BACKGROUND: The Reportable Conditions Knowledge Management System (RCKMS) is a tool developed by CSTE to support the advancement of electronic case reporting (eCR). The RCKMS tool consists of a centralized authoring interface where jurisdictions can enter and manage their reporting specifications, and a decision support service that reporters can invoke to determine whether a potential case is reportable and to which jurisdiction. This presentation will provide an update on the work done by the RCKMS project between Fall 2016 – June 2017.
METHODS: Development of the RCKMS tool is a collaborative effort between CSTE, CDC, and other government and private organizations. CSTE works with OpenCDS implementer HLN Consulting LLC, to develop the core functionality of the tool. A multi-disciplinary team of informatics analysts, knowledge engineers and vocabulary experts develop Reportable Condition Trigger Codes (RCTC) and content that support the tool. The Content Vetting Workgroup, a CSTE Surveillance and Informatics workgroup of state, local, and CDC subject matter experts, vet the knowledge artifacts before they are implemented in the tool. Training and communication specialists support the training of the public health workforce to use the RCKMS tool to author and maintain their reporting specifications. Lastly, the RCKMS team works with CDC, APHL, Mitre and the Digital Bridge Initiative to implement an end-to-end eCR infrastructure that incorporates RCKMS as decision support service.
RESULTS: This presentation will highlight major accomplishments of the RCKMS project, including enhancements made to the RCKMS authoring interface and activities related to integration of RCKMS onto the APHL Informatics Messaging Services (AIMS) platform. It will review progress made in content development, including a status update on second round vetting of reporting specifications for the RCKMS Phase 2 conditions, creation of the RCTC, and development of reporting specifications for other reportable conditions. Additionally, it will highlight progress and opportunities for workforce training with RCKMS. Lastly, it will provide a review of RCKMS coordination activities with related eCR projects, such as HL7 standards making efforts, the Mitre environmental scan project, CSTE eCR Toolkit development and Digital Bridge eCR implementation work.
CONCLUSIONS: RCKMS aligns with current standards and national initiatives supporting interoperability and the implementation of electronic case reporting. Implementation of RCKMS and eCR can strengthen the disease reporting system by improving the timeliness and completeness of reports received by public health, while reducing the burden of reporting for providers and labs.