216-RICR-30-05-1
216-RICR-30-05-1. Reporting and Testing of Infectious, Environmental, and Occupational Diseases (version Adoption, 03/22/2018 to 07/07/2021)
1.1 Authority
These regulations are
promulgated pursuant to the authority conferred under R.I. Gen. Laws
§ 23-1.1 for the purpose of adopting prevailing standards for
confidentiality and reporting of infectious, occupational, and
environmentally related diseases in Rhode Island.
1.2 Incorporated Materials
A. These regulations hereby
adopt and incorporate HIPAA
Privacy Rule and Public Health: Guidance from CDC and the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services May 2, 2003/52 (S-1); 1-12 .
by reference, not including any further editions or amendments
thereof and only to the extent that the provisions therein are not
inconsistent with these regulations.
B. These regulations hereby
adopt and incorporate The
American Society of Microbiology Sentinel Level Clinical Laboratory
Protocols for Suspected Biological Threat Agents and Emerging
Infectious Diseases 2013 for Botulinum Toxin, Novel Influenza
Viruses, Smallpox, and Staph Enterotoxin B by reference, not
including any further editions or amendments thereof and only to the
extent that the provisions therein are not inconsistent with these
regulations.
C. These regulations hereby
adopt and incorporate The
American Society of Microbiology Sentinel Level Clinical Laboratory
Protocols for Suspected Biological Threat Agents and Emerging
Infectious Diseases 201 6 for Bacillus anthracis, Brucella,
Burkholderia (mallei and pseudomallei), Coxiella burnetii, Yersinia
pestis, and Francisella tularensis by reference, not including any
further editions or amendments thereof and only to the extent that
the provisions therein are not inconsistent with these regulations.
D. These regulations hereby
adopt and incorporate The
American National Standards Institute CLSI M48-A “Laboratory
Detection and Identification of Mycobacteria Approved Guideline”
2008 by reference, not including any further editions or
amendments thereof and only to the extent that the provisions therein
are not inconsistent with these regulations.
1.3 Definitions
A. "Asbestos" means
that unique group of naturally occurring minerals that separate into
fibers of high tensile strength, resistant to heat, wear, and
chemicals, described as the following types: chrysotile, amosite,
crocidolite, tremolite, anthopyllite, and actinolite, and every
product containing any of these materials that have been chemically
treated and/or altered which after manufacture are used for such
products and end uses including but not limited to insulation,
textiles, paper, cement, sheets, floor tile, wall covering,
decorations, coating, sealants, cement pipe and reinforced plastics
and other compounds.
B. "Asbestos-related
disease" means any illness or disease, other than for benign
conditions of the pleura, suspected of being related to asbestos
exposure, including, but not limited to, mesothelioma, asbestosis,
and lung cancer believed to be caused by asbestos exposure.
C. "Carrier" means a
person or animal that harbors a specific infectious agent without
discernible clinical disease and serves as a potential source of
infection.
D. "Case" or
"patient" means a person who is suspected or confirmed to
be ill, infected, exposed to, or diagnosed with a reportable disease.
E. "Clinical laboratory"
means a facility for the biological, microbiological, serological,
chemical, immunohematological, hematological, radiobioassay,
cytological, pathological, genomic, or any other examination of
materials derived from the human body for the purpose of providing
information for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of any
disease or impairment of, or the assessment of the health of human
beings.
F. "Controlled substance"
means a drug, substance, or immediate precursor in schedules I-V
listed by R.I. Gen Laws Chapter 21-28.
G. “Culture Independent
Diagnostic Test” (CIDT) means any laboratory assay that detects the
molecular or antigenic signature of pathogens independent of
generating an isolate, including but not limited to microscopy,
immunoassays, and Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT)s.
H. "Diagnosis of AIDS"
means the most current surveillance case definition for AIDS
published by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).
I. "Diagnosis of HIV"
means the most current surveillance case definition for HIV infection
published by the CDC.
J. "Director" means
the Director of Health or his/her designee.
K. "Disease report"
means an official notice to the appropriate authority of the
occurrence of a specified disease in humans or animals, in accordance
with the requirements stated in these Regulations.
L. "Emergency service
worker" means a worker responding on behalf of a licensed
ambulance/rescue service, fire department, or law enforcement agency.
