ELECTRONIC LABORATORY REPORTING (ELR) TASK FORCE OVERVIEW

The ELR Task Force is a collaborative effort between the CDC, CSTE and APHL to promote the implementation of ELR. The vision is:

Vision: All labs (public and private) conducting clinical testing identify laboratory results that indicate a potential reportable condition for one of the jurisdictions they serve, format the information in a standard manner, and transmit appropriate messages to the responsible jurisdiction; all jurisdictions can and do receive and utilize the data.

The task force was formed in the spring of 2010 and its steering committee identified five high-level priorities:

• Develop a strategic plan for coordination between states, CDC and ONC.
• Develop, evaluate and endorse standards to reduce variation in what is required for ELR across the nation.
• Collaborate with APHL to compare and assure that PHLIP messages (formats, vocabulary, and transmission) and NEDSS messages are consistent and compatible to leverage the laboratory message infrastructure to communicate with clinicians, CDC, or state/local surveillance systems.
• Document legal considerations for electronic laboratory reporting and make available for other states to consider.
• Articulate the resources needed to implement state/local ELR through a needs/capacity assessment.

To tackle the priorities, five workgroups were formed. Each workgroup has a CSTE co-chair and a co-chair from APHL or CDC, and is staffed by a CDC subject matter expert. Workgroup members represent CDC, CSTE and APHL, and additional input is provided from standards development organizations (SDOs), vendors and implementers as needed. The workgroups were established in October 2010 and the majority of tasks will be completed between July –October 2011.

Click here for a workgroup organization chart

Click here for complete workgroup membership listing

The workgroups and their charges are: