GEORGIA - HOSPITAL MANDATORY REPORTING GUIDE
Georgia — Hospital Mandatory Reporting Guide
Category 1 — Adverse Events
No statewide mandatory hospital adverse-event reporting system identified in OIG’s 2008 inventory (verify whether enacted/changed since 2008).
Who Must Report: N/A.
Deadline: N/A.
Destination: N/A.
Citation: Source.
Attorney Notes: Hospitals still have other mandatory reporting duties and federal/contractual obligations.
Category 2 — Child Abuse / Neglect
Trigger: Reasonable cause to believe a child has been abused.
Who Must Report: Mandated reporters including hospital personnel.
Deadline: Immediately.
Destination: DFCS or law enforcement.
Citation: O.C.G.A. § 19‑7‑5.
Attorney Notes: Georgia’s broad mandated‑reporter statute supports negligence‑per‑se theories.
Category 3 — Weapon Injuries
Trigger: Treatment of gunshot wound.
Who Must Report: Physicians, hospitals.
Deadline: Immediately.
Destination: Local law enforcement.
Citation: O.C.G.A. § 31‑7‑9.
Attorney Notes: Creates a law‑enforcement notice trail relevant to timeline reconstruction.
Category 4 — Communicable Diseases
Trigger: Diagnosis, suspicion, or lab identification of a reportable disease.
Who Must Report: Providers and laboratories.
Deadline: Condition‑specific; many require immediate or 24‑hour reporting.
Destination: Georgia DPH.
Citation: Georgia Reportable Disease Rules.
Attorney Notes: Time‑class structure supports outbreak‑control analysis.
Category 5 — Complaints / Investigations
Timeline: No statutory requirement for when DPH must initiate a hospital complaint investigation.
Citation: Complaint authority exists; no explicit timeline.
Attorney Notes: Delays may be scrutinized in cases involving serious harm.