M. "Health care facility"
means those facilities licensed by the Department in accordance with
the provisions of R.I. Gen Law Chapter 23-17.
N. "Health care provider"
means a physician, physician assistant, or certified nurse
practitioner licensed to practice in Rhode Island.
O. "Infectious disease"
means an illness due to a specific infectious agent or its toxic
products that arises through transmission of that agent or its
products from an infected person, animal, or inanimate reservoir to a
susceptible host.
P. "Occupational disease"
means a disease or condition which is believed to be caused or
aggravated by conditions in the individual's workplace.
Q. "Occupational health
representative" means an individual, within a health care
facility, trained to respond to occupational, particularly blood
borne, exposures.
R. “RIDOH” means the Rhode
Island Department of Health.
S. "Surveillance"
means the practice of monitoring the occurrence and spread of
disease. Included are the systematic collection and evaluation of:
morbidity and mortality reports; special reports of field
investigations, epidemics and individual cases; isolations and
identifications of infectious agents in laboratories; data concerning
the availability and use of vaccines; immune globulin, pesticides and
other substances used in disease control; information regarding
immunity levels in segments of the population, and of other relevant
epidemiologic data. The procedure applies to all jurisdictional
levels of public health, from local to international.
1.4 Confidentiality Provisions
A. All information concerning
cases or suspected cases shall be held in confidence in accordance
with the provisions of R.I. Gen Laws § 5-37-3 and all other
applicable state and federal statutes and regulations.
B. Pursuant to the HIPAA
Privacy Rule, disclosures to RIDOH without individual authorization
are permitted for the purpose of preventing or controlling disease,
injury, or disability, including but not limited to public health
surveillance, investigation, and intervention.
1.4.1 Persons and Entities
Responsible for Reporting Diseases
A. The following individuals
and entities attending the case or suspected case are required to
report the diseases listed in § 1.5.3 of this Part:
1. Physicians
2. Physician assistants
3. Certified registered nurse
practitioners
4. Clinical laboratories
5. Hospitals (from both
inpatient and outpatient settings)
a. When a diagnosis or
suspected diagnosis of a case is made within a hospital, the facility
administrator, or his/her designee (e.g., infection control
practitioner), must ensure the reporting of the case in accordance
with the procedures outlined in these Regulations.
6. All other health care
facilities, including but not limited to: organized ambulatory care
facility, school-based health center, college/university- health
center, freestanding emergency care facility, home care/home nursing
care provider, hospice, birth center, nursing facility,
rehabilitation hospital center, freestanding ambulatory surgical
center, kidney disease treatment center, blood centers, and prison
health services.
a. When a diagnosis or
suspected diagnosis of a case is made within a licensed health care
facility, the facility administrator or medical director, or his/her
designee (e.g., infection control practitioner), must ensure the
reporting of the case in accordance with the procedures outlined in
these Regulations.
7. Veterinarians who have
knowledge of: a single case of rare and/or unusual veterinary
diagnosis that has the potential to cause illness in humans, or
knowledge of outbreaks of unusual zoonotic vectorborne diseases that
can cause illness in humans;
B. It is recommended that the
following individuals and entities report the diseases listed in §
1.5.3 of this Part:
1. Certified school
nurse-teachers who have knowledge of a single case of rare and/or
unusual diagnoses, or knowledge of outbreaks of diseases;
2. Dentists who have knowledge
of a single case of rare and/or unusual diagnoses, or knowledge of
outbreaks of disease;
3. Other entities or persons
(such as day care centers, drug treatment facilities, travel clinics,
social service agencies that serve the homeless, camp counselors,
funeral directors, transportation authority, assisted living
facilities, community-based organizations that screen for infectious
diseases, etc.) who have knowledge of a single case of rare and/or
unusual diagnoses or knowledge of outbreaks of diseases.
C. Exemptions
1. Reporting of the diseases
listed in § 1.5.3 of this Part shall not be required in the
following cases:
a. In research protocols and
all other situations where the person conducting the research or
ordering the test is unaware of the identity of the person being
tested.
b. Anonymous HIV testing
1.5 Timeframe, Methods, and
Reportable Conditions
1.5.1 Timeframes
A. The lists cited in § 1.5.3
of this Part pertain to individuals and facilities required to report
pursuant to § 1.4.1 of this Part. Cases due to the diseases listed
below shall be reported to the RIDOH within the timelines indicated.
