1. (a) The reporting physician, laboratory director, or alternate person as set forth in §37.335(b) of this title (relating to Persons Required to Report) shall make the report of the childhood blood lead level results in writing to the local health authority or the Texas Department of Health (department) immediately after receiving the blood lead test result. A local health authority or the department may authorize one or more employees under his or her supervision to receive the report from the physician, laboratory director, or alternate person by telephone. The local health authority or the department shall implement a method for verifying the identity of the telephone caller when that person is unfamiliar to the employee.

2. (b) The local health authority shall collect the reports and transmit the information at weekly intervals to the Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology. Transmission may be made by mail, courier, or electronic transfer.

   1. (1) If by mail or courier, the reports shall be placed in a sealed envelope addressed to the attention of the Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology, and marked "confidential medical records."
   2. (2) If by electronic transmission, including facsimile transmission by telephone, it shall be in a manner and form authorized by the commissioner or his or her designee in each instance. Any electronic transmission of the reports must provide at least the same degree of protection against unauthorized disclosure as those of mail or courier transmission.
3. (c) When a child with a blood lead result resides outside the local health jurisdiction that received the report, the local health authority shall notify the appropriate local health authority or public health region where the child or children reside. The department shall assist the local health authority in providing such notifications if requested. The receiving local health authority shall collect the reports and transmit the information at weekly intervals to the department.

4. (d) Blood lead levels of 40 micrograms per deciliter or greater shall be reported immediately by telephone to the local health authority or the department at (800) 588-1248. The following information shall be reported:

   1. (1) the child's name, address, date of birth or age, sex, race and ethnicity;
   2. (2) the child's blood lead level concentration, test date, and name and telephone number of the testing laboratory;
   3. (3) whether the sample is capillary or venous blood; and
   4. (4) the name and city of the attending physician.

Source Note:The provisions of this §37.336 adopted to be effective December 27, 1995, 20 TexReg 10771; amended to be effective June 1, 2003, 28 TexReg 4149.