Yes. Unless you know that a case of a notifiable condition has already been reported, you are legally required to report it to Public Health.