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April 27, 2020
Re: COVID-19 Response / Personal Contact Information for Lab Tests
Dear Healthcare Provider:
Thank you very much for your continued work and partnership in the public health response to COVID-19. It cannot be overstated how much we appreciate your efforts and daily sacrifices on the front lines of this response.
I am writing to ask for your assistance. We have found that about 20% of the tests submitted to laboratories do not include complete and accurate patient information with their test requisitions. Our State staff are currently spending hours of time trying to track down personal contact information. This lack of information can result in incorrect or outdated contact information being entered into a record, and it slows down the pace of investigation and hinders our ability to follow up with key messages such as how an individual should properly isolate themselves to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Our State regulations for Epidemic and Communicable Disease Control (6 CCR 1009-1) specify that all specimens shall be accompanied by the following information:
1. Patient's name, date of birth, sex, race, ethnicity, and address (including city and county);
2. Name and address of responsible physician or other health care provider;
3. Name of disease or condition;
4. Laboratory information - test name, collection date, and specimen type; and
5. Such other information as is needed to locate the patient for follow up.
Pursuant to (5), I would greatly appreciate if you can also include the patient’s phone number, as this enables the State to follow up with patients as needed.
I urge you to prioritize this issue and direct your staff to ensure all of this information is collected and communicated to the lab.
Please direct any inquiries or responses to this letter to Ben Henderson, Director of Operations (Benjamin.s.henderson@state.co.us) and Alicia Cronquist, Chief of the Public Health Informatics, Reporting, and Refugee Branch (alicia.cronquist@state.co.us).
Sincerely,
Jared Polis
Governor
Please note that the attachment is Governor Polis' Provider Letter dated April 27, 2020, which is displayed in this correspondence .
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