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Public Health Data Collection and Reporting in Wisconsin

        Wisconsin has a number of requirements dealing with public health reporting and data collection in order to give providers and consumers information on health care providers and quality assurance.1  The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is required to maintain a public health system in collaboration with local health departments and medical clinics operated by federally recognized American Indian tribes.  The Department must assess the public health needs of the state, identify key health problems, and educate the public, by looking at statewide data collection.2  The Department must maintain surveillance activities to detect the occurrence of any communicable, hazardous, or chronic disease.  The Department can use hospital records and information collected by the federal and state government to gather information regarding chronic and acute health problems.3

        The law requires various health care entities to collect data and report on a number of elements.  Wisconsin requires all hospitals to collect and report inpatient discharge data, emergency department data, and ambulatory surgical data, including patient race and ethnicity, to the Department of Health Services.4   The Department requires providers to collect specific claims data, including a patient’s identifying information and clinical information regarding the condition and diagnosis.5  The Department of Health Services requires ambulatory surgery centers to collect claims data, including patient identifying information, clinical information regarding the condition and diagnosis and type of surgery, and patient race and ethnicity.6  Private health insurance plans are also required to report financial data, market conduct, quality indicators, and grievance data to the Department.7

        Wisconsin requires health care providers to report data on specific diseases, conditions, and treatments.  For example, hospitals, clinics, and other facilities that perform abortions are required to file an annual report of the induced abortions performed.8  Wisconsin also requires reporting of specific sexually transmitted diseases,9  birth defects, 10 cancer cases11 and controlled substance use by mothers or expectant mothers.12  All licensed providers, including physicians, laboratories, health care facilities must report a case or suspected case of specific communicable conditions to the local health officer.13 Providers, health care facilities, social workers, and marriage and family counselors must report incidences of elder abuse to the Department of Health Services.14

        The Department is required to use these data generally to produce public reports, including cost and quality reports.15  The law requires a hospital quality indicators report to be written based on the collected data to show differences in the delivery of care among different hospitals in the state.16 Wisconsin gives the Department the authority to establish rules regarding the collection and dissemination of health care information.17

        In collecting and disseminating data, Wisconsin law imposes a number of confidentiality requirements on the Department of Health Services.  The Department must aggregate data and take steps to ensure individually identifiable data is not released, except in certain limited circumstances.18

 

Footnotes

  • 1. W.S.A. 153.05
  • 2. W.S.A. 250.03
  • 3. W.S.A. 250.04
  • 4. W.S.A. § 153.10; Wis. Admin. Code DHS §120.12
  • 5. Wis. Admin. Code DHS §120.14
  • 6. Wis. Admin. Code DHS §120.13
  • 7. Wis. Admin. Code DHS §120.16
  • 8. W.S.A. 69.186
  • 9. W.S.A. 252.11; W.S.A. § 252.15; Wis. Admin. Code DHS §145.15
  • 10. W.S.A. 253.12; Wis. Admin. Code DHS §116.04
  • 11. W.S.A. 255.04
  • 12. W.S.A. § 146.0255                            
  • 13. W.S.A. § 252.05; Wis. Admin. Code DHS §145.04
  • 14. W.S.A. § 46.90
  • 15. W.S.A. § 153.45; Wis. Admin. Code DHS §120.20
  • 16. Wis. Admin. Code DHS §120.26
  • 17. W.S.A. § 153.75
  • 18. W.S.A. 153.50

 

