Key Objectives:
- Explore the procedures and criteria used by jurisdictions to determine the reportable diseases, events, and conditions.
- Explore the procedures and criteria used by jurisdictions to remove a disease, event, or condition from the reportable list.
- Establish a forum to share resources and guidance across jurisdictions going forward.
Brief Summary:
Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) reviews the diseases, events, and conditions reportable in Tennessee and revises the List of Reportable Diseases for implementation January 1st annually. The state rules and regulations allow discretion of the Commissioner of Health to establish the reportable diseases, and therefore annual review by the legislature is not required. The list encompasses mostly communicable diseases, and includes healthcare-associated infections reported according to the general reporting process and those reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network. On average, 100 diseases, events, and conditions are included on the list each year. For 2017, a new review process was implemented, which required the disease program areas recommending an addition to the list to submit a request with the following information documented:
▪ Reason for requesting the addition of the disease, including the public health importance.
▪ History of notifiability to CDC and reportability in other jurisdictions.
▪ Plan for reporting, either by healthcare providers, laboratories, or both.
▪ Reportable laboratory findings, if applicable.
▪ Expected impact on the
- healthcare providers and laboratories for reporting.
- field public health professionals conducting investigations.
- state public health professionals overseeing surveillance.
- state public health laboratory if testing is requested or required.
▪ A surveillance plan for collecting, managing, and utilizing the data.
This process will be reviewed as a starting point for discussions to address the key objectives above. Scenarios of potential reportable diseases will be provided to further fuel the discussion.