Laboratory results for reportable laboratory findings outlined in the Reportable and Communicable Diseases Rule must be reported to the Vermont Department of Health, as required in statute.
As of August 15, 2023, only positive SARS-CoV-2 laboratory results should be reported to the Vermont Department of Health. Positive results are reportable within 24 hours and include PCR, antigen and LAMP test results.
Hospital laboratories and reference laboratories are required to report according to the “Reportable and Communicable Diseases Rule." For COVID-19 specifically, please visit the CDC website and refer to the section “Who Can Report” to determine if you should be reporting to the Vermont Department of Health.
If your facility has an established HL7 ELR feed with the Vermont Department of Health, please report laboratory results through your existing feed.
For facilities with no established electronic HL7 feed, the following are options for electronic reporting:
1. Establish an HL7 2.5.1 feed (preferred) or an automated spreadsheet using the National Flat File schema feed, with either of the following groups:
2. SimpleReport (COVID-19 reporting only): SimpleReport was developed in partnership with the CDC and is a free tool that makes it easy for COVID-19 testing sites to report their results. It works with any rapid point-of-care test so you can quickly report data to public health departments. This tool is a good fit for facilities that may be doing repeat testing for the same patients (residents, employees, students, etc.) and/or facilities that would benefit from the built-in workflow and data management SimpleReport provides. Please plan to utilize an alternate reporting method (such as the State of Vermont Test Result Reporting Tool or fax) until we are able to verify the results are being reported through SimpleReport.
3. The State of Vermont – COVID-19 Test Result Reporting Form is an online web-entry form (COVID-19 reporting only). This tool is a good fit for facilities with a low volume of results to report to the health department. The form is also very quick and easy to onboard, making it a good interim reporting solution for facilities that plan to utilize other electronic reporting solutions with longer onboarding times.
If you are attempting to onboard for electronic reporting, please fax any positive test result to 802-951-4061 within 24 hours. The faxed report should include patient demographic information (name, date of birth, sex, race and ethnicity, and contact information), test type and result, and reporting facility.
If your facility cannot report electronically, you may choose to use the weekly lab report form.
Hospitals should follow any Promoting Interoperability Program requirements. Electronic lab reporting (ELR) is a Core Item for Meaningful Use Stage 3. Vermont can receive ELR from Eligible Hospitals as HL7 ORU v2.5.1 messages.
Note to hospitals performing in-house reportable disease testing: Please email AHS.VDHELRSupport@vermont.gov to confirm your electronic reporting status. All positive results should be faxed, unless confirmation has been made that we are receiving in-house results through an electronic feed.
The Health Department prefers to receive whole genome sequencing information as an electronic lab report using a facility’s existing connection. Please refer to the CDC guidance for formatting this information and reach out to ahs.vdhelrsupport@vermont.gov to submit test messages for review prior to including this information in your production feed.
