N.H. Code Admin. R. He-P 301.03

Current through Register No. 24, June 13, 2024

Section He-P 301.03 - Reporting of Communicable Diseases

(a) Any physician or other health care provider who assesses, diagnoses, or treats a person believed to be a case or suspect case of a reportable disease shall immediately make a report to the department by:

(1) Telephone at one of the following: 1-603-271-4496, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., or after hours and on weekends at: 603-271-5300;

(2) Facsimile at 603-271-0545; or

(3) Electronic transmission by requesting from the Department during business hours an account in the NH Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NHEDSS) on forms provided by the commissioner.

(b) Reports provided pursuant to (a) above shall include:

(1) The full name, age, date of birth, sex, race, ethnicity, address, telephone number, occupation, and place of occupation of the patient;

(2) The name of the disease;

(3) The date of onset;

(4) Diagnostic test(s) performed, specimen type(s), date(s), and result(s);

(5) The name of the person reporting; and

(6) Treatment information including the name and amount of the medication prescribed.

(c) When no physician or other health care provider is in attendance, the person in charge of any institution, including but not limited to a public or non-public school, child care agency, hotel, restaurant, boarding house, labor camp or other camp, vessel, workplace, hospital, dispensary, pharmacy, or charitable, penal, or other institution or place of detention in which there is a case or suspect case of a reportable disease, shall report the same immediately to the department as provided in paragraph (a) above.

(d) Reports provided pursuant to (c) above shall include:

(1) The full name, age, date of birth, sex, race, ethnicity, address, telephone number, occupation, and place of occupation of the patient;

(2) The name of the disease or incident;

(3) The date of onset; and

(4) The name, affiliation, and contact information of the person reporting.

(e) Local boards of health shall report immediately to the department those cases or suspect cases of reportable diseases of which they have knowledge.

(f) Reports required pursuant to (e) above shall include:

(1) The full name, age, date of birth, sex, race, ethnicity, address, telephone number, occupation, and place of occupation of the patient;

(2) The name of the disease or incident;

(3) The date of onset;

(4) The name of the original reporting source; and

(5) The name, affiliation, and contact information of the person reporting.

(g) The person in charge of any diagnostic laboratory testing human or animal specimens shall report immediately to the department as provided in paragraph (a) above, the following except for laboratories which after December 31, 2018 shall report to the department pursuant to He-P 301.02(f) :

(1) The isolation or identification of causative agents, positive diagnostic acute immunological responses to causative agents, or any other positive diagnostic test results for any of the conditions listed in He-P 301.02(b) ;

(2) If the laboratory test was conducted on a human specimen:

a. The full name, age, date of birth, sex, race, ethnicity, address, telephone number, occupation, and place of occupation of the person from whom the specimen was taken;

b. The date the specimen was received;

c. The name of the care provider; and

d. The name of the person reporting; and

(3) If the laboratory test was conducted on an animal specimen:

a. The full name, address, and telephone number of the owner of the animal from whom the specimen was taken;

b. The species of animal from which the animal specimen originated;

c. The date the specimen was received;

d. The name of the veterinarian; and

e. The name of the person reporting.

(h) Every physician or other health care provider, or the person in charge of any hospital, institution, dispensary, public or non-public school, child care agency, hotel, restaurant, boarding house, labor camp or other camp, vessel, workplace or charitable, penal, or other institution or place of detention having knowledge of the occurrence of case(s) or suspect case(s) of illness within the workplace or institution believed to have been due to consumption of food or water shall report the same immediately to the department as provided in paragraph (a) above.

(i) Hospitals with emergency departments shall electronically report all emergency department visits data to the department within 24 hours of the patient encounter, for the purpose of early detection of reportable diseases and outbreaks, to describe emerging public health issues, and to identify potential public health threats.

(j) Hospitals shall format electronic submissions in accordance with guidance provided by the Department in the New Hampshire Local Implementation Guide for Syndromic Surveillance Reporting, Version 1.07, 2/15/2015, available as noted in Appendix A.

(k) Hospitals with emergency departments shall commence routine electronic submission of properly formatted data not later than December 31, 2017.

(l) Investigations by the department of emergency department encounter reports shall include obtaining other clinical data necessary for case ascertainment including but not limited to the chief complaint. The findings of the investigation shall be used to identify communicable diseases, other health threats, and to institute control measures to reduce the risk of disease spread or to reduce exposures in a public health emergency.

N.H. Code Admin. R. He-P 301.03

#3172, eff 1-2-86; ss by #4230, eff 2-23-87; ss by #4946, eff 10-2-90; EXPIRED 10-2-96

New. #6634, eff 11-25-97; ss by #8242, eff 12-30-04; ss by #9172, eff 6-6-08

Amended by Volume XXXVI Number 45, Filed November 10, 2016, Proposed by #12033, Effective 11/3/2016, Expires 11/3/2026.