Public Health Data Collection and Reporting in Wisconsin

Subtopic Statute/Regulation Description
Confidentiality of reported data (Cross reference Privacy & Confidentiality) Birth defect prevention and surveillance system – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 253.12 Birth Defect Prevention and Surveillance System This law sets forth the rules for reporting of birth defects, the department of health's duties and...
Cancer reporting – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 255.04 Hospitals, physicians, and certified laboratories are required to report cases of cancer to the state through the Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System (...
Confidentiality – Wis. Admin. Code DHS §116-05 The Department must maintain the confidentiality of any information in the Wisconsin birth defect prevention and surveillance reporting system....
HIV and related infections, including hepatitis C virus infections; services and prevention – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 252.12 HIV and related infections, including Hepatitis C Virus Infections; Services and Prevention This regulation sets forth the requirements for the...
Induced abortion reporting – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 69.186 Induced Abortion Reporting This law requires that before January 15th of every year, each hospital, clinic or facility in which an induced abortion...
Public Use Files – Wis. Admin. Code DHS §129-29 Public use data files provided by providers other than hospitals or ambulatory surgical centers may not disclose patient or employer identifying...
Release of data by department – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 153.45 The department of health services must release health care data that has been verified, reviewed, and commented upon in standard reports and public...
Reporting of Birth Defects – Wis. Admin. Code DHS §116-04 Providers who diagnose or treat a child with a birth defect or those who diagnose or treat a child with a suspected birth defect must report the...
Restrictions on use of an HIV test – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 252.15 Informed Consent Health care providers, blood banks, and plasma centers (“providers”) must take the following actions prior to...
Sexually transmitted disease – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 252.11 Sexually Transmitted Disease This law requires that any physician or health care professional treating a person infected by a sexually transmitted...
Testing infants for controlled substances or controlled substance analogs – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 146.0255 Health care providers employed by hospitals, social workers, and intake workers that suspect that an infant or expectant mother has a controlled...
Birth defects reporting requirements Birth defect prevention and surveillance system – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 253.12 Birth Defect Prevention and Surveillance System This law sets forth the rules for reporting of birth defects, the department of health's duties and...
Confidentiality – Wis. Admin. Code DHS §116-05 The Department must maintain the confidentiality of any information in the Wisconsin birth defect prevention and surveillance reporting system....
Reporting of Birth Defects – Wis. Admin. Code DHS §116-04 Providers who diagnose or treat a child with a birth defect or those who diagnose or treat a child with a suspected birth defect must report the...
Testing infants for controlled substances or controlled substance analogs – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 146.0255 Health care providers employed by hospitals, social workers, and intake workers that suspect that an infant or expectant mother has a controlled...
Disease specific reporting requirements: Cancer Cancer reporting – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 255.04 Hospitals, physicians, and certified laboratories are required to report cases of cancer to the state through the Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System (...
Tests for congenital disorders – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 253.13 Tests for Congenital Disorders Physicians or nurses that attend to births in hospitals or maternity homes must test an infant's blood for "congenital...
Disease specific reporting requirements: STDs Case Reporting – Wis. Admin. Code DHS §145-15 Any administrator of a health care facility, state correctional facility, or local facility must report any case of sexually transmitted disease to...
HIV and related infections, including hepatitis C virus infections; services and prevention – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 252.12 HIV and related infections, including Hepatitis C Virus Infections; Services and Prevention This regulation sets forth the requirements for the...
Sexually transmitted disease – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 252.11 Sexually Transmitted Disease This law requires that any physician or health care professional treating a person infected by a sexually transmitted...
Tests for congenital disorders – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 253.13 Tests for Congenital Disorders Physicians or nurses that attend to births in hospitals or maternity homes must test an infant's blood for "congenital...
Public health reporting requirements Collection and dissemination of health care and related information – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 153.05 Collection and Dissemination of health care and related information The purpose of this section is to give providers, consumers, insurers, and...
Data to be submitted by freestanding ambulatory surgery centers – Wis. Admin. Code DHS §120-13 Data to be submitted by freestanding ambulatory surgery centers This regulation requires freestanding ambulatory surgery centers to report certain...
Data to be submitted by hospitals – Wis. Admin. Code DHS §120-12 Data to be submitted by hospitals This regulation requires that hospitals submit a number of different types of data to DHS. Uncompensated health...
Data to be submitted by physician class of provider – Wis. Admin. Code DHS §120-14 Data to be submitted by physicians to DHS The Department of Health Services requires physicians to submit certain kinds of data to them on a regular...
DHS Rule Making Authority on Information Collection and Dissemination – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 153.75 DHS Rule Making Authority on Information Collection and Dissemination Department of Health Services is required to create rules regarding the...
Disclosures required of health care providers and hospitals – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 146.903 The Wisconsin Department of Health Services must identify ways for providers to calculate median billed charges.  In conducting its duties, the...
Disclosures required of health care providers and hospitals – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 146.903 The Department of Health Services must do the following: Categorize health care providers by type; For each type of provider, annually...
Health care data reports – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 153.10 The department of health services must collect health care data regarding health care providers other than hospitals and ambulatory care centers in...
Hospital Quality Indicators Report – Wis. Admin. Code DHS §120-26 The hospital quality indicators report should be based on hospital inpatient data that has been collected.  The purpose of the report is to show...
