2006 Code of Virginia § 32.1-69.1 - Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System

32.1-69.1. Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System.

A. In order to collect data to evaluate the possible causes of birth defects,improve the diagnosis and treatment of birth defects and establish amechanism for informing the parents of children identified as having birthdefects and their physicians about the health resources available to aid suchchildren, the Commissioner shall establish and maintain a Virginia CongenitalAnomalies Reporting and Education System using data from birth and deathcertificates and fetal death reports filed with the State Registrar of VitalRecords and data obtained from hospital medical records. The chiefadministrative officer of every hospital, as defined in 32.1-123, shallmake or cause to be made a report to the Commissioner of any person under twoyears of age diagnosed as having a congenital anomaly. The Commissioner mayappoint an advisory committee to assist in the design and implementation ofthis reporting and education system with representation from relevant groupsincluding, but not limited to, physicians, geneticists, personnel ofappropriate state agencies, persons with disabilities and the parents ofchildren with disabilities.

B. The Commissioner shall provide for a secure system, which may includeonline data entry that protects the confidentiality of data and informationfor which reporting is required, to implement the Virginia CongenitalAnomalies Reporting and Education System.

At a minimum, data collected shall include, but need not be limited to, thefollowing: (i) the infant's first and last name, date of birth, gender, stateof residence, birth hospital, physician's name, date of admission, date ofdischarge or transfer, and diagnosis; (ii) the first and last names of theinfant's mother and father; (iii) the first and last name of the primarycontact person for the infant; and (iv) data pertaining to birth defectsreported by hospitals and derived from birth and death certificates and fetaldeath reports filed with the State Registrar of Vital Records and such othersources as may be authorized by the Commissioner.

The Commissioner, as he deems necessary to facilitate the follow-up ofinfants whose data and health record information have been entered into thesystem, may authorize the integration or linking of the Virginia CongenitalAnomalies Reporting and Education System with other Department of Healthpopulation-based surveillance systems.

In addition, to minimize duplication and ensure accuracy during data entry,the Commissioner may authorize hospitals required to report birth defect datato the system to view such existing data and information as may be designatedby the Commissioner.

With the assistance of the advisory committee, the Board shall promulgatesuch regulations as may be necessary to implement this reporting andeducation system.

(1985, c. 273; 1986, c. 136; 1988, cc. 459, 843; 1994, c. 854; 2006, cc. 699,906.)