Reportable diseases are grouped as follows:
1. Immediately reportable
diseases shall be reported within twenty-four hours of recognition or
strong suspicion of disease.
2. All other reportable
conditions shall be reported within four days of recognition or
suspicion.
1.5.2 Methods
A. Case reports must be
submitted on a RIDOH case report form as specified by the RIDOH
website . The minimal information required when submitting a case
report form includes: disease being reported, patient’s full name,
address, city, state, zip code, phone number, date of birth, gender,
race and ethnicity, date of onset, and physicians’ name and phone
number.
B. Clinical laboratories,
including those outside of Rhode Island, performing examinations on
any specimens derived from Rhode Island residents that yield evidence
of infection due to the diseases listed in § 1.5.3 of this Part
shall report such evidence of infection directly to RIDOH.
C. The minimal information
required when submitting a laboratory report includes: a laboratory
contact, test results, date of specimen collection, patient’s full
name, date of birth, sex, address, patient’s phone number, and name
of ordering health care provider.
D. Reporting methods include,
but are not limited to the following:
1. Mail to: Rhode Island
Department of Health, Division of Preparedness, Response, Infectious
Diseases, and Emergency Medical Services, 3 Capitol Hill, Providence
RI 02908-5097
2. Fax to RIDOH using fax
numbers on the reporting forms.
3. Telephone: Between 8:30 am
- 4:30 pm (Monday-Friday): (401) 222-2577. For telephone reporting
for immediately reportable diseases after hours call (401) 272-5952.
4. Electronic reporting of
clinical and laboratory results to RIDOH.
5. Organizations that house
reportable disease data must allow RIDOH to access the database for
data mining from various data sources, including, but not limited to:
electronic laboratory reports, medical records, health information
exchange feeds, syndromic surveillance feeds, immunization and other
disease registries, and billing data.
1.5.3 Reportable Disease
and Conditions
A. For the conditions listed
below, invasive disease must be confirmed by isolation from blood,
cerebral spinal fluid, pericardial fluid, pleural fluid, peritoneal
fluid, joint fluid, urine, or other normally sterile site.
B. Pregnant women with a
reportable infectious disease listed in § 1.5.3 of this Part that
can be transmitted to the unborn child or infant must be reported
within four days of recognition. For example, HIV, Zika, syphilis,
Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, rubella, etc.
C. If testing is positive for
any of the reportable conditions listed below and is performed with a
Culture Independent Diagnostic Test (CIDT), the laboratory must
perform reflexive culture or transport the original specimen to
another laboratory to perform culture. If the culture is positive,
the isolate must be recovered and sent to the RI State Health
Laboratories for those organisms as indicated in §§ 1.4.3(D) and
(E) of this Part. Both positive and negative culture results must be
reported to RIDOH.
D. Immediately Reportable
Diseases and Conditions must be reported within 24 hours.
1. Animal bites
2. Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis
and Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
3. Arboviral infections (e.g.,
West Nile, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Powassan, Zika, Chikungunya,
Yellow Fever)
4. Botulism (Clostridium
botulinum)
a. Laboratories must submit
the specimen to the RI State Health Laboratories
5. Brucellosis (Brucella
species)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
6. Cholera (Vibrio cholerae)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
7. Ciguatera
8. Clostridium perfringens
epsilon toxin
9. Diphtheria (Corynebacterium
diptheriae)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
10. Encephalitis (any
infectious cause)
11. Glanders (Burkholderia
mallei)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
12. Hantavirus (All species)
13. Hepatitis A
a. Laboratories must report
aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and
Bilirubin Total and Bilirubin Direct
14. Measles (Rubeola)
a. Laboratories must submit
the specimen to the RI State Health Laboratories
15. Melioidosis (Burkholderia
pseudomallei)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
16. Meningococcal Disease-
invasive (Neisseria meningitidis)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
17. Novel coronavirus
18. Outbreaks and clusters as
defined in §1.5.4 of this Part
19. Paralytic shellfish
poisoning
20. Plague (Yersinia pestis)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
21. Poliomyelitis (polio
virus)
22. Q-Fever (Coxiella
burnetii)
a. Laboratories must submit
specimen to the RI State Health Laboratories
23. Rabies (animal)
a. Laboratories must submit
the animal to the RI State Health Laboratories
24. Rabies (human)
a. Laboratories must submit
specimen to the RI State Health Laboratories
25. Ricin poisoning
26. Scombroid poisoning
27. Smallpox (Variola)
a. Laboratories must submit
specimen to the RI State Health Laboratories
28. Staphylococcal enterotoxin
B poisoning
29. Staphylococcus aureus
invasive infections: Vancomycin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
(VRSA) or Vancomycin Intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
30. Tularemia (Francisella
tularensis)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
31. Typhoid fever (Salmonella
typhi)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
32. Unexplained deaths
(possibly due to unidentified infectious causes)
33. Vibriosis (all Vibrio
species)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
34. Viral hemorrhagic fevers
(Ebola, Lassa, Marburg, etc.)
