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The Florida Department of Health works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.

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Electronic Case Reporting (eCR)

Be a star!  Sign up for eCR.

Florida eCR participants are building a public health information superhighway.

A special thanks to the trailblazers below:

eCR Early Adopters

Memorial Health System

Leon Medical Centers

Premise Health

Lee Memorial Health System

Watson Clinic LLP

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Mayo Clinic


Welcome to the Florida Department of Health eCR page!

The Florida Department of Health declares they are ready to receive electronic case reports from eligible health care organizations.

Participate in eCR
Flordia ECR Information: As of April 2022, more than 11,400 facilities are actively sending COVID-19 via eCR to PHAs

Effective January 1, 2022, eCR is required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Promoting Interoperability Program (PIP) for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) and the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Promoting Interoperability Performance Category for eligible clinicians. Please read on to learn about eCR, its benefits, where to register your intent, and additional resources.

Please read on to learn about eCR, its benefits, where to register your intent, and additional resources.

About eCR

Electronic case reporting (eCR) is the automated real-time exchange of case report information between electronic health records (EHRs) and public health agencies.

Traditionally, health care providers need to know the rules for reporting and manually report about cases, or people with conditions of public health concern, to their public health agencies via fax, phone call, or email.

The Florida Department of Health uses the HL7 electronic initial case report (eICR) standards (R1.1 and R3.1) for electronic case reporting and to support the new CMS Promoting Interoperability regulation for eCR. It is these standards that we will use to eventually eliminate manual reporting requirements.

Benefits of eCR

  • Fulfills legal requirements: eCR allows providers to fulfill their legal obligations to report conditions of public health concern with less administrative burden.

  • Qualifies as a PIP objective: eCR qualifies as an objective for eligible facilities participating in the Promoting Interoperability Program (PIP), formerly called Meaningful Use.

  • Enhances surveillance: eCR enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of disease detection, surveillance, investigation, and response.

  • Increases automation: eCR increases automation, which allows stakeholders to spend more time providing care and preventing and controlling disease among the residents of Florida, especially those who are most vulnerable.
 

Participate in eCR

Step 1: Prepare

  • Verify your electronic health record (EHR) is on the Certified Health IT Products List

    *Note:  For calendar year 2023, eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) attesting to the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program will be required to only use certified health IT that has been updated consistent with the 2015 Edition Cures Update criteria to successfully meet the CEHRT requirements.

  • Ensure your EHR product have the capability to submit Health Level 7 (HL7) electronic initial case report (eICR) standards (R1.1 and R3.1) for electronic case reporting and to support the new CMS Promoting Interoperability regulation for eCR

  • Visit the AIMS Platform website for a guide

    *Note: If your vendor is not yet eCR ready, please still communicate intent below with FLDOH. However, know that the vendor must be ready for the onboarding process to be completed.

  • The Florida Department of Health does not offer an exclusion letter for eCR related to the CMS PIP and the CMS MIPS programs. If you are an eligible hospital, CAH, or MIPS eligible clinician, you are excluded from the eCR measure if you do not treat or diagnose any reportable disease for which data is collected per 64D-3, Florida Administrative Code, during the EHR reporting and performance period.


Step 2: Contact


Step 3: Implement


Step 4: Testing and Validation Phases

  • Enter a testing and validation status where your eCR data undergoes basic testing and validation by AIMS and further testing and validation by DOH

    IMPORTANT: You must continue your existing reporting method for reportable conditions until you receive official notification from DOH authorizing you to discontinue manual reporting.

Learn more about eCR

Questions

Should you have any questions, we are happy to support you. Please email us at electroniccasereporting@flhealth.gov