NAC441A.240. Duty of director or other person in charge of medical facility to report communicable disease; report by infection preventionist; adoption of administrative procedures for reporting.

     1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, the director or other person in charge of a medical facility who knows of or suspects the presence of a communicable disease within the medical facility shall report the communicable disease to the health authority having jurisdiction where the medical facility is located. The report must be made in the manner provided in NAC 441A.225.

     2. If a medical facility has a designated infection preventionist, administrative procedures may be established by which all communicable diseases known or suspected within the medical facility, including its laboratories and outpatient locations, are reported to the health authority through the medical facility’s infection preventionist or his or her representative. The report must be made in the manner provided in NAC 441A.225. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a director or other person in charge of a laboratory in a medical facility or a health care provider in a medical facility is not required to report a known or suspected communicable disease in the medical facility to the health authority if he or she makes a report to the infection preventionist in accordance with the provisions of this section.

     3. Any administrative procedures adopted by a medical facility pursuant to subsection 2 must:

     (a) Require the designated infection preventionist to:

          (1) Submit to the health authority each report of a known or suspected communicable disease in the medical facility made to the infection preventionist by a director or other person in charge of a laboratory in the medical facility or a health care provider in the medical facility; and

          (2) Make the report in the manner provided in NAC 441A.225;

     (b) Require each director or other person in charge of a laboratory in the medical facility and each health care provider in the medical facility to:

          (1) Submit a report to the infection preventionist if he or she knows of or suspects the presence of a communicable disease in the medical facility; and

          (2) Make the report in a manner that enables the infection preventionist to submit the report to the health authority in the manner provided in NAC 441A.225; and

     (c) Establish specific procedures for, without limitation:

          (1) Submitting a report to the infection preventionist outside his or her regular business hours;

          (2) Submitting a report if the infection preventionist is not available; and

          (3) Ensuring that a report submitted to the infection preventionist is made in a manner that enables the infection preventionist to submit the report to the health authority in the manner provided in NAC 441A.225.

     4. If a medical facility adopts administrative procedures pursuant to subsection 2, the director or other person in charge of the medical facility shall:

     (a) Ensure that the administrative procedures are revised or amended as necessary; and

     (b) Provide the administrative procedures, and each revision and amendment thereto, to:

          (1) The health authority having jurisdiction where the medical facility is located;

          (2) Each health care provider in the medical facility;

          (3) The director or other person in charge of a laboratory in the medical facility; and

          (4) The designated infection preventionist, his or her representative and any other person who assists the infection preventionist in carrying out his or her duties.

     5. A report submitted to a designated infection preventionist pursuant to this section must:

     (a) If submitted by the director or other person in charge of a laboratory in the medical facility, comply with NAC 441A.235; or

     (b) If submitted by a health care provider in the medical facility, comply with NAC 441A.230.

     (Added to NAC by Bd. of Health, eff. 1-24-92; A by R087-08, 1-13-2011)