Technical Publications and Standards

Updated September 22, 2023

Onboarding Materials

Ultimate Guide for Site Administrators (Job Aid)
Onboarding Guide and Resources
Master Facility Table (MFT) Data Reference Guide
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.

View frequently asked questions about Onboarding, ESSENCE, Data Quality, and more

Quick Start Guides

Job Aids

Getting Started as a Site Admin—Primary site contact for syndromic
surveillance; has authority to represent the site.
Ultimate Guide for Site Administrators: Community and Technical Resources—Pulls together the essential resources for site admins or anyone new to NSSP. Includes links to products built by the Community of Practice and NSSP, training and tutorials, and most-requested resources.
How to Use NSSP–ESSENCE CCI and DDI Data Quality Filters—Explains how to select filters to compensate for changes in data quality over time for the purpose of analyzing syndromic trends.
New Site/New Facility Onboarding Job Aids—Describes each step of the onboarding process from Planning and Data Prioritization to Validation and Operation. See New Facility and New Site onboarding guides and job aids.
Query Development: Community and Technical Resources—Reflects the best practices of NSSP surveillance experts to create, modify, and validate queries.

User Manuals

Data Dictionaries

Commercial Lab Data Dictionary – This dictionary includes data elements and processing rules for six commercial (anonymized) laboratories.
Laboratory User Tables – This file includes three tables: an analytic data dictionary and lookup tables for the laboratory test categorizations and laboratory result categorizations.
NSSP Data DictionaryUPDATED – This dictionary provides details on data elements stored in NSSP data tables. The Archive Processed table worksheet—1 of 14 worksheets in this document—links to the Public Health Information Network Vocabulary Access and Distribution System (PHIN VADS) website for specific data elements associated with a standard. PHIN VADS is a web-based enterprise vocabulary system for accessing, searching, and distributing vocabularies used in public health and clinical care practice. It promotes the use of standards-based vocabulary to support the exchange of consistent information among public health partners. (No password is required to access document.)
Data Dictionary: Data Elements Used in NSSP Data Processing Journey (handout) – This handout provides an easy-to-understand description of the Data Dictionary Excel guidance document. The “journey” explains data processing steps, tables, and data elements.

Message Mapping Guides

CDC, in collaboration with the International Society for Disease Surveillance, has developed and published syndromic surveillance messaging guides. These guides support Meaningful Use/Promoting Interoperability programs that employ health information technology to improve the quality and value of American healthcare. To access and use the HL7 implementation guides for the Syndromic Surveillance Meaningful Use/Promoting Interoperability objectives, please see the table below.

HL7 Implementation Guides

Implementation Guides
Document	Transaction	Standard(s) Used	Status
HL7 Version 2.5.1 Implementation Guide: Syndromic Surveillance, Release 1 – US Realm, Standard for Trial Use, July 2019 Current Document searchable at HL7.org *login or sign up required for download Access Instructions: go to Standards and then Standards for Trial Use, scroll to or search Syndromic Surveillance guide (close date July 26, 2021)	Syndromic surveillance is a process that regularly and systematically uses health and health-related data in near “real-time” to make information available on the health of a community. This information includes statistics on disease trends and community health-seeking behaviors that support essential public health surveillance functions in governmental public health authorities (PHAs).	HL7 Version 2.5.1, ICD-10-CM, SNOMED-CT, LOINC, Rx Norm, UCUM, CPT4	The following decisions were made by the ISDS Message Guide Workgroup as well as the changes to streamline and reduce redundancies from previous versions of the guide: Removed all references to laboratory data Removed all ICD 9 references Removed all references to HL7 v2.3.1
PHIN Messaging Guide for Syndromic Surveillance: Emergency Department, Urgent Care, Inpatient and Ambulatory Care Settings, Release 2.0 (April, 2015) Erratum to the PHIN Messaging Guide for Syndromic Surveillance: Emergency Department, Urgent Care, Inpatient and Ambulatory Care Settings ADT Messages A01, A03, A04 and A08 Optional ORU^R01 Message Notation for Laboratory Data HL7 Version 2.5.1 (Version 2.3.1 Compatible) Release 2.0 April 21, 2015 PHIN 2.0 Implementation Guide Meaningful Use Clarifying Document (PDF available on NIST Website)	Sending data from emergency department, urgent, ambulatory care and inpatient settings to public health authorities Certifying 2015 Edition Meaningful Use electronic health record technology	HL7 2.5.1 HL7v2	Published
PHIN Messaging Guide For Syndromic Surveillance: Emergency Department, Urgent Care And Inpatient Settings, Release 1.9 (April 2013)	Biosurveillance (Currently not referenced for EHR certification)	HL7 2.5.1 (Version 2.3.1 Compatible) This guide is suggested for future Meaningful Use Stages.	Published
PHIN Messaging Guide for Syndromic Surveillance: Emergency Department and Urgent Care Data, Release 1.1 (August 2012),Testing Clarification Release 1.2 (February 2013)	Biosurveillance (ONC Certification Criteria for EHR Technology, 2014 Ed.)	HL7 2.5.1 (Version 2.3.1 Compatible) Meaningful Use Stage 2 (October 2013 start)	Published
PHIN Messaging Guide for Syndromic Surveillance: Emergency Department and Urgent Care Data, Release 1.1 (August 2012)	Biosurveillance (ONC Certification Criteria for EHR Technology, 2014 Ed.)	HL7 2.5.1 (Version 2.3.1 Compatible) Meaningful Use Stage 2 (October 2013 start)	Published
PHIN Messaging Guide for Syndromic Surveillance: Emergency Department and Urgent Care Data, Addendum Release 1.1 (August 2012)	Biosurveillance (ONC Certification Criteria for EHR Technology, 2014 Ed.)	HL7 2.5.1 (Version 2.3.1 Compatible) Meaningful Use Stage 2 (October 2013 start)	Published
PHIN Messaging Guide for Syndromic Surveillance: Emergency Department and Urgent Care Data, Release 1 (October 2011)	Biosurveillance (Suggested for use with EHR Certification 2011 ed.)	HL7 2.5.1 (Version 2.3.1 Compatible)	Published

Standards and Guidance

HL7 Messaging Standard Version 2.5.1 (HL7 Manual)
HL7 messages support the exchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic health information.
Note: This guidance can be found on the Health Level Seven International website (HL7.org). Access requires setting up a user account.
National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) HL7 V2.5.1 Syndromic Surveillance Validation Tool – Meaningful Use 2014 Edition
Before onboarding, HL7 messages must pass this compliance check.
NIST Syndromic Surveillance Test Suite
Data validation tools.
Public Health Information Network (PHIN) Vocabulary Access and Distribution System (VADS)
Standards-based vocabulary within PHIN systems foster the use and exchange of consistent information among public health partners.

NSSP Glossary

Access our glossary of terms associated with the National Syndromic Surveillance Program.