Neb. Rev. Stat. § 71-509 — NE Code / Chapter 71 / Section 71-509
View Statute 71-509
Status: in_force

(1) If a health care facility or alternate facility determines that a patient treated or transported by an emergency services provider has been diagnosed or detected with an infectious airborne disease, the health care facility or alternate facility shall notify the department as soon as practical but not later than forty-eight hours after the determination has been made. The department shall investigate all notifications from health care facilities and alternate facilities and notify as soon as practical the physician medical director of each emergency medical service with an affected emergency medical care provider employed by or associated with the service, the fire chief of each fire department with an affected firefighter employed by or associated with the department, the head of each law enforcement agency with an affected peace officer employed by or associated with the agency, the funeral director of each funeral establishment with an affected individual employed by or associated with the funeral establishment, and any emergency services provider known to the department with a significant exposure who is not employed by or associated with an emergency medical service, a fire department, a law enforcement agency, or a funeral establishment. Notification of affected individuals shall be made as soon as practical.

(2) Whenever an emergency services provider believes he or she has had a significant exposure while acting as an emergency services provider, he or she may complete a significant exposure report form. A copy of the completed form shall be given by the emergency services provider to the health care facility or alternate facility, to the emergency services provider's supervisor, and to the designated physician.

(3) Upon receipt of the significant exposure form, if a patient has been diagnosed during the normal course of treatment as having an infectious disease or condition or information is received from which it may be concluded that a patient has an infectious disease or condition, the health care facility or alternate facility receiving the form shall notify the designated physician pursuant to subsection (5) of this section. If the patient has not been diagnosed as having an infectious disease or condition and upon the request of the designated physician, the health care facility or alternate facility shall request the patient's attending physician or other responsible person to order the necessary diagnostic testing of the patient to determine the presence of an infectious disease or condition. Upon such request, the patient's attending physician or other responsible person shall order the necessary diagnostic testing subject to section 71-510 . Each health care facility shall develop a policy or protocol to administer such testing and assure confidentiality of such testing.

(4) Results of tests conducted under this section and section 71-510 shall be reported by the health care facility or alternate facility that conducted the test to the designated physician and to the patient's attending physician, if any.

(5) Notification of the patient's diagnosis of infectious disease or condition, including the results of any tests, shall be made orally to the designated physician within forty-eight hours of confirmed diagnosis. A written report shall be forwarded to the designated physician within seventy-two hours of confirmed diagnosis.

(6) Upon receipt of notification under subsection (5) of this section, the designated physician shall notify the emergency services provider of the exposure to infectious disease or condition and the results of any tests conducted under this section and section 71-510 .

(7) The notification to the emergency services provider shall include the name of the infectious disease or condition diagnosed but shall not contain the patient's name or any other identifying information. Any person receiving such notification shall treat the information received as confidential and shall not disclose the information except as provided in sections 71-507 to 71-513 .

(8) The provider agency shall be responsible for the costs of diagnostic testing required under this section and section 71-510 , except that if a person renders emergency care gratuitously as described in section 25-21,186 , such person shall be responsible for the costs.

(9) The patient's attending physician shall inform the patient of test results for all tests conducted under this section and section 71-510 .

Laws 1989, LB 157, § 3;

Laws 1997, LB 138, § 48;

Laws 1999, LB 781, § 2;

Laws 2020, LB1002, § 46;

Laws 2025, LB376, § 20.