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TB Compliance

It is the goal of UTSW Occupational Health Services to provide evidence-based and cost-effective annual TB screening for our employees each year and to achieve 100% compliance with annual screening. Our TB guidelines closely align with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for health care personnel. The following changes are based on risk of exposure due to work environments and high-risk procedures.

Serial screening and testing for health care personnel without Latent TB Infection (LTBI)

In the absence of known exposure or evidence of ongoing TB transmission, U.S. health care personnel (as identified in the 2020 guidelines) without LTBI should not undergo routine serial TB screening or testing at any interval after baseline (e.g., annually). Health care facilities might consider using serial TB screening of certain groups who might be at increased occupational risk for TB exposure (e.g., pulmonologists or respiratory therapists) or in certain settings if transmission has occurred in the past (e.g., emergency departments).

What’s new?

UT Southwestern’s Infection Prevention, Occupational Health, and Student Health Services no longer require routine annual TB testing (QFT blood draw) for most employees on campus. However, employees are required to complete the TB symptom survey in ReadySet on their birth month. The survey will only become available in the employee’s ReadySet account on their respective birth month. Once the survey is completed, a nurse will review the survey and notify the employee if further testing is required.

Please note the following higher risk groups who are required to perform an annual TB blood test (QFT):

  • Clinical students (School of Health Professions and Medical School)
  • Graduate Medical Education (GME) residents and clinical fellows
  • Pulmonary, Thoracic Surgery, and Infectious Diseases providers (Note: Providers solely credentialed at Children’s are excluded from annual TB testing)
  • Emergency Medicine Providers
  • Emergency Department Staff
  • Respiratory Therapy Services
  • Bone Marrow Transplant Unit
  • Transplant Clinics
  • Cancer Center Clinics
  • Labor and Delivery
  • Post-partum Recovery
  • Neonatal Intensive Care
  • Cardiovascular Intensive Care
  • Neurosurgical Intensive Care
  • Medical/Surgical Intensive Care

The monthly birthday email from ReadySet will guide the employee to their next steps – survey or TB blood test (QFT). There are three possible scenarios:

  • I am not in a higher-risk group and have a history of negative QFT

    These instructions are only for employees whose last Quantiferon BLOOD TB test was negative or who are not classified as a higher risk employee.

    If you meet the definition for a history of a negative QFT (Blood) TB test and are not a higher risk employee:

    • Log into your ReadySet account using your UTSW login credentials at and complete the TB Symptom Survey. Please note that the Readyset link to the new page will only work if your UTSW workstation has Chrome or the latest Edge browser installed.
    • Do not get your blood drawn for a Quantiferon (QFT) blood TB test.
    • Your survey will be reviewed by an Occupational Health nurse who will contact you if further information is needed.
    • You must have a “compliant” status in your supervisor’s ReadySet portal on the 1st day of the month following your birth-month to be compliant to work.
  • I am in a higher-risk group and have a history of negative QFT

    These instructions are for employees who are classified as higher risk and require annual Quantiferon BLOOD TB testing.

    If you meet the definition for a higher risk employee:

    • Do get your blood drawn for a Quantiferon (QFT) blood TBtest.
    • Do complete the symptom survey.
    • Print off and complete the Outpatient Lab Requisition form found on the Occupational Health website. Please print legibly. You will need to know your person number.
    • Visit any of the on-campus outpatient labs (POB, Outpatient Building, Aston) this week with your completed lab requisition to have your QFT blood draw completed.
    • It will take anywhere from 2–3 weeks for Occupational Health to receive your results from the lab.
    • Results will be uploaded into your ReadySet employee record (under Results/IGRA) which can be accessed by your UTSW login credentials. Please note that the Readyset link to the new page will only work if your UTSW workstation has Chrome or the latest Edge browser installed.
    • You must have a "compliant" status in your supervisor’s ReadySet portal on the 1st day of the month following your birth-month to be compliant to work.
  • I have a history of positive QFT

    These instructions are only for employees with a history of a positive BLOOD TB test only. It does not include employees with a history of a positive TB skin test who have not had a positive BLOOD test for confirmation.

    If you meet the above definition of a history of a positive QFT (BLOOD) Test:

    • Do log into your ReadySet account using your UTSW login credentials at and complete the TB Symptom Survey. Please note that the Readyset link to the new page will only work if your UTSW workstation has Chrome or the latest Edge browser installed.
    • Do not get your blood drawn for a Quantiferon (QFT) blood TB test.
    • Your survey will be reviewed by an Occupational Health nurse who will contact you if further information is needed.
    • You must have a "compliant" status in your supervisor’s ReadySet portal on the 1st day of the month following your birth-month to be compliant to work.

Don’t know your last QFT result? Find your results.

For staff, principal investigators, and Animal Resource Center staff working with Mycobacterium tuberculosis research agents only:

  • TB blood test (QFT) is required every 6 months.

All TB testing will be performed using the QFT blood test. Results of the QFT tests will be reported by the lab to Occupational Health. An Occupational health nurse will review the results and notify the employee if additional follow-up testing is required. Employees will be able to view their QFT results in ReadySet typically within 1 week.

Managers and supervisors who have direct reports may check for employee compliance via ReadySet.

Employees who do not have a 'Compliant' TB screening status in ReadySet by the end of their birth month are considered non-compliant for patient care duties.

Any employee out on leave of absence during their entire birth month must complete their annual TB surveillance on their very first day back at work.

If you have any questions regarding this update, please occupationalhealth-utsw@utsouthwestern.edu or call Occupational Health at 214‑645‑5300.

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