Laboratory Question for the Week of August 10, 2020

Question:

What guidance has the HHS suggested for COVID-19 laboratory data submission methods?

Answer:

HHS outlines the following as appropriate submission methods:

• “Submission of laboratory testing data directly to state or local public health departments, as required by state and/or local law or policy. These entities will then submit de-identified data to the CDC on a daily basis using either Health Level 7 (HL7) messaging or the CDC-provided CSV format.
• Submission of laboratory testing data to state and local public health departments through a centralized platform (such as the Association of Public Health Laboratories’ AIMS platform) where such data will then be routed to the appropriate state and local authorities and routed to CDC after removal of elements to achieve de-identification according to applicable rules and regulations.
• Submission of laboratory testing data through a state or regional Health Information Exchange (HIE) to the appropriate state or local public health department and to the CDC as directed by the state.”

This question was answered in an edition of our Laboratory Compliance Manager. For more hot topics relating to laboratory services, please visit our store or call us at 1.800.252.1578, ext. 2.