Reporting COVID-19 Testing, Infections, & Deaths
Updated May 11, 2023
As of May 11, 2023, laboratory testing* and cases of COVID-19 are no longer reportable to KDHE or your local health department; however, clusters or outbreaks remain reportable to allow public health officials to aid in containment, providing testing free of charge, infection prevention guidance, and technical assistance. Report clusters or outbreaks by calling the Epidemiology Hotline at 877-427-7317, option 5.
*Testing partners, including Community Testing Partners and reference laboratories contracted by the State of Kansas, should continue to send COVID-19 results. Contact your KDHE program manager with any questions on reporting.
Updated April 4, 2022
COVID-19 testing facilities that test under a CLIA certificate of waiver are no longer required to report NEGATIVE results for tests authorized for use under a CLIA certificate of waiver. This includes rapid PCR and antigen tests performed for a variety of purposes including, but not limited to, screening and diagnostic testing at schools, correctional facilities, employee testing programs, long-term care facilities, and rapid testing performed in pharmacies, medical provider offices, and drive-through and pop-up testing sites.
The updated guidance still requires laboratories certified under CLIA to perform moderate-or high-complexity tests to report both POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE results for laboratory-based nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs).
KDHE requires mandated reporters to report:
Positive COVID-19 test results
- Report positive antigen or PCR point of care results directly to KDHE via the Kansas Reportable Disease Portal within 24 hours.
- If the facility sends a second specimen to a reference or in-hospital laboratory for confirmatory PCR testing, the facility does not need to report the confirmatory result that comes back from the reference laboratory or in-hospital laboratory to KDHE. The laboratory conducting the SARS-CoV-2 test is required to report results to KDHE.
- For facilities that do not perform point of care antigen or PCR testing, for antigen or PCR testing done through a reference laboratory or in-hospital laboratory, your facility does not need to report result to KDHE. The laboratory conducting the SARS-CoV-2 test is required to report results to KDHE.
- Reference laboratories and in-hospital laboratories are required to report laboratory test results electronically via Electronic Laboratory Reporting or via the Kansas Reportable Disease Portal within 24 hours. Laboratories should email the EpiTrax administrator to establish electronic reporting.
- Laboratories certified under CLIA to perform moderate-or high-complexity tests are required to report both POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE results for laboratory-based nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs).
- Submission through the National Healthcare Safety Network (long-term care facilities only):
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)-certified long-term care (LTC) facilities may submit point-of-care SARS-CoV-2 testing data, including antigen testing data, to CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). This CDC- and CMS-preferred pathway to submit data to CDC’s NHSN applies only to CMS-certified LTC facilities. Test data submitted to NHSN will be reported to KDHE. If a facility has not begun reporting results to NHSN, they must continue to report results to KDHE via the Kansas Reportable Disease Portal within 24 hours.
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
- Suspected cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 should be reported to KDHE within 4 hours of suspicion.
- Fill out a Kansas Reportable Disease Form
- Fax to 1-877-427-7318, OR
- Send via secure email to the Epi Hotline
- AND call KDHE Epidemiology Hotline at 1-877-427-7317
- Fill out a Kansas Reportable Disease Form
Outbreaks
- All infectious disease outbreaks are reportable to KDHE within 4 hours.
- Call the KDHE Epidemiology Hotline at 1-877-427-7317
Deaths due to COVID-19:
- Fill out a Kansas Reportable Disease Form
- Fax the form to 1-877-427-7318, OR
- Send the form via secure email to the Epi Hotline
Do I need to report antibody test results?
- KDHE does not require antibody test results (positive or negative) to be reported.
Do I need to report by telephone?
- Reporting suspicion of disease or lab results by phone is not required.
- For urgent issues, contact the epidemiology hotline at 877-427-7317
Who is a mandated reporter in Kansas?
Health care providers and laboratories are required to notify KDHE regarding patients with suspected or confirmed reportable diseases. Each person licensed to practice the healing arts or engaged in a postgraduate training program approved by the state board of healing arts, licensed dentist, licensed professional nurse, licensed practical nurse, administrator of a hospital, licensed adult care home administrator*, licensed physician assistant, licensed social worker, and teacher or school administrator are required to report. The list of reportable diseases is defined by Kansas statute (K.S.A. 65-118, 65-128 and 65-6001 through 65-6007; and by K.A.R. 28-1-2 and 28-1-18).
If you are a mandated reporter who is aware of a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, but your facility did not conduct a laboratory test, you are not required to report the patient to KDHE. For example, if you are a school nurse who is aware of a student that tested positive at a local clinic, you do not need to report the student. The laboratory conducting the SARS-CoV-2 test is required to report results to KDHE.