a. Laboratories must submit
specimen to the RI State Health Laboratories
E. Other Reportable Conditions
must be reported within four days
1. Acute Flaccid Myelitis
2. Anaplasmosis (Anaplasma
phagocytophilium)
a. Laboratories must submit
stained smear to the RI State Health Laboratories
3. Babesiosis (all species)
4. Campylobacteriosis
( Campylobacter all
species)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
5. Carbapenem-resistant
Gram-negative bacteria
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
6. Chancroid ( Haemophilus
ducreyi )
7. Chlamydia trachomatis
(genital and ophthalmic)
8. Coccidioidomycosis
(Coccidioides immitis)
9. Cryptosporidiosis
(Cryptosporidium all species)
10. Cyclosporiasis (Cyclospora
cayetanensis)
11. Dengue virus
12. Ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia
chaffeensis)
a. Laboratories must submit
stained smear to the RI State Health Laboratories
13. Escherichia coli, Shiga
toxin-producing (STEC)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
14. Giardiasis
(Giardia lamblia)
15. Gonorrhea (Neisseria
gonorrhoeae)
16. Granuloma Inguinale
( Klebsiella
granulomatis )
17. Haemophilus influenzae
disease, all serotypes- invasive
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
18. Hansen's disease or
Leprosy (Mycobacterium leprae)
19. Hemolytic uremic syndrome
(HUS)
20. Hepatitis B, C, D, E, and
unspecified viral hepatitis
a. Laboratories must report
all positive results
b. Laboratories must report
aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and
Bilirubin Total and Bilirubin Direct
c. Physicians must report all
acute Hepatitis cases
d. Physicians must report
pregnancy in a chronic Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C- positive woman
using forms required by RIDOH
21. Human Immunodeficiency
Virus (HIV) 1 and 2 /Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
a. Laboratories must report
every CD4 cell count and HIV viral load test result performed on an
HIV-positive individual
b. Physicians must report
pregnancy in an HIV-positive woman using forms required by RIDOH
22. Influenza associated
deaths (all ages)
23. Influenza associated
hospitalizations
24. Influenza novel virus
infections
a. Laboratories much submit
all unsubtypable Influenza A specimens
to the RI State Health
Laboratories
25. Latent Tuberculosis
Infection (LTBI) (Mycobacterium tuberculosis)
26. Legionellosis (Legionella
pneumophila)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
27. Leptospirosis (Leptospira
interrogans)
28. Listeriosis- invasive
( Listeria monocytogenes )
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
29. Lyme disease (Borrelia
burgdorferi)
30. Lymphogranuloma Venereum
(Chlamydia trachomatis)
31. Malaria (Plasmodium
species)
a. Laboratories must submit
stained smear to the RI State Health Laboratories
32. Meningitis (aseptic,
bacterial, viral, or fungal)
33. Mumps (Paramyxovirus)
a. Laboratories must submit
the specimen to the RI State Health Laboratories
34. Ornithosis/Psittacosis
( Chlamydophila
psittaci )
35. Pelvic inflammatory
disease (PID): all cases, based upon clinical diagnosis
36. Pertussis (Bordetella
pertussis)
37. Pneumococcal Disease-
invasive (Streptococcus pneumoniae)
38. Rickettsiosis, including
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (Rickettsia- all species)
39. Rubella (including
congenital rubella)
a. Laboratories must submit
the specimen to the RI State Health Laboratories
40. Salmonellosis (Salmonella-
all species)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
41. Shigellosis (Shigella- all
species)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
42. Streptococcal
Disease-Group A- invasive
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
43. Streptococcal Disease-
Group B- invasive
44. Streptococcal Toxic Shock
Syndrome (Streptococcus pyogenes)
45. Syphilis- all stages
including neurosyphilis and congenital syphilis (Treponema pallidum)
46. Tetanus (Clostridium
tetani)
47. Toxic Shock Syndrome
(non-Streptococcal)
48. Transmissible spongiform
encephalopathies (including Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease)
49. Trichinosis
(Trichinella species)
50. Tuberculosis Disease
(Mycobacterium tuberculosis)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
51. Varicella
(Varicella-Zoster virus)
52. Yersiniosis (Yersinia
enterocolitica)
a. Laboratories must submit
isolate to the RI State Health Laboratories
1.5.4 Reporting of
Outbreaks
A. Any person or entity who is
required to report and has knowledge of an outbreak of infectious
disease or a cluster of unexplained illness, infectious or
non-infectious, whether or not listed in these regulations, shall
immediately report the facts to RIDOH.
