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Q1. Can we apply for more than one PHIN Certification at a time?
Q2. Can any public health partner agency and/or vendor apply for PHIN Certification?
Q3. How will the PHIN Certification Group determine if a partner is compliant with the PHIN Requirements and Certification Criteria for a PHIN Certification?
Q4. How long will the PHIN Certification evaluation take?
Q5. How will the PHIN Certification Group notify us of any non-compliance areas identified during the certification evaluation?
Q6. Will the certification evaluation documents be available so we can prepare for PHIN Certification?
Q7. The test data provided by the PHIN Certification Group for “Varicella Case Notification Message – Send” includes optional data not used within our jurisdiction and not supported by our surveillance system. Do we have to modify our surveillance system so we are able to include this data in the test messages we send for the PHIN Certification evaluation?
Q8. The PHIN Certification Criteria and Process document is version 1.0, but it refers to PHIN Requirements Version 2.0. Should we use the PHIN Certification Criteria and Process Version 1.0 document or is there a version 2.0?
Q9. If we are awarded a PHIN Certification, for example “Varicella Case Notification Message—Send”, and a new version of the Varicella Message Mapping Guide is released, will the certification we were awarded expire with the release of the new mapping guide or expire after the two year expiration period?
Q10. If a new version of the certification is introduced, will the certifications awarded for the prior version expire with the release of the new certification version or expire after the two year expiration period?
Q11. What are some of the additional PHIN Certifications that will be offered in the future?
Q12: Will we be required to achieve both version 1 and version 2 of the PHIN Certifications for Varicella case notification messaging by the respective target dates?
Q13: Will we be required to achieve both version 1 and version 2 of the PHIN Certifications for TB case notification messaging by the respective target dates?
Q14: Which version of PHIN Certification for Varicella case notification messaging should we request (version 1 or version 2)?
Q15: Which version of PHIN Certification for TB case notification messaging should we target to achieve (version 1 or version 2)?
Q16: What if the functionality covered by the PHIN Certification is not applicable in our jurisdiction (e.g. Varicella is not reportable in our state)?
Q17: Is a partner expected to have received the certification by the certification target date or just to have applied for the certification by the target date?
Q18: When we are asked to sign the PHIN Certification Security and Availability Self-Attestation Form, do we need to consider all of our systems/applications when determining whether we meet the certification criteria for security and availability?
Q1: Can we apply for more than one PHIN Certification at a time?
A: Yes. The PHIN Certification Review Request Form allows you to request multiple PHIN Certification evaluations. {Top}
Q2: Can any public health partner agency and/or vendor apply for PHIN Certification?
A: At this time PHIN Certification is only available to the 62 partners who are awardees of the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Cooperative Agreement. {Top}
Q3: How will the PHIN Certification Group determine if a partner is compliant with the PHIN Requirements and Certification Criteria for a PHIN Certification?
A: The PHIN Certification Group will evaluate the partner based on test scenarios developed for each PHIN Certification. When the partner successfully passes all of the evaluation steps, the partner will be awarded the PHIN Certification. {Top}
Q4: How long will the PHIN Certification evaluation take?
A: The time may vary for each PHIN Certification. Each Certification evaluation will have at least two parts: 1) security and availability evaluation and 2) the functionality demonstration (which may require multiple sessions). The expectation is that a partner will be able to complete the evaluation within one week. {Top}
Q5: How will the PHIN Certification Group notify us of any non-compliance areas identified during the certification evaluation?
A: After a PHIN Certification evaluation, the PHIN Certification Group will provide a PHIN Certification Evaluation Report to you. This report will either indicate that you successfully met all of the criteria or it will provide details for any non-compliance areas or deficiencies identified during the certification evaluation. Here is a example PHIN Certification Evaluation Report.
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Q6: Will the certification evaluation documents be available so we can prepare for PHIN Certification?
A: Yes. The certification evaluation documents for each PHIN Certification are available under the “Documents” link above. Review these documents to understand the steps you will perform during the evaluation sessions. {Top}
Q7: The test data provided by the PHIN Certification Group for “Varicella Case Notification Message – Send” includes optional data not used within our jurisdiction and not supported by our surveillance system. Do we have to modify our surveillance system so we are able to include this data in the test messages we send for the PHIN Certification evaluation?
A: No. If you do not currently collect data identified as optional within a respective case notification guide, CDC does not expect you to modify existing or build new systems to transmit this optional data for PHIN Certification. {Top}
Q8: The PHIN Certification Criteria and Process document is version 1.0, but it refers to PHIN Requirements Version 2.0. Should we use the PHIN Certification Criteria and Process Version 1.0 document or is there a version 2.0?
