Massachusetts law imposes a variety of reporting duties on
physicians. Some diseases or conditions must be reported to local health
authorities, while others are reportable to various offices of the state
Department of Public Health. In addition, occurrences such as births,
deaths, gunshot wounds and other types of injuries must be reported to
designated authorities. This brochure is intended to alert Massachusetts
physicians to current state requirements for reporting diseases,
conditions and occurrences.
The brochure focuses on state reporting requirements applicable to
physicians. The brochure's emphasis is on traditional public health
reporting, and does not include requirements for the reporting of
alleged physician misconduct, self-reporting of malpractice claims and
hospital privilege restrictions, or reporting of incidents under the
Patient Care Assessment Regulations.
Where fines may be imposed for failure to report a disease, condition
or occurrence, that information is included. It also should be noted
that failure to satisfy reporting requirements may subject a physician
to disciplinary action by the Board of Registration in Medicine. For
your convenience, the reporting requirements are grouped by category,
and, where possible, pertinent telephone numbers are included.
The information in this brochure does not constitute legal advice. It
is intended for use as a general reference guide only. Unique facts or
circumstances may necessitate consultation of additional statutes,
regulations and case law for answers to specific legal questions. An
attorney who is knowledgeable about health care law should be consulted
about all legal matters.
Download the full PDF format booklet: Reporting of Patient Diseases, Conditions, and
Occurrences: An Informational Guide for Physicians (.pdf,
827kb, 32 pages).
This download requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not
already have a copy of the Adobe Reader, you can download a free copy from Adobe's website.
Note: The information contained in this booklet is based on
state laws and regulations in effect as of the date of publication, and
is therefore subject to change.
