TEXAS - HOSPITAL MANDATORY REPORTING GUIDE
Texas — 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: Hospitals.
Deadline: Varies by system.
Destination: Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
Citation: Source.
Attorney Notes: Mandatory reporting supports regulatory‑noncompliance arguments and discovery into internal reviews.
Category 2 — Child Abuse / Neglect
Trigger: Reasonable cause to believe a child is abused or neglected.
Who Must Report: Any person (universal reporting).
Deadline: Immediately.
Destination: DFPS hotline or law enforcement.
Citation: Tex. Fam. Code § 261.101.
Attorney Notes: Universal duty broadens liability exposure.
Category 3 — Weapon Injuries
Trigger: Treatment of gunshot wound.
Who Must Report: Physicians, hospitals.
Deadline: Immediately.
Destination: Police.
Citation: Tex. Health & Safety Code § 161.041.
Attorney Notes: Creates a law‑enforcement notice trail.
Category 4 — Communicable Diseases
Trigger: Diagnosis, suspicion, or laboratory identification of a reportable disease or outbreak.
Who Must Report: Providers and laboratories.
Deadline: Condition‑specific; many require immediate or 24‑hour reporting.
Destination: Texas Department of State Health Services.
Citation: Texas Notifiable Conditions List.
Attorney Notes: Supports outbreak‑control and foreseeability analysis.
Category 5 — Complaints / Investigations
Timeline: Texas law authorizes complaint investigations but does not impose a statutory start‑time requirement.
Citation: Complaint authority exists; no explicit statutory timeline.
Attorney Notes: Delays may be scrutinized in serious patient‑safety cases.