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Public Health Data Collection and Reporting in Minnesota

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        Minnesota’s Commissioner of Health is authorized to require health care providers and health plans to collect data and provide patient records to the Commissioner.  While patient consent is not needed for the release of information to the Commissioner, there must be safeguards in place to ensure that patients, providers or health plans are not identifiable.1  The law allows the Commissioner to collect data to monitor and improve the efficiency of health care in Minnesota by monitoring trends in access, quality, utilization, and cost of health care in the state.2

        In order to protect the public’s health, the state of Minnesota has certain requirements of specific diseases and health conditions that health care providers must report to the Commissioner of Health.  Included in reportable diseases and conditions are cases of cancer,3 traumatic brain or spinal cord injury,4 tuberculosis,5 sexually transmitted disease, 6 and abortions performed.7  Notably, for some of the reportable diseases, the law requires that providers also provide information on a patient’s race and ethnicity, in addition to demographic and clinical information.8  The law also creates registries to assist in clinical and quality improvement, injury prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.9  Minnesota protects the privacy of reportable disease data that is collected by designating it private data if it deals with individuals.10

 

Footnotes

  • 1. M.S.A. §62J.321; M.S.A. §144.6581
  • 2. M.S.A. §62J.301
  • 3. M.S.A. §144.68; M.S.A. §144.671
  • 4. M.S.A. §144.663
  • 5. M.S.A. §144.4804
  • 6. MN ADC 4605.7700; MN ADC 4605.7044
  • 7. M.S.A. §145.4131; M.S.A. §145.413
  • 8. MN ADC 4643.0030
  • 9. M.S.A. §144.6071
  • 10. M.S.A. §144.69; M.S.A. §144.4186

 

Public Health Data Collection and Reporting in Minnesota

Subtopic Statute/Regulation Description
Public Health Data Collection and Reporting M.S.A. § 144.0506 Agency websites The Commissioner of Health may post the following information on agency websites: Healthy lifestyle and preventative care...
M.S.A. § 144.6071 Trauma Registry Minnesota has established a central registry of all persons who sustain major trauma.  The registry was created to assist in...
M.S.A. § 144.698 Reporting requirements If a hospital or outpatient surgical center has not filed its financial information with a voluntary, nonprofit reporting...
M.S.A. § 144.699 Continuing analysis The Commissioner of Health may undertake studies regarding acute care costs and the financial status of hospitals and outpatient...
M.S.A. § 144.701 Rate disclosure The Commissioner of Health must ensure that total costs, total revenues, overall utilization, and total services for each hospital...
M.S.A. § 62J.82 Hospital information reporting disclosure The Minnesota Hospital Association must develop a web-based system available to the public for reporting...
M.S.A. § 62U.04 Payment reform; health care costs; quality outcomes The Commissioner of Health must develop plans to promote greater price transparency for consumers...
M.S.A. §144.4175 Reporting Any licensed health care professional who has reason to believe that a person may pose a health threat, may report the information to the...
M.S.A. §144.4186 Data Privacy Data collected under health threat reporting is protected nonpublic data if it does not concern individuals, and is private information...
M.S.A. §144.4804 Reporting relating to tuberculosis A physician or health care provider must report a case of tuberculosis to the commissioner or disease prevention...
M.S.A. §144.6581 Determination of whether data identifies individuals The Commissioner of Health may withhold access to health or epidemiological data that identifies...
M.S.A. §144.663 Duty to Report The Commissioner must establish a reporting system that designates either a physician, medical facility or hospital to report cases of...
M.S.A. §144.671 Cancer surveillance system; purpose The purpose of the system is to monitor rates of cancer, better target interventions, inform health professionals...
M.S.A. §144.68 Records and reports required All persons practicing healing arts must prepared detailed reports, as required by the Commissioner of Public Health, of...
M.S.A. §144.69 Classification of data on individuals Data collected as part of the cancer surveillance system, such as names and personal identifiers, is private...
M.S.A. §144.7415 Penalties and Immunity Any health care facility or individual who willfully violates the disclosure, consent or other laws pertaining to the blood...
M.S.A. §145.413 Recording and Reporting Health Data A health care provider must report to the State Commissioner of Health the death of a woman who has had an...
M.S.A. §145.4131 Recording and Reporting Abortion Data The Commissioner of Health must develop a standardized abortion reporting form for all providers to use. ...
M.S.A. §62J.301 Research and Data Initiatives The purpose of the law is to allow the Commissioner of Health to collect data to monitor and improve the efficiency of...
M.S.A. §62J.311 Analysis and Use of Data The data that is collected pursuant to M.S.A. §62J.301 should be analyzed to improve the state’s health policy in...
M.S.A. §62J.321 Data Collection and Processing Procedures The Commissioner of Health can require health plans and health care providers to collect data and provide...
MN ADC 4605.7044 Chronic Infection; Perinatally Transmissible All pregnancies of women infected with Hepatitis B, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection,...
MN ADC 4605.7700 Sexually Transmitted Disease; Special Report Physicians must report to the Commissioner of Health the name, address and other relevant information of...
MN ADC 4643.0030 Registry Reporting Requirements Hospitals are required to submit all reports regarding reportable cases of traumatic brain injury and spinal cord...
Click on the individual state law in the table above to see our summary of the individual law.


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