Onboarding
Introduction
Onboarding is a collaborative process in which we will work with your health department, facility, vendor for electronic health records (EHR), or health information exchange (HIE) to transmit syndromic surveillance data from internal medical record systems to the NSSP BioSense Platform.
Since its inception, the NSSP has promoted data interoperability. NSSP participants follow the same standards and processes and, in many instances, use the same tools to collect, analyze, and transmit data. NSSP participants have a shared understanding of how to set up and maintain high-quality data feeds. They follow syndromic surveillance messaging specifications, available on the NSSP Technical Publications and Standards website, to ensure adherence to Public Health Information Network standards. Most follow the rules set up by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to incentivize the use of electronic health records.
Our experienced onboarding team members have compiled resources to help navigate the onboarding process. The NSSP BioSense Platform New Facility Onboarding Guide, NSSP BioSense Platform New Site Onboarding Guide, and job aids will guide you step-by-step through planning and onboarding. Links to forms and templates are provided below.
If you represent an HIE, hospital, or EHR vendor and want to participate in the NSSP, please contact nssp@cdc.gov. If you’re already an NSSP participant and seek additional technical assistance with onboarding, please contact the Service Desk.
These job aids bring together some of the “best of” resources developed by NSSP and the community:
- Query Development: Community and Technical Resources takes you step-by-step through the collaborative process of developing and testing queries (syndrome definitions).
- The Ultimate Guide for Site Administrators suggests ways to connect with peers, exchange technical solutions quickly, and points to all things NSSP.
- Overview [HTML Job Aid]
PDF [218 KB, 2 Pages, 508] - Planning [HTML Job Aid]
PDF [244 KB, 2 Pages] - Site Support Models [HTML Job Aid]
PDF [219 KB, 2 Pages, 508] - Syndromic Data Element Prioritization [HTML Job Aid]
PDF [287 KB, 3 Pages, 508] - Phase 1 – Engage [HTML Job Aid]
PDF [221 KB, 2 Pages, 508] - Phase 2 – Connect [HTML Job Aid]
PDF [218 KB, 2 Pages, 508] - Phase 3 – Validate [HTML Job Aid]
PDF [244 KB, 2 Pages, 508] - Phase 4 – Operate [HTML Job Aid]
PDF [212 KB, 2 Pages, 508]
Onboarding Articles
- How Sites Route Mortality Data to NSSP
- Replication and the DataMart
- Associated Facilities and When to Use Them: Guidance for Site Administrators
- Six Reasons Why Sites Should Onboard New Facilities
- Onboarding Outreach: Moving Data Into Production
- Onboarding Outreach: 90-Day Inactivation Follow Up
- Onboarding Outreach: Production Exceptions
- Master Facility Table Facility Status: Does Active Really Mean ‘Active’?
- How to Do Queries in RStudio Workbench
- How to Do SQL Queries Using SAS Studio
Onboarding Resources
- Master Facility Table (MFT) Data Reference Guide
This guide describes data elements and processing rules, provides SQL queries for locating data in facility and crosswalk tables, and summarizes information dropped when NSSP converted legagy data to the new data flow.
- Glossary of NSSP Terms
- Legacy Data Validation Template (completed example)
Template for managing and evaluating data compliance with the PHIN Messaging Guide for Syndromic Surveillance.
Legacy form has been replaced. Contact NSSP Service Desk to access the new reports online. - New Platform Data Validation Template (completed example)
Contact NSSP Service Desk to access online. - Facility BOPA
Electronic fillable PDF to acknowledge having read about the BioSense Platform onboarding process. For facility use only. - Site BOPA
Electronic fillable PDF to acknowledge having read about the BioSense Platform onboarding process. For site use only. - Feed Profile Templates
Form for submitting contact information. Automated system alerts will be emailed to contacts if an issue needs to be investigated.
