COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Reporting Requirements | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Reporting Requirements for Test Results

	Positive rapid molecular and antigen tests	Positive molecular tests (RT-PCR or other molecular assay)	Negative molecular tests	Negative rapid and antigen tests	Antibody tests (IgG, IgM, IgA, t-cell, total antibody)
Laboratories	✔	✔	✔	Not required	Not required
Provider	✔	✔	✔	Not required	Not required
Clinical research	✔	✔	✔	Not required	Not required
K-12	✔	Not required	Not required	Not required	Not required
Long-term care facilities	✔	✔	Not required	Not required	Not required

Provider reporting

All positive test results for rapid point-of-care COVID-19 tests must be reported to public health.
Providers must also report all positive, negative, and inconclusive COVID-19 test results for non-point-of-care NAAT tests (e.g., RT-PCR, those sent out to a lab for testing). COVID-19 results are required to be reported in four (4) working days.

Laboratory reporting

All positive, negative, and inconclusive, nucleic amplification/molecular (e.g., RT-PCR) SARS-CoV-2 test results must be reported electronically by laboratories.
If a laboratory is performing SARS-CoV-2 testing that generates a sequence or lineage result, this information is required to be reported to CDPHE by Board of Health Rules and Regulations and submission of clinical material may be requested.
Facilities that are designated as sentinel surveillance sites should continue to submit surveillance samples according to sampling plans.

Clinical research reporting

All positive antigen and positive, negative, and inconclusive molecular test results for SARS-CoV-2 testing conducted as part of a clinical trial must be reported electronically by the testing laboratory.

At-home test reporting

Self-administered home tests are not required to be reported unless they are identified during an outbreak investigation.

Required components for reporting based on Colorado Board of Health Rules and Regulations

Name of disease or condition (i.e., COVID-19).
Patient’s first name and last name.
Patient’s date of birth (mm/dd/yyyy).
Patient’s sex assigned at birth.
Patient’s race and ethnicity.
Patient’s home address* (address, city, state, ZIP code).
- *If a patient is a student at a university, they should provide their local address at time of testing to ensure the local public health agency where their school is located is properly notified of the result.
- Additional information on how to determine residency for case reporting.
Patient’s phone number (###-###-####).
Patient’s email address.
Patient’s preferred language.
Ordering health care provider’s name, clinic address, and clinic phone number.
Testing lab name (name of testing lab, if applicable, or name of facility if doing point-of-care rapid testing).
Test name/type (PCR, IgM, antigen, etc.).
Specimen collection date (mm/dd/yyyy).
Specimen type (NP swab, blood, etc.).
Test result (positive, negative or inconclusive; including quantitative ranges, if applicable).
Accession number (if applicable).

How to report COVID-19

Option 1: Electronic laboratory reporting (ELR)

We accept standard HL7.
To onboard or for more information, email cdphe_elr@state.co.us.
Read our FAQ document on case reporting for facilities that use electronic lab reporting.

Option 2: SimpleReport

SimpleReport: Point-of-care rapid test reporting tool for testing providers.

SimpleReport is a fast and free tool developed by CDC and the U.S. Digital Service which makes it easy for you and your testing staff to capture and send point-of-care test results directly to CDPHE.
If you are interested in using SimpleReport for your testing program, you can sign up online.
As a new organization using SimpleReport, select “My organization is new to SimpleReport” when signing up.
If you have multiple testing facilities or locations within your organizations, coordinate among the different facilities to identify an administrator to create the account for your organization.
After the organization account has been established, the administrator will be able to invite additional users to be administrators for the account or as standard users.
When adding a new testing location/facility under your organization, you will need the CLIA number associated with the facility, as well as the NPI number for the ordering provider at the facility or for your organization. If an NPI number is not available, please enter all zeros (0000000000).
For any questions or issues with SimpleReport, email support@simplereport.gov.

SimpleReport resources:

Residential care facilities (RCF)/long-term care facilities (LTCF)

Residential care facilities must report positive point-of-care rapid tests (both antigen and molecular) administered by the facility. These positive point-of-care test results must be reported to public health via SimpleReport or the NHSN COVID-19 Point-of-Care Test Reporting Tool. Additionally, positive antigen tests performed without oversight (unproctored at-home tests) should be investigated and reported on line lists.

Facilities should consult the appropriate COVID-19 mitigation and outbreak guidance document for their facility type found on CDPHE’s long-term care webpage for additional details. Facilities may email cdphe_covid_infection_prevention@state.co.us for assistance.

Questions? Email cdphe_covidreporting@state.co.us.