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Public Health Data Collection and Reporting in Maine

A health care practitioner or facility is required to disclose a patient’s health care information, regardless of whether the patient consents, to federal and local agencies in order to protect the public’s health and welfare.1  The law requires anyone licensed to practice medicine to report all public health emergencies, particularly, conditions or diseases designated as “notifiable” to the Department of Health and Human Services.2  If a person fails to report a notifiable disease or files a false report, he or she may be subject to fines.3 In reporting notifiable diseases to the state agencies, the privilege of confidentiality is waived.  However, the reported information must be kept confidential and cannot be disclosed.4

Noteworthy is the state’s Health Data Organization, which is based on a uniform reporting system that facilitates the collection and analysis of clinical, financial, and quality data.5  The law allows public access to information provided to the Health Data Organization upon request.  However, members of the public cannot have access to privileged medical information, confidential information, or information that identifies individual patients or providers.6    

Maine law also requires physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers to report incidences of occupational diseases within 30 days from the date of diagnosis or discharge from the hospital. Notably, these reports must also include information about the patient’s sex, occupation, and race. 7  Additionally, all miscarriages and abortions performed in the state must be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services.8 Maine also mandates that all cases of cancer be reported to the state registry.9

 

Footnotes

  • 1. 10-144-253 ME. CODE R. § 6
  • 2. ME. REV. STAT. tit. 22, § 822; ME. REV. STAT. tit. 32, § 452; ME. REV. STAT. tit. 32, § 12524
  • 3.   ME. REV. STAT. tit. 22, § 825
  • 4. ME. REV. STAT. tit. 22, § 815
  • 5. ME. REV. STAT. tit. 22 §8704
  • 6. ME. REV. STAT. tit. 22 §8707
  • 7. ME. REV. STAT. tit. 22, § 1493
  • 8. ME. REV. STAT. tit. 22, § 1596(2); ME. REV. STAT. tit. 22, § 1596(3)
  • 9. 10-144-255 ME. CODE R. §2

 

Public Health Data Collection and Reporting in Maine

Subtopic Statute/Regulation Description
Public Health Data Collection and Reporting Abortion and miscarriage data - Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 22, § 1596 For each miscarriage that occurs, a report must be made by the physician in attendance on forms prescribed by the Department of Health and Human...
Abortion and miscarriage data - Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 22, § 1596 For every abortion performed in Maine, a report must be made to the Department of Health and Human Services on forms prescribed by the department....
Application of laws regarding reporting contagious diseases and deaths - Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 32, § 452 All laws and rules regulating the reporting of contagious diseases and deaths to the proper authorities and to which the licensed practitioner of...
Confidentiality - Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 22, § 824 Any person who receives information regarding reported notifiable disease records must treat as confidential the names of individuals having or...
Confidentiality of the Maine Chronic Disease Surveillance Data Quality and Follow-Up Study - 10-144-253 Me. Code R. § 2 The Department of Human Services (and all departments, agencies, commissions or boards of the State) must be given access to all confidential reports...
Confidentiality protection for certain health care practitioners - Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 22, § 8713 The Maine Health Data Organization must establish procedures to allow providers to file for confidentiality protection. However, the procedures must...
Duties of health care providers, health care facilities and medical laboratories - Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 22, § 1493 Hospitals, Physicians, Physician Extenders, and Chiropractors must report to the Department of Health and Human Services any case of an occupational...
Maine Cancer Registry Rules and Regulations - 10-144-255 Me. Code R. § 2 The State of Maine has established a Cancer Incidence Registry Program to collect case-specific data on all persons diagnosed with cancer living in...
Occupational disease reporting - Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 22, § 1491 An occupational disease is any abnormal condition or disorder, including an occupational injury, caused by exposure to environmental factors...
Powers and duties of the board - Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 22, § 8704 The Maine Health Data Organization is an entity governed by a Board of Directors.  The law requires the board to establish a uniform reporting...
Privileged or confidential communications - Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 22, § 815 The physician-patient and psychotherapist-patient privileges under the Maine Rules of Evidence and other confidential communications are waived to...
Public access to data - Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 22, § 8707 The Maine Health Data Organization’s board of directors must make provisions to allow any member of the public to gain access to information...
Public health authority and responsibility - Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 32, § 12524 A naturopathic doctor is a licensed doctor and has the same authority and responsibility as other licensed doctors regarding the reportable disease...
Reporting - Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 22, § 822 Whenever a physician believes that his or her patient has a disease or condition that has been designated as “notifiable”, the physician...
Reporting and Record Keeping - 10-144-150 Me. Code R. § 1.08 Each hospital must keep records of the amount of free care that is provided by the hospital, and the number of individuals to whom it was provided....
Reports - Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 22, § 8712 The Maine Health Data Organization must file reports on both quality and payments.  The reports must be in an easy to understand format, and be...