Powers and duties of the department – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 250.04 Powers and Duties of the Department This law sets forth the powers and duties of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.  DHS is...
Public health system – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 250.03 Public Health System The Wisconsin Department of Health Services must maintain a public health system in collaboration with local health departments...
Public health Registries Elder Abuse Reporting System – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 46.90 Elder Abuse Reporting System This law requires that every county in Wisconsin designate an agency as the elder-adult-at-risk agency, and then...
Powers and duties of the department – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 250.04 Powers and Duties of the Department This law sets forth the powers and duties of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.  DHS is...
Public health system – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 250.03 Public Health System The Wisconsin Department of Health Services must maintain a public health system in collaboration with local health departments...
Disease specific reporting requirements: AIDS/HIV HIV and related infections, including hepatitis C virus infections; services and prevention – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 252.12 HIV and related infections, including Hepatitis C Virus Infections; Services and Prevention This regulation sets forth the requirements for the...
Restrictions on use of an HIV test – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 252.15 Informed Consent Health care providers, blood banks, and plasma centers (“providers”) must take the following actions prior to...
Tests for congenital disorders – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 253.13 Tests for Congenital Disorders Physicians or nurses that attend to births in hospitals or maternity homes must test an infant's blood for "congenital...
Other Hospital rate increases or charges in excess of rates – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 153.08 No hospital may increase its rates or charge payers more than the rates in effect unless the hospital publishes a notice outlining the rate increase...
Disease specific reporting requirements: Abortion Induced abortion reporting – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 69.186 Induced Abortion Reporting This law requires that before January 15th of every year, each hospital, clinic or facility in which an induced abortion...
Tests for congenital disorders – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 253.13 Tests for Congenital Disorders Physicians or nurses that attend to births in hospitals or maternity homes must test an infant's blood for "congenital...
Disease specific reporting requirements: Communicable diseases/reportable diseases (as designated by each state) Reports of cases – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 252.05 Health care providers must report to their local health office all suspected or confirmed incidences of communicable diseases among their patient...
Reports of communicable diseases – Wis. Admin. Code DHS §145-04 Reports of Communicable Diseases This regulation sets forth the requirements for reporting of communicable diseases in the state of Wisconsin:...
Tests for congenital disorders – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 253.13 Tests for Congenital Disorders Physicians or nurses that attend to births in hospitals or maternity homes must test an infant's blood for "congenital...
Disease specific reporting requirements: Other conditions designated by the state as required reporting Tests for congenital disorders – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 253.13 Tests for Congenital Disorders Physicians or nurses that attend to births in hospitals or maternity homes must test an infant's blood for "congenital...
Disease specific reporting requirements: Lead poisoning Tests for congenital disorders – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 253.13 Tests for Congenital Disorders Physicians or nurses that attend to births in hospitals or maternity homes must test an infant's blood for "congenital...
Disease specific reporting requirements: Fetal deaths Tests for congenital disorders – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 253.13 Tests for Congenital Disorders Physicians or nurses that attend to births in hospitals or maternity homes must test an infant's blood for "congenital...
Disease specific reporting requirements: Congenital abnormalities Tests for congenital disorders – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 253.13 Tests for Congenital Disorders Physicians or nurses that attend to births in hospitals or maternity homes must test an infant's blood for "congenital...
Disease specific reporting requirements: Brain tumor Tests for congenital disorders – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 253.13 Tests for Congenital Disorders Physicians or nurses that attend to births in hospitals or maternity homes must test an infant's blood for "congenital...
Disease specific reporting requirements: Birth defects Tests for congenital disorders – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 253.13 Tests for Congenital Disorders Physicians or nurses that attend to births in hospitals or maternity homes must test an infant's blood for "congenital...
Public Health Data Collection and Reporting Wis. Admin. Code DHS §120-16 – Data to be submitted by health care plans Health plans may voluntarily submit data directly to the Department of Health Services or must submit data to state agencies that forward the...
Wis. Stat. Ann. § 153.46 - Release of data by entity The Department of Administration is required to contract with an entity to perform services with respect to collection, analysis and dissemination of...
Wis. Stat. Ann. § 153.55 - Protection of confidentiality The information collected and disseminated by the DHS and contracted entities from health care providers and hospitals under Wis. Stat. Ann. §...
Wis. Stat. Ann. § 153.65 - Provision of special information; user fees This law allows the DHS, upon its discretion, to provide a requesting person access to data compilations or special reports based on health...
Wis. Stat. Ann. § 252.07 - Tuberculosis This law details the public health reporting requirements for instances of tuberculosis.  The law requires that any laboratory that receives a...
Wis. Stat. Ann. § 252.09 - Meningococcal disease and hepatitis B This law requires that each private college and university do the following: Provide information on risks of meningococcal disease and hepatitis...
Wis. Stat. Ann. § 252.21 - Communicable diseases; schools; duties of teachers, parents, officers This law requires that any teacher, school nurse or principal of a school who suspects or knows that a communicable disease is present in the school...
Wis. Stat. Ann. § 253.11 - Infant Blindness This law requires that if any nurse, parent or other persons in charge notice that an infant not being attended by a physician/nurse-midwife has...
Wis. Stat. Ann. § 253.115 - Newborn hearing screening This law requires that DHS annually collect information about the number of deliveries in each hospital and whether these hospitals have newborn...
Wis. Stat. Ann. § 254.13 - Lead Poisoning Reporting requirements This law requires that every physician who diagnoses lead poisoning or exposure or any nurse/hospital administrator/director of a lab who has...
Wis. Stat. Ann. § 256.15 - Emergency medical services personnel; licensure; certification; training This law states the licensure and certificate requirements for emergency medical services personnel.  The law explains in detail the...