Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 36, September 6, 2024
Section 64-7-12 - Syndromic Surveillance12.1. The Commissioner shall develop a syndromic surveillance system consistent with International Society for Disease Surveillance (ISDS) guidelines. The purpose of the surveillance system is to detect changes in the occurrence of disease in the population, especially as a result of a disease outbreak or other public health emergency, disaster or special event. When the surveillance system is implemented, emergency rooms and urgent care facilities shall transmit data electronically on a schedule determined by the Commissioner, taking into consideration the capacity of the facility to electronically report the data elements, the funding available for implementation, and other relevant factors, including improved efficiencies and resulting benefits to the reporting facility.12.2. When the syndromic surveillance system is determined to be functional by the Commissioner, emergency rooms and urgent care facilities in the state shall report daily all data elements for each registered patient visit as required by the Commissioner.12.3. The Commissioner shall publish detailed instructions for emergency departments and urgent care facilities on the required reporting as part of the Reportable Disease Protocol Manual, available online at: www.dide.wv.gov. The instructions shall contain information on: 12.3.a. A full description of required data elements;12.3.b. Electronic transmission standards;12.3.c. The transmission schedule; and12.3.d. The surveillance objectives and other information related to the purpose of the surveillance system and the intended uses of the data.12.4. None of the following data for patients or their relatives, employers or household members shall be collected by the syndromic surveillance system: names; postal or street address information, other than town or city, county, state, and the first five digits of the zip code; geocode infomation; telephone number; account numbers; certificate or license numbers; vehicle identifiers, and serial numbers, including license plate numbers; device identifiers and serial numbers; web universal resource locators (URLs); internet protocol (IP) address numbers; biometric identifiers, including finger and voice prints; and full face photographic images and any comparable images.12.5. The Commissioner shall maintain the confidentiality of syndromic surveillance data in accordance with section 20 of this rule. The Commissioner may share the data with local health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for public health purposes.