B. Outbreaks required to be
reported include, but are not limited to:
1. Exotic diseases and unusual
group expressions of illness which may be of public health concern.
2. A single case of a disease
long absent from a population or the first invasion by a disease not
previously recognized in that area.
3. Outbreaks or clusters
identified by significant increases in the usual occurrence of the
disease in the same area, among the specified population, at the same
season of the year.
4. The occurrence of two or
more cases of a similar illness resulting from the ingestion of a
common food or water source.
5. A cluster of similar
illness in institutional settings, including but not limited to
nursing homes, hospitals, schools, and day care centers.
6. A single case of rare
and/or unusual diagnoses, including but not limited to avian
influenza, smallpox, Ebola, SARS, Zika, Borrelia miyamotoi, Candida
auris, or human rabies.
7. Outbreaks of unusual
diseases or illness that may indicate acts of terrorism using
biological agents, including but not limited to anthrax and botulism.
See complete list of biological agents in § 1.7.2(A)(1) of this
Part.
8. Any condition compatible
with exposure to nuclear, radiological, or chemical substances, which
could be indicative of radiological or chemical terrorism events.
9. Clusters of overdoses or
adverse reactions to a drug, whether prescription or illicit.
1.6 Special Disease Surveillance
Projects
A. Reporting will be required
for surveillance related to special and/or complex surveillance
systems (e.g., Zika, latent TB infection, influenza, new and emerging
disease threats, and evaluation and validation projects related to
surveillance) at the discretion of RIDOH.
B. Reporting will be required
for any additional surveillance systems that are developed and
implemented to prepare for or respond to public health threats at the
discretion of RIDOH at any time.
1.7 Instructions for Laboratories
1.7.1 General Instructions
A. Whenever a RI licensed
clinical laboratory performs tests or has the sample(s) tested out of
state for those diseases cited in § 1.5.3 of this Part, the
laboratory shall submit to RIDOH all positive findings.
B. Negative laboratory results
for those diseases cited in § 1.5.3 of this Part, must be reported
for public health surveillance and investigation purposes at the
discretion of RIDOH.
C. The report shall consist of
a copy of the laboratory findings submitted to the physician or other
licensed health care provider who ordered the test. This report shall
indicate the name of the case, address of the case, gender, date of
birth, telephone number, race, ethnicity, and name of attending
physician.
D. All genotyping, molecular
detection, and phylogenetic testing results on reportable conditions
must be reported to RIDOH.
1.7.2 Reporting of Agents
of Bioterrorism
A. An immediate report must be
made to RIDOH by telephone when an ordering provider requests a test
for a potential agent of bioterrorism. After normal business hours,
the RIDOH’s after-hours on-call physician must be informed.
1. Potential agents of
bioterrorism are:
a. Anthrax (Bacillus
anthracis)
b. Botulism (Clostridium
botulinum)
c. Brucellosis (Brucella
species)
d. Clostridium perfringens
epsilon toxin
e. Glanders (Burkholderia
mallei)
f. Melioidosis (Burkholderia
pseudomallei)
g. Plague (Yersinia pestis)
h. Q-fever (Coxiella burnetii)
i. Ricin Poisoning
j. Smallpox (Variola)
k. Staphylococcal enterotoxin
B poisoning
l. Tularemia (Francisella
tularensis)
m. Viral hemorrhagic fevers
(Ebola, Lassa, Marburg, etc.)
