The MHA Keystone Center encourages member hospitals and health systems to regularly review their National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) facility accounts to prevent access interruptions and support reporting continuity. The MHA published an article July 24 encouraging members to review updated NHSN participation and user agreements, which facility administrators must accept by June 1, 2027.
In addition to completing those agreements, members should take the following steps to keep facility account information current.
Access NHSN regularly: NHSN users should log in regularly to keep their Secure Access Management Services (SAMS) credentials active. Users whose accounts remain inactive for 12 months will lose access to NHSN and must re-register with SAMS.
Add multiple users: Facilities should have more than one NHSN user who can view, enter and analyze data. Multiple users help ensure continued access and reporting during staff turnover or other personnel changes.
Deactivate former users: Users cannot be deleted from NHSN once they have been added. Facilities should deactivate users who no longer require access to help protect facility data. For instructions, review the video on deactivating and activating an NHSN user.
Plan for facility administrator transitions: If the current NHSN facility administrator is leaving, that individual should transfer the role to another active NHSN user before departure. If the listed administrator is unavailable, the facility should submit the NHSN Facility Administrator Change Request Form and allow up to five business days for processing. Additional guidance, videos and the request form are available on the Change NHSN Facility Administrator webpage.
Review facility location mapping: Each resident care location should be mapped to the appropriate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) location code and description based on the residents and care services provided.
Complete the annual long-term care survey when required: Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) must complete the Annual Facility Survey when enrolling in NHSN and activating the LTCF component. Facilities reporting urinary tract infections, C. difficile, multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) or prevention process measures must complete the survey annually. The CDC uses the data to classify facilities for meaningful comparisons and monitor common practices across LTCFs.
Members may submit questions via NHSN-ServiceNow using the subject line “Maintain Your NHSN Facility Account.” Members unable to access ServiceNow may email the NHSN Help Desk with the same subject line.
Questions may be directed to the MHA Keystone Center.
Phone: (517) 703-8601
Fax: (517) 703-0628
