Sec. 19a-215. (Formerly Sec. 19-89). Commissioner's lists of reportable diseases, emergency illnesses and health conditions and reportable laboratory findings. Reporting requirements. Confidentiality. Fines.

(a) For the purposes of this section:

(1) “Clinical laboratory” means any facility or other area used for microbiological, serological, chemical, hematological, immunohematological, biophysical, cytological, pathological or other examinations of human body fluids, secretions, excretions or excised or exfoliated tissues, for the purpose of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of any human disease or impairment, for the assessment of human health or for the presence of drugs, poisons or other toxicological substances.

(2) “Commissioner's list of reportable diseases, emergency illnesses and health conditions” and “commissioner's list of reportable laboratory findings” means the lists developed pursuant to section 19a-2a.

(3) “Confidential” means confidentiality of information pursuant to section 19a-25.

(4) “Health care provider” means a person who has direct or supervisory responsibility for the delivery of health care or medical services, including licensed physicians, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, physician assistants, nurses, dentists, medical examiners and administrators, superintendents and managers of health care facilities.

(5) “Reportable diseases, emergency illnesses and health conditions” means the diseases, illnesses, conditions or syndromes designated by the Commissioner of Public Health on the list required pursuant to section 19a-2a.

(b) A health care provider shall report each case occurring in such provider's practice, of any disease on the commissioner's list of reportable diseases, emergency illnesses and health conditions to the director of health of the town, city or borough in which such case resides and to the Department of Public Health, no later than twelve hours after such provider's recognition of the disease. Such reports shall be in writing, by telephone or in an electronic format approved by the commissioner. Such reports of disease shall be confidential and not open to public inspection except as provided for in section 19a-25.

(c) A clinical laboratory shall report each finding identified by such laboratory of any disease identified on the commissioner's list of reportable laboratory findings to the Department of Public Health not later than forty-eight hours after such laboratory's finding. A clinical laboratory that reports an average of more than thirty findings per month shall make such reports electronically in a format approved by the commissioner. Any clinical laboratory that reports an average of less than thirty findings per month shall submit such reports, in writing, by telephone or in an electronic format approved by the commissioner. All such reports shall be confidential and not open to public inspection except as provided for in section 19a-25. The Department of Public Health shall provide a copy of all such reports to the director of health of the town, city or borough in which the affected person resides or, in the absence of such information, the town where the specimen originated.

(d) When a local director of health, the local director's authorized agent or the Department of Public Health receives a report of a disease or laboratory finding on the commissioner's lists of reportable diseases, emergency illnesses and health conditions and laboratory findings, the local director of health, the local director's authorized agent or the Department of Public Health may contact first the reporting health care provider and then the person with the reportable finding to obtain such information as may be necessary to lead to the effective control of further spread of such disease. In the case of reportable communicable diseases and laboratory findings, this information may include obtaining the identification of persons who may be the source or subsequent contacts of such infection.

(e) All personal information obtained from disease prevention and control investigations as performed in subsections (c) and (d) of this section including the health care provider's name and the identity of the reported case of disease and suspected source persons and contacts shall not be divulged to anyone and shall be held strictly confidential pursuant to section 19a-25, by the local director of health and the director's authorized agent and by the Department of Public Health.

(f) Any person who violates any reporting or confidentiality provision of this section shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars. No provision of this section shall be deemed to supersede section 19a-584.

(1949 Rev., S. 3866; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 93-291, S. 2; 93-381, S. 9, 39; 93-435, S. 59, 95; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 00-27, S. 18, 24; P.A. 08-184, S. 3; P.A. 11-242, S. 21.)

History: P.A. 77-614 replaced department of health with department of health services, effective January 1, 1979; Sec. 19-89 transferred to Sec. 19a-215 in 1983; P.A. 93-291 divided section into Subsecs., inserted new provisions as Subsec. (a) defining “commissioner's list of reportable diseases and laboratory findings”, “confidential” and “health care provider”, amended Subsec. (b) to remove list of diseases and make technical changes, added Subsec. (c) re procedures for department and local directors after receipt of reports, amended Subsec. (d) to conform confidentiality provisions and remove obsolete language and amended Subsec. (e) to raise fine from $25 to $500 and to specify that section does not supersede Sec. 19a-584; P.A. 93-381 and P.A. 93-435 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 00-27 made technical changes in Subsec. (a), effective May 1, 2000; P.A. 08-184 amended Subsec. (b) by providing that required reports may be in an electronic format approved by commissioner and by making technical changes; P.A. 11-242 amended Subsec. (a) by adding new Subdiv. (1) defining “clinical laboratory”, redesignating existing Subdivs. (1) to (3) as Subdivs. (2) to (4), substituting “commissioner's list of reportable diseases, emergency illnesses and health conditions” and “commissioner's list of reportable laboratory findings” for “commissioner's list of reportable diseases and laboratory findings” as defined terms in Subdiv. (2), and adding Subdiv. (5) defining “reportable diseases, emergency illnesses and health conditions”, amended Subsec. (b) by substituting “emergency illnesses and health conditions” for “laboratory findings” and substituting “section 19a-25” for “subsection (d) of this section”, added new Subsec. (c) re disease reporting requirements for clinical laboratory, redesignated existing Subsecs. (c) to (e) as Subsecs. (d) to (f), amended Subsec. (d) by adding “emergency illnesses and health conditions”, amended Subsec. (e) by substituting “subsections (c) and (d)” for “subsection (c)”, and made technical changes.

Notation

See Sec. 19a-221 re quarantine procedure.