2. Clinical laboratories that
isolate a potential agent of bioterrorism from a clinical specimen
shall perform testing in accordance with the most current American
Society of Microbiology (ASM) Sentinel Laboratory protocol as
incorporated in §§ 1.2(B) and (C) of this Part, and, if unable to
definitively rule out the agent, must submit the isolate to the RI
State Health Laboratories for confirmation or further testing.
1.7.3 Reporting of Acid
Fast Bacilli (AFB) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)
A. Clinical laboratories
receiving clinical specimens for the purposes of performing testing
for the presence of Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) or Mycobacterium
tuberculosis (MTB) testing must submit a specimen to the RI State
Health Laboratories for analysis.
1. This requirement is waived
for a RI licensed hospital laboratory, provided a written memorandum
of agreement is in place between the State Health Laboratories and
the hospital laboratory.
2. In order to obtain a
memorandum of agreement, a hospital laboratory’s mycobacteriology
testing methodology and practice must be consistent with national
consensus standards as incorporated in § 1.2(D) of this Part.
a. Licensed hospital
laboratories that have a written memorandum of agreement with the
State Health Laboratories and are performing MTB testing by any
methodology shall report all positive results to RIDOH.
b. Positive culture results on
an individual must be accompanied by all prior AFB smear results
performed by the respective laboratory, and associated with the
current episode of illness, whether positive or negative.
B. As part of LTBI
surveillance, Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) positive results
must be reported.
1.7.4 Reporting Perinatal
Exposure to HIV
Persons and entities
described in § 1.4.1 of this Part must report all positive and
negative HIV virologic laboratory tests on infants, zero through 12
months of age.
1.8 Reporting of Environmental
Exposures and Occupational Diseases
1.8.1 Persons and Entities
Attending the Case or Suspected Case Responsible for Reporting
Environmental Exposures and Occupational Diseases
A. Physicians
B. Physician assistants
C. Certified registered nurse
practitioners
D. Clinical laboratories
E. Hospitals (from both
inpatient and outpatient settings)
1. When a diagnosis or
suspected diagnosis of a case is made within a hospital, the facility
administrator, or his/her designee (e.g., infection control
practitioner), must report occupational diseases and exposures.
1.8.2 Environmental
Exposures and Occupational Diseases that Must be Reported
A. Diseases diagnosed related
to exposure to:
1. Arsenic
2. Asbestos
3. Beryllium
4. Cadmium
5. Carbon monoxide
6. Lead
7. Mercury
B. Any of the following
occupational diseases:
1. Chemical Pneumonitis
2. Metal fume fever
3. Simple asphyxiation
4. Silicosis
C. Any cluster of occupational
disease.
1.8.3 Methods and
Timeframes for Reporting
A. Reporting of
Asbestos-related Diseases
1. Mail report of diagnosis to
RIDOH’s Center for Healthy Homes and Environment, 3 Capitol Hill,
Providence, RI 02908-5097, within six months of diagnosis.
2. Send the patient or next of
kin a dated notification of the suspected role of asbestos as it
relates to the patient's condition within six months of diagnosis by
certified mail with a return receipt requested.
B. Reporting of
Non-occupational Acute Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
1. Submit the CO
Poisoning Reporting form to RIDOH’s Center for Healthy Homes
and Environment according to the instructions on the form within four
working days following diagnosis.
C. Reporting of Childhood Lead
Poisoning and Exposure Results
1. Childhood blood lead sample
results shall be reported to RIDOH’s Center for Healthy Homes and
Environment in accordance with the specifications in RIDOH’s Lead
Poisoning Prevention regulation (Part 50-15-3 of this Title).
D. Reporting of Blood Lead
Sample Results and all other Environmental Exposures and Occupational
Diseases
1. Submit all blood lead
sample results to RIDOH’s Center for Healthy Homes and Environment.
2. For all other environmental
exposures and occupational diseases, submit the Environmental
Exposure and Occupational Disease reporting form to RIDOH’s Center
for Healthy Homes and Environment within 30 days following diagnosis
according to the instructions on the form.
E. Clinical laboratories shall
submit the results of biomonitoring tests for evaluating
environmental or occupational exposures to RIDOH electronically or in
hard copy.