Electronic Laboratory Reporting (ELR)

Key points

  • Electronic Laboratory Reporting sends laboratory reports quickly and securely to public health agencies.
  • Faster reporting helps health departments detect and respond to outbreaks sooner.
  • Standard formats make it easier for different healthcare, laboratory, and public health systems to share and use data.
Doctor using tablet with icon medical network on hospital background.

What is ELR?

Electronic Laboratory Reporting (ELR) for public health is the transmission of digital laboratory reports, often from laboratories and other testing entities to state and local public health departments. Public health departments report nationally notifiable diseases to CDC in support of national surveillance programs and outbreak detection.

ELR automates the reporting process by translating laboratory information into an electronic message that can be automatically sent and processed. This reduces manual data entry errors and ensures standardized, complete, and accurate laboratory reporting.

Image of an abstract data background.
ELR is the transmission of digital laboratory reports between public health agencies.

Why ELR is Important

Outbreak Preparedness

Population background with disease cluster web demonstrating the importance of ELR in outbreak response.
ELR enables faster detection and response during outbreaks.

ELR provides a critical tool for rapid detection and response to outbreaks. High-quality ELR data enables faster identification of clusters and improved management of public health emergencies.

Did you know?

Investments in ELR infrastructure since 2005, particularly through CDC and APHL, enabled rapid scale-up in 2020. CDC received near real-time, comprehensive national data that informed timely public health decision-making for emergency response.

Improved Report Quality

  • Faster electronic transmission
  • Reduced manual entry errors
  • More complete and consistent reports across sources
  • Better interoperability and data integration

Data Interoperability

ELR strengthens the seamless exchange of information across laboratories, healthcare systems, public health agencies (state, territorial, and local), and CDC. This interoperability improves patient care, enhances surveillance, and increases administrative efficiency.

Timely Data for Rapid Response

Over 90%
of ELR messages nationally are currently sent in standardized formats, increasing data timeliness and accuracy for rapid case identification and outbreak response.

How ELR Works

1. Laboratory Testing & LIMS

  • When a laboratory confirms a reportable condition (e.g., measles, HIV, rabies), patient and test data are securely entered into a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS).
  • Data may be entered manually by laboratory personnel or automatically by connected instruments.

2. Message Creation

  • LIMS generates standardized electronic messages.
  • Messages are formatted to be interoperable across different healthcare, laboratory, and public health systems.

3. Transmission & Processing

  • Messages are sent electronically to state or local health departments.
  • Receiving agencies process ELR data into surveillance systems, linking to case reports and helping accurately track diseases.

4. Public Health Action

  • ELR allows health departments to connect related cases and identify outbreaks.
  • Health agencies can quickly act to find other cases, stop further spread, share prevention messages, alert clinicians, and advise communities on how to better protect their health.

Implementing ELR for Health Departments

CDC's Role

  • Funding: Supports health departments through the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) cooperative agreement.
  • Technical Assistance: Helps jurisdictions address technical barriers, improve reporting systems, and achieve interoperability goals.
  • Monitoring & Support: CDC tracks ELR progress nationally, ensuring consistency and continued improvement.

Technical Assistance for ELR Projects

CDC and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), a partner organization working to strengthen laboratory systems that serve public health, provide technical assistance for jurisdictions pursuing ELR-related goals. Requests can include:

  • Assessing existing ELR processing
  • Adding ELR for new disease categories or laboratories
  • Performing vocabulary mapping and infrastructure development
  • Fine-tuning existing routes to eliminate errors
  • Updating ELR to align with new systems, software, or regulations
  • Troubleshooting persistent technical issues
  • Reducing manual steps in automated systems
  • Promoting inter-state and inter-jurisdictional data exchange

Additional questions may be sent to EDX@cdc.gov.

Keep Reading ELC in Action: Modernizing Health Information Systems
Print
Content Source: