florida law posting hiv results to patient portal

by Prof. Marlon Jacobi 10 min read

The 2021 Florida Statutes - Florida Legislature

4 hours ago The HIV diagnosis rate per 100,000 population decreased from 22.7 in 2018 to 21.6 in 2019. The diagnosis rate per 100,000 among Black persons decreased from 57.8 in 2018 to 53.2 in 2019. The diagnosis rate per 100,000 among Hispanic/Latino individuals decreased from 29.7 in 2018 to 29.2 in 2019. The Florida Department of Health has identified ... >> Go To The Portal


How does Florida Track HIV/AIDS cases?

The HIV diagnosis rate per 100,000 population decreased from 22.7 in 2018 to 21.6 in 2019. The diagnosis rate per 100,000 among Black persons decreased from 57.8 in 2018 to 53.2 in 2019. The diagnosis rate per 100,000 among Hispanic/Latino individuals decreased from 29.7 in 2018 to 29.2 in 2019. The Florida Department of Health has identified ...

What is Florida doing to prevent HIV transmission?

Medical providers may report by: CALLING: (813) 307-8011. OR. MAILING a completed case report form to: Florida Department of Health - Hillsborough County. Attn: Surveillance, Annex, 2nd Floor. P.O. Box 5135. Tampa, Florida 33675-5135. Please double envelope the report, marking the inner envelope CONFIDENTIAL.

Is an undetectable viral load reportable in Florida?

Per Florida Department of Health Emergency Order 20-006, some of the testing requirements for ADAP are suspended. Specifically, you do not need viral load results under 6 months old or HIV CD4 results under 12 months old. This will be the case until the governor's executive order declaring a state of emergency in Florida expires.

What is the Florida Health Connect patient portal?

laboratories to report HIV-positive test results to state health authorities. At about this same time, the Department of Health devoted additional resources to voluntary partner notification efforts and increasing patient access to HIV/AIDS medical and support services. Both these actions stem from improvements in drug regimens for treating HIV

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Can HIV results be given over the phone in Florida?

Test results must be provided face-to-face (not delivered by telephone or mail), with simultaneous post-test counseling (which must be client centered) about the meaning of the results, any further testing, measures for preventing transmission of HIV, location and availability of health care, social and support ...

What is the permitted disclosure of HIV test information under Florida law?

The test subject may in writing authorize the disclosure of the test subject's HIV test results to third party payors, who need not be specifically identified, and to other persons to whom the test subject subsequently issues a general release of medical information.

Does Florida law require healthcare providers to obtain explicit informed consent before performing an HIV test?

In Florida, an HIV test subject must essentially understand (be "informed" about) and then explicitly agree ("consent") to the test. No Florida law authorizes providers to perform an HIV test based on a "general consent" from a patient to draw blood and run unspecified tests on the sample.

Do healthcare workers have to disclose HIV status to patients?

Box 7: HPCSA guidelines on patients' HIV status Confidentiality regarding a patient's HIV status extends to other health care practitioners. Other health care professionals may not be informed of a patient's HIV status without that patient's consent unless the disclosure is clinically indicated.

When did HIV move to Florida?

A person living with HIV moves to Florida in February 2014 and visits a doctor in order to receive care and treatment. The patient reports a history of HIV in Texas. The physician in Florida orders a viral load test on the patient and the result is an undetectable viral load.

When is HIV data frozen?

Each year, the HIV data for the previous calendar year and all previous years are finalized and frozen for reporting purposes on June 30. The frozen data are used in all data reports until the following June 30, when the continuously deduplicated HIV/AIDS data set will be finalized and frozen again.

What is a PWH in Florida?

PWH: The number of persons with an HIV diagnosis living in Florida at the end of 2019. In Care: PWH with at least one documented viral load or CD4 lab, medical visit, or prescription from 1/1/2019 to 3/31/2020.

Why is the patient not reportable?

The patient is currently not reportable because the case does not meet CDC’s case definition for a reportable case. In September 2014, the physician orders another viral load test and the result is a detectable viral load. The case is then reported to the county health department as a new diagnosis for Florida.

What is the goal of the HIV/AIDS surveillance program?

The goal of the HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program is to collect complete and accurate HIV data to analyze trends. HIV staff and partners use these data and trends to plan, carry out, and assess HIV programs statewide.

What is the flu?

Hepatitis. See All Diseases. Featured Topic: Influenza. Influenza or 'flu' is a viral respiratory illness, mainly spread by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk. Influenza can cause mild to severe illness. Serious outcomes of flu infection are hospitalization or death.

What is the year of diagnosis?

Year of diagnosis is the year a person is first diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Year of report is the year a person's case is first reported to Florida Health and entered into the enhanced HIV/AIDS Reporting System.

How to contact Florida AIDS hotline?

You can also learn more about HIV medical and support services in your area by c ontacting the Florida AIDS Hotline. In English: 1-800-FLA-AIDS or 1-800-352-2437. En Espanol: 1-800-545-SIDA. In Creole: 1-800-AIDS-101. And you can visit KnowYourHIVStatus.com to learn more about living well with HIV.

How many new HIV cases were diagnosed in Florida in 2019?

