Connecticut State Department of Public Health

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Informatics Program


The Infectious Disease (ID) Branch Informatics Program was established in 2018 and provides support for the systems, processes and data needed for disease surveillance, case and outbreak management, and electronic data exchange. By establishing the ID Informatics Program, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) joins an increasing number of state public health agencies supporting defined informatics programs. The Informatics Program supports:

  • Surveillance and case management systems and workflows.
  • Improving reporting efficiency and transition from paper reporting.
  • Modernizing systems and processes.
  • Serving as partners with and liaisons between program staff and IT.

The ongoing work of the ID Informatics Program improves public health reporting and surveillance. Data collected is used to monitor diseases, identify disease trends and outbreaks, and guide public health policy decisions. The outcome is improved public health prevention, preparedness, and health promotion of the residents of the State of Connecticut as well as contributing to the national picture of public health.

In accordance with Sections 19a-36-A3 and 19a-36-A4 of the Public Health Code and Sections 19a-2a and 19a-215 of the Connecticut General Statutes, the List of Reportable Diseases, Emergency Illnesses and Health Conditions, and the List of Laboratory Reportable Findings outline what is required to be reported by providers and laboratories. These lists are revised annually, or as necessary, by DPH and published annually in Connecticut Epidemiologist Newsletter.

To support these required reporting activities, Informatics Program staff work closely with state Information Technology (IT) staff, DPH surveillance programs, PH analytics staff, the State Public Health Laboratory (SPHL), hospital and commercial laboratories, local health departments, and providers to support and maintain the systems and activities outlined below.

Connecticut Electronic Disease Surveillance System (CTEDSS)

CTEDSS is built on the Maven application licensed from Conduent, Inc., and is the primary surveillance and case management system for reportable diseases and related surveillance activities at DPH. CTEDSS is a highly configurable system and Informatics staff act as administrators and manage configurations to meet program needs. CTEDSS staff manage and train system users. Users must enroll and be approved, and access is allowed by unique username and password. Approved users include staff from DPH surveillance programs (including the contracted staff at the Yale Emerging Infectious Program), hospital infection control offices, local health departments, and the SPHL.

CTEDSS was first put into production in 2010 and has been updated and modernized regularly since then. CTEDSS supports collection of case surveillance data and associated laboratory results, provides users with the ability to conduct case follow up, manage disease outbreaks, link cases, send notifications, identify cases via workflows and run reports. CTEDSS can be quickly updated to support emerging infections such as COVID-19 and mpox. Data from CTEDSS is routinely extracted into the DPH Data Management platform for use in analyses and dashboards. CTEDSS is also the source of deidentified data for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting via the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). Informatics staff oversee annual data reconciliation efforts for this reporting.

Electronic Laboratory Reporting (ELR)

ELR is the transition from paper-based reporting and manual data entry of reportable disease laboratory results to standardized formats and electronic processes. DPH achieved production ELR with initial hospital laboratories in 2014, and efforts have continued to enroll hospital, clinical and commercial laboratories. The goal of ELR is to increase timeliness and accuracy of lab result reporting for use by end systems.

ELR is achieved by two reporting formats, HL7 v2.5.1 and flat files. HL7 v2.5.1 is based on a national standard-based format to create lab reporting messages. Until the COVID-19 response, the focus was on enrolling laboratories in HL7 reporting, however, the need to collect provider-based testing for SARS-CoV-2 (the causative agent for COVID-19) made it necessary to implement reporting by flat files as not all provider health record systems could generate an HL7 message. For both formats, Informatics ELR staff work with the testing locations to submit results using standard codes and descriptions. Use of flat file reporting allowed the collection of >25 million SARS-CoV-2 results during the response. DPH is at >90% ELR by both methods. The use of flat files has allowed DPH to extend the ability to report electronically for providers and small non-hospital labs for other diseases such as blood lead.

To enroll in ELR, a testing location or laboratory can email DPH.InformaticsLab@ct.gov. Informatics ELR staff will determine which reporting method will be used and send the testing location the appropriate information for flat file or HL7 reporting. Calls will be set up to review the process from enrollment to production ELR. Calls will include electronic data exchange (EDX) technical staff to set up the secure transport options for the result files. The EDX platform pulls files into a transformation and validation process and generates output files to be used in systems such as CTEDSS or for other surveillance program use. For more details, please visit Electronic Laboratory Reporting.

Electronic Case Reporting (eCR)

eCR is the transition from paper based or manual data entry to standards-based electronic reporting by providers for diseases and health conditions as defined in DPH reporting requirements. Informatics eCR staff started work on implementing eCR in 2022, and initial production for the first hospital occurred in 2024 for hospitalized cases of influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus. The goal of eCR is to reduce the need for manual reporting by providers.

eCR requires the use of the national standards-based HL7 electronic initial case reports (eICR) format. Informatics staff work with providers and healthcare organizations (HCO) to determine if they are using an electronic health record system (EHRs) that meets criteria for eCR message generation. If so, the HCO is enrolled in the eCR project. eCR is a joint effort of the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), and CDC which play key roles in leading, implementing, and operating eCR along with healthcare organizations, EHR vendors, and public health agencies such as DPH. To enroll in eCR please visit Electronic Case Reporting.

Promoting Interoperability

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is the federal government agency that supports facility provider and hospital reporting to public health under the Promoting Interoperability Program. The program was established in 2011 as part of the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program. Currently, eligible providers are required to attest to two public health reporting measures, one of which is eCR. Eligible hospitals are required to attest to four public health reporting measures, including eCR and ELR. Engagement in eCR and ELR with DPH will allow providers and hospitals to meet these requirements. For more information please visit Promoting Interoperability.


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Last updated 3/26/2025