DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA - HOSPITAL MANDATORY REPORTING GUIDE
District of Columbia — Hospital Mandatory Reporting Guide
Category 1 — Adverse Events
State-defined adverse events / serious reportable events (Modified NQF list approach per OIG; confirm current state list).
Who Must Report: Licensed hospitals.
Deadline: Varies by system.
Destination: DC Health Regulation and Licensing Administration.
Citation: Source.
Attorney Notes: Mandatory reporting creates an external audit trail; non-reporting supports regulatory-noncompliance arguments.
Category 2 — Child Abuse / Neglect
Trigger: Knowledge or suspicion of abuse.
Who Must Report: Mandated reporters.
Deadline: Immediately.
Destination: CFSA hotline.
Citation: D.C. Code § 4-1321.02.
Attorney Notes: Hotline records discoverable.
Category 3 — Weapon Injuries
Trigger: Treatment of gunshot or violent injury.
Who Must Report: Physicians.
Deadline: Immediately.
Destination: Metropolitan Police.
Citation: D.C. Code § 7-2601.
Attorney Notes: Creates parallel public-safety duty.
Category 4 — Communicable Diseases
Trigger: Diagnosis, suspicion, or lab identification of a reportable disease.
Who Must Report: Healthcare providers and/or laboratories.
Deadline: Immediate/24 hours for urgent diseases; longer for others.
Destination: DC Health.
Citation: DC Health – Notifiable Diseases.
Attorney Notes: Time classes support compliance evaluation; timestamps support outbreak-control arguments.
Category 5 — Complaints / Investigations
Timeline: DC law authorizes complaint investigations but does not impose a specific statutory start‑time requirement.
Citation: Complaint authority exists; no explicit deadline.
Attorney Notes: Attorneys may scrutinize delays in high‑severity complaints.