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Reporting requirements

Reporting requirements

Information for King County health care providers

Healthcare providers are required to report suspected cases of active TB disease to Public Health – Seattle & King County TB Control Program within 24 hours.

To request a consultation, call our intake line: 206-744-4579, option 2, OR complete our HIPAA compliant online form.

Healthcare providers are required to report suspected cases of active pulmonary TB disease and extrapulmonary TB disease to us within 24 hours. We request that healthcare providers contact us when empiric treatment for active TB is considered. If you start someone on TB medication for suspected active TB disease, you must report the case to us. PHSKC TB Control Program manages all cases of active pulmonary TB disease in King County. If the patient lives outside of King County, please report the case of TB to the appropriate county per the patient’s address.

Call our intake line at 206-744-4579, option 2. Please provide as much detail as possible using the table below as a guide. This is a secure line and it is ok to leave PHI in a voicemail.
Please ensure the following:

  1. Verify the person lives in King County. If not, please report to the appropriate county. See a list of county contact info.
  2. Inform us if the person is living unhoused or has a high-risk work/living situation
  3. Provide your direct line, cell or pager number. Do not provider a general clinic number or nurse line number.
Reporting elements to PHSKC TB Control Program
Primary Health Care Provider Information Person Providing Report Information Patient Demographic Information
  • Provider Name
  • Provider Address
  • Provider Direct Telephone #
  • Person's Name
  • Person's Address (if different from Provider)
  • Person's Direct Telephone # (if different from Provider)
  • Diagnosis or suspected diagnosis of disease or condition
  • Pertinent Lab Data
  • Pertinent Radiologic Data
  • Name
  • Alias
  • Address
  • Telephone #
  • Date of Birth: Gender
  • Ethnicity
  • Primary Language

Based on the information you provide, our team begins gathering information from relevant medical facilities, including pushing chest images for our review, gathering medical records, and registering the patient in our system. Once this process is complete, we will contact you for next steps.

You may call us at 206-744-4579, option 2, OR fill out our HIPAA compliant online form.

To receive a call back, you MUST provide a direct phone number for the provider managing the case. We will not call nurse lines, main clinic lines, or other general phone numbers regarding case consultations.

Alternatively, you may present your case to a panel of local and statewide TB expert via TB ECHO teleconference, which take place every Monday from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. For more information, email WTCN@kingcounty.gov.

Please see the chart below for key differences in active TB disease vs. latent TB infection. You may request a consultation with us for help with active TB rule out, or question about active TB disease vs. LTBI.

Latent TB Infection Active TB Disease
  • No symptoms or physical findings suggestive of TB disease
  • TB blood test or TST result usually positive
  • Chest radiograph is typically normal
  • If done, respiratory specimens are smear and culture negative
  • Cannot spread TB bacteria to others
  • Should consider treatment for LTBI to prevent TB disease
  • Symptoms may include one or more of the following: fever, cough, chest pain, weight loss, night sweats, hemoptysis, fatigue, and decreased appetite
  • TB blood test or TST usually positive
  • Chest radiograph is usually abnormal, buy may be normal in people with advanced immunosuppression or extrapulmonary TB disease
  • Respiratory specimens are usually smear and/or culture positive, but may be negative in people with extrapulmonary TB disease or minimal/early pulmonary TB disease
  • Can spread TB bacteria to others
  • Needs treatment for TB disease

Source: CDC – LTBI: A Guide for Primary Health Care Providers (2020)

Please email us at LTBI@kingcounty.gov and we will help you find appropriate educational materials, including patient education materials in their preferred language.

Join us for weekly TB ECHO telementorship sessions for case consultations, case presentations, and didactic sessions (CME/CNE credit available). Read here (LINK) more info and to register to receive the zoom link and agenda for each session (no obligation to attend). Email WTCN@kingcounty.gov with questions about TB ECHO.

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