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Electronic Health Records (EHR) Promoting Interoperability/Meaningful Use Requirements

Electronic Laboratory Reporting (ELR)

If you would like to register your intent with the North Carolina Division of Public Health to initiate electronic laboratory reporting, please register via the NC DPH Promoting Interoperability/Meaningful Use Site for Registration of Intent.

Electronic Laboratory Reporting for eligible hospitals under HITECH in North Carolina includes these areas:

  • Communicable Disease
  • Blood Lead

Please note: NCDPH is not requesting and will not receive Electronic Laboratory Reports from eligible professionals.

N.C. DPH procedures for receiving ELR submission from eligible hospitals (EH) follow the requirements specified in the federal regulations. Eligible hospitals are responsible for following these regulations in their efforts to achieve meaningful use of their Certified Electronic Health Records (CEHRT). Eligible hospitals are also responsible for attesting to meeting the Promoting Interoperability measures and for retaining all documentation from these efforts as they are subject to Medicare and Medicaid audits.

A provider can meet the public health Promoting Interoperability objective for "successful ongoing submission of electronic reportable laboratory results from their CEHRT to a public health agency (PHA) for the entire EHR reporting period" through any of the following four (4) criteria (77 FR 54021|: https://www.federalregister.gov/a/2012-21050/p-1009):

  • Registration of intent to initiate ongoing submission was made with the PHA [N.C. DPH] by the deadline (within 60 days of the start of the EHR reporting period) and the eligible hospital is awaiting invitation [from N.C. DPH] to begin testing and validation [the on-boarding process for implementing ELR to N.C. DPH].
  • Registration of intent to initiate ongoing submission was made with the PHA [N.C. DPH] by the deadline (within 60 days of the start of the EHR reporting period) and the eligible hospital is still engaged in testing and validation [the on-boarding process for implementing ELR to N.C. DPH] of ongoing electronic submission.
  • Registration of intent to initiate ongoing submission was made with the PHA [N.C. DPH] by the deadline (within 60 days of the start of the EHR reporting period) and ongoing submission was achieved [during the reporting period].
  • Ongoing submission was already achieved for an EHR reporting period in a prior year and continues throughout the current EHR reporting period using either the current (2014 Edition) standards, 45 CFR 170.314(f)(1) and (f)(2), or the standards included in the 2011 Edition EHR certification criteria adopted by ONC during the prior EHR reporting period when ongoing submission was achieved.

Per the Promoting Interoperability/Meaningful Use regulations, the public health objective for "successful ongoing submission of electronic reportable laboratory results from CEHRT to a PHA for the entire EHR reporting period" will not be met if the Eligible Hospital (77 FR 54021| https://www.federalregister.gov/a/2012-21050/p-1009):

  • Fails to register their intent by the deadline; or
  • Fails to participate in the on-boarding process as demonstrated by failure to respond to the PHA written requests for action within 30 days on two separate occasions.

To register intent to initiate ongoing submission with N.C. DPH, please visit the N.C. DPH Registration and On-boarding Tracking Application.

Once N.C. DPH invites an eligible hospital to begin the on-boarding process for implementing ELR to N.C. DPH, the expectation is that the eligible hospital will be actively participating in the on-boarding process until on-going submission in achieved.

N.C. Division of Public Health Requirements

The N.C. Division of Public Health requirements for ELR are more extensive than the minimum requirements for ONC certification of the ELR Interface to Public Health. See details of the N.C. Division of Public Health ELR requirements.

The N.C. Division of Public Health will also test and accept ELR transmissions from software that has not been ONC-certified; however, such transmissions would not qualify as a Promoting Interoperability/Meaningful Use measure.

Guidelines for Electronic Laboratory Reporting to the N.C. Divsion of Public Health (for Hospitals and Commercial Laboratories). (PDF, 367KB / August 2023)

ELR Checklist

N.C. ELR Mapping Tool (Excel, 27KB)

N.C. ELR Mapping Tool for EPIC Beaker

Reporting results for non-North Carolina residents.