The California Reportable Disease Information Exchange (CalREDIE) is a computer application that the California Department of Public Health (CDPH)
is implementing for web-based disease reporting and surveillance. The purpose of this effort is to improve the efficiency of surveillance activities and the early detection of public health events through the collection of more complete and timely surveillance information on a state wide basis.

Q. Is CalREDIE secure?

A complete list of implemented security measures is available on our CalREDIE Help website under the CalREDIE Documentation section. To view this list, click here.

Q. How is the transition from our current system to CalREDIE going to affect our workflow?

The transition to CalREDIE may require small adjustments in your workflow and in how you organize your team for disease surveillance and reporting activities. One of the most significant changes to be aware of has to do with how you report cases to the state. Once your jurisdiction is using CalREDIE for all disease reporting and surveillance, you are no longer required to run and submit a Weekly Morbidity Report. As soon as the case has been entered in CalREDIE it can be immediately viewed by the appropriate representatives within the state.

Q. What do I need to get started with CalREDIE?

Before moving forward with the implementation process, all counties that join CalREDIE are asked to review and sign a Participation Agreement and Data Use Agreement. The Participation Agreement is an official agreement between the CalREDIE team and LHD team that describes and sets the expectations regarding the CalREDIE Implementation process and dates associated with each stage in the process, including the Go Live date. The Data Use Agreement is to obtain signoff that both parties (LHD representatives and CDPH representatives) understand how each other will use the data in the system.

Q. How do I get set up with a CalREDIE account?

In order to receive a username and password for CalREDIE you will need to complete an Account Authorization form. This will need your local liaison's signature before returning back to CalREDIE Help for processing. This form can be found on the CalREDIE Help website under the CalREDIE Registration section.

Q. Are there any trainings for new users coming up?

If you have any questions regarding county or refresher trainings please speak with our Outreach and Communications Director, Tamara Srzentic (Tamara.Srzentic@cdph.ca.gov / (916)324-1298), or contact CalREDIE Help.

Q. I can’t see an incident. It says “There are masked records…” Why can’t I see it?

There could be two reasons for this. First, when there is an incident entered for a patient that is outside your jurisdiction you will not be able to access it. Second, if an address does not census tract, the jurisdiction will automatically be set to “Unknown” which will also restrict you from seeing the incident. If this occurs please call CalREDIE Help and we can assist you.

Q. Where do I look to see who made changes to an incident?

Any updates or views to an incident can be seen by looking in the audit log. This is found by clicking the magnifying glass icon in the upper right hand corner of the toolbar; this is the same toolbar where the Electronic Filing Cabinet is located. To view different tabs of an incident (patient tab, UDF tab, etc.) you can select different tables in the drop down.

Q. What is the standard for unknown names in CalREDIE?

If you do not know the name of the patient please enter the first and last name as “Unknown”. Include your 2-digit county code to the end of the first and last name as well. For example a patient in Riverside County would be entered as “Unknown33, Unknown33”.

Q. Why can’t I close out an incident?

If you are not an Enhanced Staff user you will not be able to “Close” all diseases due to the workflows associated with the individual diseases.

Q. Why doesn’t the incident “lock” after I select “Closed by LHD”?

Every disease is associated with a specific workflow. You will notice that the diseases that go into state review will not lock even though you have the Process Status set to Closed by LHD. A document was created to show which diseases are associated with each workflow and what process statuses are included in each of those workflows. If you would like a copy of this please contact CalREDIE Help.

Q. How do I unlock a closed incident?

If an incident is locked you may unlock it by clicking on the lock icon in the upper right hand corner of the toolbar; this is the same toolbar where the Electronic Filing Cabinet is located. Enhanced Staff and State Staff are the only users that can unlock an incident.

Q. On the Case Investigation tab, I click on the Lab ellipsis, but I can’t find the facility I’m looking for. Why?

When clicking on the Lab ellipsis, the location dictionary automatically filters entries to show those that have a Classification of a laboratory. It is not based on the Location Type. In order to see entries with a classification other than laboratory click the “Show All” check box and search again. If you are still unable to find the lab you are looking for please ask an enhanced user to add it into the dictionary.

Q. I got locked out of an incident. How do I avoid this?

When an incident is locked you will see a message that says, “This incident is locked by….” This will occur if you close out of your browser (using the “x” button on the top right of your browser window) while still in an incident. Please exit by returning to the search screen (File > Search) and then using the log-out button. This will ensure that you do not get locked out. If you do get locked out, contact CalREDIE Help and we can unlock it for you.

Q. I am trying to upload something to the Electronic Filing Cabinet, but the “Upload” button isn’t displaying. What do I do?

This means that your browser settings are not set up correctly. You may need to do two things. First, cross reference your browser settings with the System Requirements document found on CalREDIE Help’s website under the CalREDIE Documentation section or at the end of the CalREDIE Reference Guide. If that doesn’t work, contact CalREDIE Help and we can further assist you.

Q. What is the difference between a New Version vs. a Correction?

A New Version should be used if any demographic information is changing for a patient; for example, if a patient has moved or had a name change due to marriage. A Correction is used when there is an error to be corrected, such as a misspelled name, address, or telephone. WARNING: A Correction will update all incidents associated with the patient, some of which may belong to another jurisdiction.

Q. In the census tract field there is an N/A. What does that mean?

When an incident has an N/A in the census tract it means that the address could not be standardized. The census tract data is provided by Melissa Data, which does not have 100% coverage of all addresses. Our vendor does not have the ability to alter this database.

Q. How do I delete an incident?

To delete an incident, first go to the Case Investigation tab. On the bottom left hand side of this tab you will find the Delete Incident button. Incidents can only be deleted by Enhanced Staff users.

Q. How do I delete a patient?

Users are not able to delete patients. To delete a patient you will need to contact CalREDIE Help. Also, please delete any incidents associated with the patient beforehand because we cannot delete a patient if there are any associated incidents for the patient.

Q. How do I merge two incidents together?

Information and stepwise instructions on how to merge can be found in the CalREDIE Reference Guide. Incidents can only be merged by Enhanced Staff users.

Q. What are the standards for Location and Reporting Source Dictionary entries?

The various standards for entering providers and locations into the dictionaries can be found in the CalREDIE Reference Guide. Edits or new entries can only be done by Enhanced Staff users.

Q. How can I see when an incident was transferred & accepted by a Jurisdiction?

The Jurisdiction History button is located in the same toolbar as the Electronic Filing Cabinet. This will show you the previous and current jurisdiction of an incident, the user who transferred it, when it was transferred, and if rejected, the reason why it was rejected.

Q. Are there any keyboard shortcuts available in CalREDIE?

There are a few shortcuts that you may find helpful while entering cases. See below:

Tab to move to the next tab and Shift + Tab to move to the previous tab

Alt + B and Alt + N to navigate tabs in an incident (Clinical, Epi, Lab, etc.)

Alt + Down Arrow to activate dropdowns

Arrow keys will tab between radio buttons

Alt + C to cancel

Alt + S to submit

Space Bar to activate check boxes