National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)

NHSN is a national healthcare-associated infection (HAI) reporting system developed and maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is the most widely used tracking system for HAIs. It is used by health care providers to report surveillance data using standardized definitions. The Division of Public Health (DPH) encourages Wisconsin providers to use NHSN to enhance statewide surveillance.

Aggregate state data are available in the DPH Annual HAI Report, P-00340-19, (PDF). Hospital-specific data are available from the Wisconsin Hospital Association CheckPoint® and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Care Compare websites.

 Resources

NHSN Enrollment Resources (for skilled nursing facilities)

• NHSN Enrollment - Weekly Messages to Help with the Process: Introducing a series of step-by-step messages to guide nursing homes through the NHSN enrollment process.
• NHSN Enrollment Step 1 - Get Ready to Enroll: Introducing terms, forms to gather, and when not to enroll.
• NHSN Enrollment Step 2 - Begin Registration: Describing the initial NHSN registration steps.
• NHSN Enrollment Step 3 - SAMS Registration: Registering for SAMS, including tips for filling out the forms.
• NHSN Enrollment Step 4 - Identity Verification: Completing and submitting the SAMS identity verification forms and receiving a SAMS grid card.
• NHSN Enrollment Step 5 - Submit NHSN Forms Electronically: Using the SAMS grid card to submit contact information and annual facility survey forms for NHSN.
• NHSN Enrollment Step 6 - Consent Form: Completing and returning the NHSN consent form to activate your facility.
• NHSN Enrollment - Facility Set-up: Reviewing how to add users, add locations, and confer rights to the DPH group once live.

NHSN Surveillance Resources

• Hospital NHSN surveillance worksheets - CDC
• LTCF Rate Tracker form, F-01269 (Excel): The LTCF rate tracker incorporates NHSN definitions for easy rate calculation and graphing.