Arkansas Department of Health

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• On-Boarding Process

Electronic Lab Reporting On-Boarding Process

Click the steps below for more information.

Stage 1: Complete Steps 1-3 
Stage 2: Complete Steps 1-6 

• Step 1: Registration

  Eligible Provider or Eligible Hospital notifies ADH of interest in submitting Electronic Lab Reporting data for Meaningful Use.

  1.  Complete the Electronic Lab Reporting registration process through the Meaningful Use Registration and Communications System (MURCS).

  Note: Completion of this step assumes the data submitter has acquired and implemented a certified health IT product capable of producing an HL7 2.5.1 Electronic Lab Reporting message.

  2. Go to Step 2: Pre-Testing.

   

• Step 2: Pre-testing

  Eligible Provider or Eligible Hospital generates and evaluates Electronic Lab Reportable test messages. 

  1. Review the Electronic Lab Reporting implementation guides: 

  • Required data elements specific to ADH 
  • ELR 2.5.1 Clarification Document for EHR Technology Certification
  • HL7 Version 2.5.1 Implementation Guide: Electronic Laboratory Reporting to Public Health, Release 1 (US Realm)

  2. Use the certified EHR system to create a set of test messages according to the specifications in the implementation guides. Use of HL7 2.5.1 message standards is required.

  3. Validate the HL7 message using the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) ELR HL7 V2.5.1 Validation Tool.

  Note: ADH requires the user to upload a validation report from NIST in order to place the provider/facility in a holding queue.

         4. Address any errors identified by the validation tool.

         5. Proceed to Step 3: Testing.

  Additional testing tools below: 

  • CDC Public Health Information Network Message Quality Framework (PHIN MQF)

  Note: The PHIN MQF tool is hosted on a public website.

   

• Step 3: Testing

  Eligible Provider or Eligible Hospital submits Electronic Lab Reporting test message to ADH.

  Stage 1: Upload a successful or unsuccessful test message validation report into MURCS. 

  Stage 2: Upload a successful test message into MURCS, include Electronic Lab Reporting Registry validation reports that indicate test message is error-free.

  • Uploading an HL7 2.5.1 Validation Report into MURCS.

  Questions: Contact the Electronic Lab Reporting Registry at ADH.ELR.MU@arkansas.gov

  Email is not a secure mechanism of data transfer. Do not submit test messages containing personally identifiable health information through email. ADH reviews the messages, and ensures that they meet standards specified for Meaningful Use. Once the review is complete, ADH provides communication about the outcome of testing that can be used for attestation purposes. 

  For Stage 1 of Meaningful Use, completion of testing satisfies the requirements for attestation. Log into MURCS for validation or acknowledgement reports.

  Stage 2 continues until production.

  Proceed to Step 4: In Queue.

   

• Step 4: In Queue

  Eligible Provider or Eligible Hospital is placed on a waiting list for ongoing submission and additional validation. 

  Eligible hospitals or professionals who have successfully submitted qualifying test messages are placed into the queue. ADH Program Coordinators will notify eligible providers in order of registration. 

  We anticipate that the queue will grow as Meaningful Use progresses. To improve timeliness, provide ADH with Electronic Lab Reporting validation reports and test messages (Step 3: Testing) as early as possible in the attestation process.

  Once an eligible hospital or professional reaches the front of the queue, the provider is notified by an ADH Program Coordinator when it is time to proceed to Step 5: Validation.

   

• Step 5: Validation

  Eligible Provider or Eligible Hospital establishes an ongoing Electronic Lab Reporting data feed to ADH, and works with a Program Coordinator for data validation.

  1. Select a data transport mechanism for ongoing submission of Electronic Lab Reporting data.

  ADH supports the following transport options:

  • HTTPS Web Service (preferred).
  • Virtual Private Network (VPN).
  • Secure File Transport Protocol (SFTP).
  • Public Health Information Network Messaging System (PHINMS).
  • Health Information Exchange and Arkansas State Health Alliance for Records Exchange (SHARE).

  HTTPS Web Service

  Web Services include all other public health objectives within ADH.

  VPN

  A VPN creates a secure channel of communication (i.e. a "tunnel") over a public network, such as the Internet. Security is provided through authentication, which ensures that the connecting entity is authorized. Encryption is used to protect the data during transit.

  SFTP

  SFTP is a network protocol designed to offer encrypted file management, encrypted file transfer, and encrypted file access functionality over a secure channel.
  
  PHINMS

  PHIN MS is the public health standard for reporting to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is a standard for national laboratories reporting to states. The software is freely available from the CDC. 

  HIE/SHARE

  The Arkansas HIE is implemented, which allows health care professionals to appropriately access and securely share a patient’s medical information electronically. 

  2. Set up a transport mechanism. Request WSDL and a client certificate from your interface coordinator, or send an email to ADH.ELR.MU@arkansas.gov. 

  3. Transmit a test message via the web service. 

  4. Begin ongoing submission and participate in validation activities. 

  5. Proceed to Step 6: Production.

   

• Step 6: Production

  Eligible Provider or Eligible Hospital reports via Electronic Lab Reporting data, and participates in periodic quality assurance activities. 

  1. Continue ongoing submission of Electronic Lab Reporting data to public health. 

  If the community identifies a need to follow up on data that indicates an event of potential public health concern, it will contact data providers. 

  or

  If ADH identifies a need to follow up on data that indicates an event of potential public health concern, it will contact data providers.

  Eligible hospitals and professionals are required to participate in periodic quality assurance checks to ensure accuracy of reporting. ADH Program Coordinators will contact data providers to schedule these activities.

  Learn more about Meaningful Use activities at the Arkansas Department of Health by visiting the Meaningful Use page.

  Downloads

  • Electronic Lab Reporting (ELR) Roadmap to Interoperability
  • Arkansas Department of Health Meaningful Use Electronic Lab Reporting On-Boarding Checklist

  Questions? Contact Electronic Lab Reporting Registry at ADH.ELR.MU@arkansas.gov