Because there is no cure, reducing the transmission of HIV while minimizing its effect on those living with HIV is critical. In 2019, Florida identified 4,584 new HIV diagnoses. The HIV diagnosis rate per 100,000 population decreased from 22.7 in 2018 to 21.6 in 2019.

What is WIC nutrition?

WIC is a federally funded nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children. WIC provides the following at no cost: healthy foods, nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding support, and referrals for health care. Learn More About WIC. Disability and Health Program.

What is a PEP and a PEP?

PrEP is a preventative tool for people at risk of acquiring HIV. PEP is a stopgap measure for people who have had a potential HIV exposure.

What is the Florida Department of Health's goal?

The Florida Department of Health has identified reducing transmission of HIV as one of its seven priority goals. To achieve this goal, Florida has adopt ed a comprehensive strategic approach to prevent HIV transmission and strengthen patient care activities.

What is the DHP program?

Disability and Health Program. The Disability and Health Program (DHP) is funded by a three-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The goals of the program are to include Floridians of all ages with disabilities in all of the Department of Health's programs and activities for health promotion, disease prevention, ...

Is Florida experiencing the flu?

Influenza can cause mild to severe illness. Serious outcomes of flu infection are hospitalization or death. Florida is currently experiencing a moderately severe influenza season.

Reporting Requirements

Revised Surveillance Case Definition for HIV Infection — United States, 2014

Practitioner Reporting

Florida Department of Health - Hillsborough County Attn: Surveillance, Annex, 2nd Floor P.O. Box 5135 Tampa, Florida 33675-5135

When was the AIDS Act passed in Florida?

This pamphlet was first issued in 1990 after the Florida Legislature amended its 1988 comprehensive legislation, commonly referred to as the "Omnibus AIDS Act" (now codified principally at §381.004, F.S.). This law addresses the many ways human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) affect the public health and welfare, comprehensively creating numerous programs and establishing various requirements for state agencies and health care providers.

What is the Omnibus AIDS Act?

The Omnibus AIDS Act has undergone several significant changes since its passage in 1988: requiring HIV infection reporting; "streamlining" HIV testing by eliminating mandatory counseling in most settings; providing for “rapid” HIV tests; and requiring “opt out” testing for pregnant women. For the most part, however, these changes have "fine-tuned" the Act, leaving its basic structure intact. More changes to Florida's HIV/AIDS laws will occur as scientific knowledge, medical diagnosis and treatment and public perceptions evolve.

Is a HIV test a confidential record in Florida?

While all patient records are confidential under Florida and federal laws, Florida's Omnibus AIDS Act makes HIV test results "superconfidential" — health care providers who know a test subject's HIV test result have additional obligations to the test subject to protect against further disclosure of records with such information.

How many states are required to report viral load?

As of 2020, 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico meet the criteria for requiring all CD4 and viral load data reported. Of these, 25 states and Puerto Rico, also required molecular data reporting.

What is the HIV load?

HIV viral load measurements indicate the number of copies of the HIV that are in a milliliter of a person’s blood. HIV medicine, when taken as prescribed, reduces the amount of HIV in the body (viral load) to a very low level, which keeps the immune system working and prevents illness. This is called viral suppression.

Why do people with HIV need CD4?

Among people with HIV, CD4 counts are often used to monitor disease progression and determine the stage of HIV infection. Current HIV clinical management guidelines recommend CD4 and viral load testing at the time of diagnosis and regularly thereafter. HIV drug resistance testing, which generates HIV molecular data, is used when a person enters, ...

Why is molecular data important for HIV?

HIV molecular data can also be used to identify drug resistance trends on the population level and can be used to identify a growing cluster of infections (i.e., an area or group of individuals) in which transmission is rapidly occurring. When viral loads, CD4 counts and molecular data are reported, public health agencies can more effectively ...

What is HIV drug resistance testing?

HIV viral loads, CD4 cell counts, and HIV drug resistance testing are frequently conducted on samples from people with HIV for clinical purposes. Data collected from these tests can also be used to provide information about the effectiveness of and need for prevention and treatment programs.

What is the function of CD4 in HIV?

CD4 is a protein found on the surface of some white blood cells. Measuring white blood cells with CD4 (CD4 cell counts) provides a measure of a person’s immune function. Among people with HIV, CD4 counts are often used ...

Which states do not have to report CD4?

Two states and one U.S. territory do not meet the criteria for reporting all viral load, or CD4 count: Idaho, New Jersey, and the Virgin Islands. Not all states with complete reporting laws have complete reporting of laboratory data to CDC.

What is Florida Health Connect?

The Florida Department of Health is excited to offer Florida Health Connect, a secure, convenient way to manage your health and communicate directly with your clinician online. Florida Health Connect is a patient portal that is free to everyone receiving services at any local county health department. The portal allows you to more actively engage with your care team at a time that works best for you.

What is WIC nutrition?

WIC is a federally funded nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children. WIC provides the following at no cost: healthy foods, nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding support, and referrals for health care. Learn More About WIC. Disability and Health Program.

Is Florida experiencing the flu?

Influenza can cause mild to severe illness. Serious outcomes of flu infection are hospitalization or death. Florida is currently experiencing a moderately severe influenza season.

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