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Local public health warns hospital for bypassing required disease reports; DPHHS recommends official order if noncompliance continues
Summary
Public health staff told the Franklin County Board of Health that hospitals have been bypassing local reporting channels and contacting state-level staff directly; the state Department of Public Health and Human Services has recommended an official local order and escalation to CMS if the problem persists.
Franklin County public health staff told the Board of Health they are facing recurring problems with hospital reporting of communicable diseases and are considering formal remedies.
"They need to report to the local health jurisdiction as requested by the local health jurisdiction," said Speaker 3, public health staff, describing statutory obligations and recent lapses in compliance. Speaker 3 said the state Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) has advised the county to consider issuing an official order from local public health officers if hospitals continue to bypass local reporting channels.
Staff told the board they have technical access to hospital electronic health-record systems (Cerner and Epic) but lack capacity and legal standing to unilaterally extract patient charts; they said this is less efficient than receiving routine reports directly from hospital public-health liaisons. The transcript records that staff prefer a cooperative remedy first — a "gentle reminder order" — and only if that fails would they discuss contacting the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The board discussed the limits of local authority, noting that while reporting obligations exist under Montana law (MCAs were cited during the meeting), enforcement would require escalating through state regulators or federal agencies if hospital cooperation does not improve.
No formal order was issued at this meeting; staff said they are preparing a letter and recommended next steps if routine reporting does not resume.
