Electronic Laboratory Reporting (ELR)

Electronic Laboratory Reporting (ELR) is the electronic transmission of laboratory reports that identify a notifiable condition from laboratories to public health. California Reportable Disease Information Exchange - Electronic Lab Reporting (CalREDIE ELR) allows laboratories to comply with California public health disease reporting requirements through an automated, secure process.

CalREDIE ELR replaces traditional paper-based methods of laboratory reporting for many reportable conditions in jurisdictions using CalREDIE. Timely reporting via phone call is still required for selected diseases and conditions. ​

Phases of the ELR Onboarding Process

In order to participate in CalREDIE ELR, a submitter will complete each phase of the onboarding process. Alternatively, data submitters may also satisfy their reporting requirements by connecting to a regional Health Information Exchange (HIE) that is currently submitting required laboratory reports to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). If you are connected to an HIE that is submitting data to CDPH, or if you are considering establishing a such a connection, you may find this to be an efficient method of transmitting reportable lab data to CDPH.

Prerequisite to Onboarding:

• Identify the reportable conditions in the submitter’s test compendium. 
• Map the reportable tests, results, and specimens to applicable LOINC and SNOMED codes.

1. Registration/Enrollment:

• CalREDIE will coordinate an initial onboarding call to discuss your organization’s reporting characteristics and decide upon an appropriate reporting strategy. 
  

2. Initiate Connectivity:

• Work with CalREDIE staff to establish connectivity using either Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) or Secure File Transport Protocol (SFTP) methods. 

3. Validate Message Structure:

• Construct logical filters to ensure that only reportable laboratory findings are sent to CDPH. 

• Ensure that the information system produces a message compliant with HL7 ELR version 2.5.1, with additional constraints imposed by the CalREDIE ELR2PH Companion Guide (July 2012 Edition). 

• Perform structural testing for messages without Protected Health Information (PHI) using the developer tool: web validator.

4. Validate Content and User Acceptance Testing (UAT): 

• Work with CalREDIE staff to ensure that message content and logical filters are properly formatted to send complete reportable results. 

• Dual report through ELR and traditional means (e.g. fax, line lists or US mail), so that during User Acceptance Testing (UAT) public health staff may correlate the legacy reports to the ELRs.

5. Transition to Production:

• Upon successful UAT, CDPH will transition a submitter’s ELR feed to Production. This marks the transition to ELR maintenance.

• Consistently submit production data. CDPH will work with the submitter and the local health jurisdiction to facilitate the decision to cease paper reporting.