Objective: Capability to submit electronic syndromic surveillance data to public health agencies and actual submission according to applicable law and practice.

Measure: Performed at least one test of certified EHR technology's capacity to provide electronic syndromic surveillance data to public health agencies and follow-up submission if the test is successful (unless none of the public health agencies to which an EP submits information has the capacity to receive the information electronically).

For more detailed information on this measure, please Click on the "Reference" link below. This CMS documentation includes information on exclusions, attestation requirements, a definition of terms and important additional information.

CLICK TO VIEW THE CMS DOCUMENTATION ON THIS MEASURE:

Reference: CMS: Syndromic Surveillance Data Submission

*IMPORTANT: Eligible professionals must choose at least one objective out of the two public health measures (Immunization Registries Data Submission & Syndromic Surveillance Data Submission).  

*CMS States: "Should the Eligible Professional (EP) be able to meet the measure for one of these public health menu measures and can attest that an exclusion applies for the other, the EP is required to select and report on the public health menu measure they are able to meet. If the EP can attest to an exclusion from both public health menu measures, the EP must choose one of the two public health menu measures and attest to the exclusion."

Beginning in 2013, the Stage 1 public health objectives will require that providers perform at least one test of the Certified EHR's capability to send data to public health agencies, except where prohibited.  If providers are authorized to submit this data, they should subit it even if it is not required by either law or practice.  If the submission test was successful, the provider should begin regular reporting with the entity with whom the successful test was conducted.

For more information on this and other Stage 1 changes, please see: Stage 1 Changes Tipsheet.

This measure is not tracked within the SOAPware Meaningful Use dashboards. This Meaningful Use measure requires that the eligible professional must attest YES to having performed at least one test of certified EHR technology's capacity to submit electronic syndromic surveillance data to public health agencies and follow up submission if the test was successful (unless none of the public health agencies to with the EP submits such information has the capacity to receive the information electronically).

For more information on the attestation requirements and exclusions for this measure, please see: CMS: Syndromic Surveillance Data Submission.

*NOTE: Functionality to export surveillance data has been added to SOAPware 2011+; however much remains to be defined on this measure.  There are not many public health agencies that seem to be in a position to support receiving systems very robustly at this time.  Therefore, this measure also includes an exclusion explained in the CMS reference link above that states "Exclusion: An EP who does not collect any reportable syndromic information on their patients during the EHR reporting period or does not submit such information to any public health agency that has the capacity to receive the information electronically."

To learn how to submit syndromic health surveillance's to public health agencies, see: Syndromic Health Surveillance.

Please contact your local public health agency for instructions on performing data submission in order to meet this measure.