A: PHIN Certification Criteria and Process document is designated as version 1.0 since it is the first release of this specific document. It is based upon the PHIN Requirement Version 2.0. There was no previous document of this name or scope. {Top}
Q9: If we are awarded a PHIN Certification, for example “Varicella Case Notification Message—Send”, and a new version of the Varicella Message Mapping Guide is released, will the certification we were awarded expire with the release of the new mapping guide or expire after the two year expiration period?
A: When a partner is awarded a certification, it is valid for two years from the date issued (two year expiration period). Certification does not expire when a new version of a guide is released. {Top}
Q10: If a new version of the certification is introduced, will the certifications awarded for the prior version expire with the release of the new certification version or expire after the two year expiration period?
A: Awarded certifications are valid for two years from the date issued and they do not expire when a new version of the PHIN Certification is introduced. However, the new version of the PHIN Certification will have its own target date, which could be before the expiration of a certification awarded for the prior version. {Top}
Q11: What are some of the additional PHIN Certifications that will be offered in the future?
A: The following is a tentative list of PHIN Certifications planned for the future. The timeframe to offer any of these certifications has not been determined and this list is only tentative and may change.
PHIN Arboviral Case Notification Message – Send
PHIN Generic Case Notification Message – Send
PHIN Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases (FDD) Case Notification Message – Send
Public Health Directory and Directory Exchange
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Q12: Will we be required to achieve both version 1 and version 2 of the PHIN Certifications for Varicella case notification messaging by the respective target dates?
A: Only partners who are either currently sending or planning to send Varicella messages, based on the Varicella Message Mapping Guide version 1.0 would be expected to achieve the PHIN Varicella Case Notification Message—Send (Version 1) certification by 8/9/2009. All partners are expected to achieve the PHIN Varicella Case Notification Message—Send (Version 2) by the 12/31/2009 target date. {Top}
Q13: Will we be required to achieve both version 1 and version 2 of the PHIN Certifications for TB case notification messaging by the respective target dates?
A: Only partners who are either currently sending or planning to send TB messages, based on the TB Message Mapping Guide version 1.0 would be expected to achieve the PHIN TB Case Notification Message—Send (Version 1) certification by 8/9/2009. The TB messaging included in this PHIN certification version only appropriate for sending data related to 2008 (or earlier) TB cases. All partners are expected to achieve the PHIN TB Case Notification Message—Send (Version 2) by the 12/31/2009 target date. The TB messaging included in this PHIN certification version is appropriate for sending data related to 2009 (or later) TB cases. This TB message is based on the 2009 Report of Verified Case of Tuberculosis (RVCT)form. {Top}
Q14: Which version of PHIN Certification for Varicella case notification messaging should we target to achieve (version 1 or version 2)?
A: All partners are expected to achieve the PHIN Varicella Case Notification Message—Send (Version 2) by the 12/31/2009 target date. Additionally, some partners are expected to also achieve PHIN Varicella Case Notification Message - Send (Version 1) by 8/9/2009. See question 12 for more details). {Top}
Q15: Which version of PHIN Certification for TB case notification messaging should we request (version 1 or version 2)?
A: All partners are expected to achieve the PHIN TB Case Notification Message—Send (Version 2) by the 12/31/2009 target date. Additionally, some partners are expected to also achieve PHIN TB Case Notification Message - Send (Version 1) by 8/9/2009. See question 13 for more details). {Top}
Q16: What if the functionality covered by the PHIN Certification is not applicable in our jurisdiction (e.g. Varicella is not reportable in our state)?
A: Partners are not expected to achieve PHIN Certifications that are not applicable for their jurisdiction. For example, if your jurisdiction does not report Varicella case notification data to the CDC then you would not be expected to achieve PHIN Certification for PHIN Varicella Case Notification Message—Send. {Top}
Q17: Is a partner expected to have received the certification by the certification target date or just to have applied for the certification by the target date?
A: The expectation is that the partner will have received the certification by the certification target date. Partners are expected to apply for the certification in advance of the target date, allowing sufficient time to complete the evaluation process and, if necessary, correct issues and repeat any failed evaluation steps. {Top}
Q18: Is a partner expected to have received the certification by
the certification target date or just to have applied for the
certification by the target date? A: The expectation is that the
partner will have received the certification by the target date that
was established for that certification. Partners are expected to
apply for the certification in advance of the target date, allowing
sufficient time to complete the evaluation process and, if
necessary, correct issues and repeat any failed evaluation steps? {Top}
A: The scope of the PHIN Certification evaluation is limited to include only those systems/applications utilized to perform the functions necessary for the PHIN Certification. Therefore, you only need to consider those specific system/applications when you determine whether you meet the certification criteria for security and availability. The
PHIN Certification Security and Availability Assessment Tool
is available to help you assess your compliance. {Top}