TB Consultation

Experts at the Global Tuberculosis Institute (GTBI) at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey provide consultation to physicians, nurses and other health care professionals via a system called ID Crowd (Rutgers.IDCrowd.org) and e-mail (mc_gtbi@njms.rutgers.edu). Providers may also call us at 1-800-482-3627; however, initial questions via ID Crowd are generally more thorough and complete.

Experienced clinicians, nurses and other experts are available to answer questions about difficult cases including multidrug-resistant and pediatric TB, TB and HIV/AIDS co-infection, contact investigations and other cases with difficult medical and public health management issues.

If you are calling about a case of tuberculosis, adverse reactions or drug-resistance, please log into Rutgers.IDCrowd.org, choose new membership, and complete the information requested. Please click here for an informational tutorial on how to navigate the system.  This registration should only be completed by healthcare professionals and should not include any personal health identifiers (PHI).

With this system, you will be able to upload and print directly in PDF the comments and suggestions that the Medical Consultants on call have provided.  You will also have the feature of asking follow up questions directly on the site. The TB Program Staff in your jurisdiction will also be included in the consultation.

Are you a Panel Physician?  Please visit the CDC’s Panel Physician Portal to enter your TB questions: https://www.cdc.gov/panelphysicians/tb-medical-consultation-service.html.

Members of the general public, please visit CDC-INFO  for more TB information

Hours of Operation

9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time
Monday through Friday
Questions regarding our new system or other concerns: Voicemail is available to receive your calls 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Calls will be answered within one business day. Please be prepared to leave your name, workplace, city, state, phone number, email address and your question.

Important Considerations for Requestors

The information provided by our physician consultants is not a replacement for local expertise or your state TB program protocols. Information is offered as clinical decision support, is advisory in nature, and is not intended to replace local healthcare decision-making or provision. Final clinical decisions are the sole responsibility of the healthcare provider. Consultations are responded to within 24-48 business hours. 

TB is a reportable disease and as such, healthcare professionals have a responsibility to act in accordance with local, regional, and state protocols, administrative rules and statutes. The TB program in your area is the ultimate public health authority.

Consultation in the Northeastern Region

As a TB Center of Excellence (COE), the GTBI is tasked by the CDC with strengthening medical consultation throughout the Northeast United States. Therefore, serving as a resource to TB medical consultants in the state and big city TB programs in the Northeastern Region is a high priority. GTBI can also assist in the acquisition of Clofazimine for patients about whom there is an ongoing consultation. The procedure for accessing Clofazimine can be found here.

Click here for the list of TB Programs that will assist you in accessing resources from within your jurisdiction.