CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) will release a new Point of Care (POC) Laboratory Reporting Pathway within the NHSN LTC COVID-19 Module on October 15, 2020. The new Pathway will enable CMS-certified nursing homes, and other long-term care facilities, to meet the Department of Health and Human Services’ requirement to report SARS-CoV-2 point-of-care antigen test data, and other on-site COVID-19 laboratory testing data, to appropriate federal and state health authorities. Using the pathway will require an upgraded NHSN Secure Access Management Service (SAMS) from Level 1 to Level 3. Please be on the lookout for an email invitation from CDC to perform this upgrade.
This new NHSN Pathway will provide a single reporting system that nursing homes already use for other mandatory COVID reporting and will meet the requirement to report SARS-CoV-2 point-of-care antigen testing data to state health departments and other appropriate federal authorities.
Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities can also email nhsn@cdc.gov with the subject line “Enhancing Data Security” to begin upgrading their SAMS access to use this Pathway or contact Dawn Hobill Dawn Hobill at Healthcentric Advisors (QIN/QIO).