When Reporting Becomes a Roadblock: Rethinking Public Health Data Compliance

By Amelia Priest, Senior Director of Client Services, CHMRC

In public health, data is power – but only if it’s accurate, timely, and actionable. Across the country, health systems are required to report communicable disease data to local and state authorities. These rules serve a vital purpose: enabling early detection, stopping outbreaks, and protecting communities. But the reality? Reporting requirements are getting harder to meet, and harder to navigate.

At CHMRC, we’ve worked alongside systems of all sizes, and here’s what we’re seeing:

  • Teams stretched thin trying to decipher complex and shifting reporting mandates
  • Burnout from “checkbox” compliance models that don’t add value back to care delivery
  • A tension between urgency and accuracy – overreporting wastes time and risks compliance, underreporting risks lives.

This isn’t about bad systems or bad actors, it’s about outdated processes that haven’t kept pace with the complexity of care.

When Overreporting Hurts – and Underreporting Risks Everything

Overreporting floods public health departments with noise. It eats up staff time, triggers unnecessary alerts, and makes it harder to prioritize real threats. But underreporting? It leaves gaps in the data…gaps that delay response, miss emerging trends, and jeopardize trust.
What health systems need are tools, not penalties. Clarity, not confusion. Partnership, not just enforcement.

What health systems need are tools, not penalties. Clarity, not confusion. Partnership, not just enforcement.

Good Tech, Better Strategy

Compliance isn’t just about checking a box – it’s about knowing what to report, how to report it, and when. The best reporting systems use automated logic, secure integrations, and lean into partnerships between clinical, IT, and public health teams. That’s why CHMRC supports systems with both the technical lift and a strategic lens. We help organizations:

  • Translate mandates into workflows
  • Streamline submissions with clear logic
  • Flag gaps before they become liabilities
  • Report efficiently – without losing sight of the mission
The best reporting systems use automated logic, secure integrations, and lean into partnerships between clinical, IT, and public health teams.

A More Resilient Future Starts With Better Data

Public health reporting should strengthen care, not distract from it. It should inform action, not just compliance. If we want a stronger, more resilient future, we need to treat data as part of care, At CHMRC, we’re working toward a model where public health reporting isn’t a burden. It’s a bridge. A way to build trust, reveal inequities, and invest in healthier communities.

Let’s not settle for “just good enough” when it comes to the data that drives the public health decisions we all rely on.

Have questions about how CHMRC supports health system mandated reporting? Contact us here.