Getting Started with eCR

CDC's eCR team, in coordination with the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), provides support for eCR implementers. This page outlines the eCR implementation process for healthcare organizations, EHR vendors, and public health agencies.

For healthcare organizations

Step 1: Prepare for eCR adoption

These EHR/Health IT products are ready for general healthcare organization onboarding:

These EHR/Health IT products are ready for general healthcare organization onboarding:

• Altera Sunrise
• athenahealth athenaOne (athenaClinicals and athenaHHS)
• athenahealth athenaPractice
• eClinical Works
• Epic
• Flatiron OncoEMR
• Medhost eCR 1.0
• Meditech Expanse
• Modernizing Medicine EMA
• Oracle Cerner Ambulatory
• Oracle Cerner Millennium
• Oracle Cerner CommunityWorks
• Premier Inc. TheraDoc
• TruBridge EHR
• Veradigm - Veradigm EHR

• If your HCO uses one of the EHR/Health IT products above, email your vendor to learn more about getting started with eCR.
• Work with the eCR team to connect with your PHA and register your intent for eCR (see Appendix IV – State and Local Public Health Readiness for Interoperability ).
• Partner with your EHR/Health IT vendor to discuss options for implementing eCR.
• Get final approval from your organization's leaders to implement eCR.

Step 2: Implement eCR

• When directed by your assigned eCR onboarding coordinator, follow the process here to begin implementation: eCR for Healthcare Providers .
• Work with your EHR/Health IT vendor to enable eCR functionality and conduct testing.
• Make sure that your policy path is in place for reporting to PHAs without violating HIPAA or any applicable state laws.
• Complete the eCR Provider Intake Form when directed to do so by your eCR onboarding coordinator.

For more information:‎

Step 3: Go live

• Work with your eCR onboarding coordinator, EHR/Health IT vendor, and PHA to ensure testing and data quality meet public health requirements.
• Send production messages.
• Maintain current manual case reporting processes alongside eCR until notified otherwise by the relevant PHAs for your organization.

Step 4: PHA validation

• Collaborate with your PHA(s) for production data validation and quality review.
• Discontinue manual reporting once your PHA(s) confirm you can do so.

For EHR vendors

Step 1: Contact CDC

• Email ecr@cdc.gov to indicate you are interested in implementing eCR.