Clinicians in New York who perform COVID-19 testing are now required to report information about patients' school attendance, according to a Sept. 21 letter from state health commissioner Howard Zucker, MD, JD.
A new Executive Order from Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) issued earlier this month mandated that providers must report whether a patient attends or works in a school -- from elementary through higher education -- along with the name of that school.
Physicians must collect the information when taking specimens and submit it to the clinical lab. The data collection also applies to physician office laboratories and point-of-care testing. In those latter instances, results must be reported within 3 hours, according to the letter. The same applies to influenza testing for these groups.
Clinicians who don't collect and submit information can be fined up to $2,000 per day, according to the letter. Jonah Bruno, a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Health, said healthcare providers who don't comply are "subject to a range of penalties, including fines and professional discipline."
Zucker's letter notes that the health department is working with hospitals, labs, and electronic health record vendors to create new fields for the information, but in the interim, clinicians should use the "occupation" field to enter school information.
"This additional information is essential to limiting transmission and protecting our communities," Zucker wrote in the letter.
Clinicians in New York who perform COVID-19 testing are now required to report information about patients' school attendance, according to a Sept. 21 letter from state health commissioner Howard Zucker, MD, JD.
A new Executive Order from Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) issued earlier this month mandated that providers must report whether a patient attends or works in a school -- from elementary through higher education -- along with the name of that school.
Physicians must collect the information when taking specimens and submit it to the clinical lab. The data collection also applies to physician office laboratories and point-of-care testing. In those latter instances, results must be reported within 3 hours, according to the letter. The same applies to influenza testing for these groups.
Clinicians who don't collect and submit information can be fined up to $2,000 per day, according to the letter. Jonah Bruno, a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Health, said healthcare providers who don't comply are "subject to a range of penalties, including fines and professional discipline."
Zucker's letter notes that the health department is working with hospitals, labs, and electronic health record vendors to create new fields for the information, but in the interim, clinicians should use the "occupation" field to enter school information.
"This additional information is essential to limiting transmission and protecting our communities," Zucker wrote in the letter.
When asked how the information would be used, Bruno said test results are "reported publicly through the COVID-19 Tracker and the School COVID-19 Report Card."
Leana Wen, MD, of George Washington University, who previously served as Baltimore's health commissioner, said that generally, "this type of reporting is very much needed. So much of our response has been hindered by a lack of data. Without clear data on where outbreaks are occurring, we are flying blind."
Collecting information on schools could be used not only to inform decision making for the school, but for other community interventions as well, if the proper contact tracing machinery is in place.
"If the infections are traced to birthday parties or play dates, the intervention isn't necessarily closing the school," Wen said. "The information can be used to reduce transmission in other settings. We can understand where infections occur to help guide policies."
New York's new mandatory reporting comes amid a rise in coronavirus cases in the state, after months of relatively stable case counts. The state counted more than 1,000 new cases on Saturday for the first time since early June.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday that the city's COVID-19 positive test rate topped 3% for the first time in months. Case rates are growing dramatically in eight neighborhoods, accounting for more than 23% of new cases in the city, despite accounting for just 7% of its population. Against that background, New York City schools began reopening for in-person learning on Tuesday.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/publichealth/88873
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