Electronic Case Reporting

Definition: 

Mandatory reporting of specific health conditions to public health departments is crucial for effective disease monitoring and response. Healthcare providers have historically used manual reporting methods – including faxes, phone calls, and electronic forms – which diverts time from patient care. Electronic case reporting (eCR) automates this process by extracting required information from electronic health records. This enhances efficiency, lessens the workload on healthcare providers, and enables faster responses to emerging public health concerns. 

National picture: 

A key benefit of eCR has been the secure, rapid data exchange between clinical healthcare providers and state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments. Adoption of eCR accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing from 187 facilities in the beginning of 2020 to 31,000 in all 50 states as of Jan. 22, 2024. 210 conditions are reportable by eCR (as of January 2024), with more conditions being regularly added. 

Removing reporting and data entry burdens for healthcare and public health allows both parties more time to focus on understanding the health issues and taking actions to treat patients or prevent further illness. Expansion of eCR is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Data Strategy (PHDS). Goals for 2024 include integrating eCR into disease surveillance systems in 38 jurisdictions and 35 percent of critical access hospitals participating in eCR.  

• California electronic case reporting hold queue mitigates volume​
• California improves reporting on silicosis
• Florida improves health equity through electronic case reporting (eCR)
• Adoption of eCR for MIS-C Surveillance in Idaho​
• Swimming in the data: Utilizing a data lake for eCR data quality in Minnesota
• Minnesota leverages data for public health surveillance and decreasing provider burden on reporting
• Oregon implements and optimizes electronic case reporting
• Texas upload of closed cases
• Texas implements electronic case reporting (eCR)