​Health care providers (HCP) are required to report cases of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pursuant to provisions of title 17, California Code of Regulations sections 2500. HCP reporting is required under section 2500, which states that HCPs must report every confirmed or suspect case within one working day. (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 17, § 2500, subd. (b), (j).) 

HCP reporting is largely not automated and requires manual processes that are more time consuming. In the context of the very large number of COVID-19 cases currently being identified, HCP reporting remains difficult. At this stage in the pandemic, reporting of all cases by HCP is not feasible due to volume. 

As CDPH currently already depends primarily on laboratory reporting for identification and monitoring of COVID-19 cases, limiting HCP reporting to COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, reflects the priorities for COVID-19 surveillance. If the situation arises such that the California Department of Public Health and/or a local health officer requests COVID-19 information from an HCP, this information would still be made available pursuant to section 2500. 

Please note that HCPs conducting point of care COVID-19 testing are considered to be laboratories, and therefore are required to report all COVID-19 test results, consistent with laboratory reporting requirements. 

CDPH has updated the State Public Health Officer order Revision Of Mandatory Reporting Of Covid-19 Results By Health Care Providers to align reporting requirements to changes in the California Code of Regulations and to the evolving priorities for COVID-19 surveillance. These changes took effect on Tuesday, October 4th, 2022. 

Summary of Setting Specific Updates:

• Limits the requirement for COVID-19 reporting by HCPs to only hospitalizations and deaths: limiting reporting requirements to hospitalizations and deaths reflects the evolving priorities for COVID-19 surveillance. This adjustment continues the COVID-19 reporting requirements for HCP of a previous order. 
  
• The requirement for HCPs to report COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths is within one working day. 
• HCPs conducting point of care testing must still report test results: While reporting requirements for HCPs have changed, HCPs conducting point of care testing must still report test results consistent with the requirements for laboratories. 

Amended Orders: 

State Public Health Officer order Revision Of Mandatory Reporting Of Covid-19 Results By Health Care Providers