Technical Updates
Updated November 6, 2023
Patching Schedule
- October 17: NSSP vendor patches (Testing and Development) 12:00–8:00 AM ET (Completed)
- October 19: NSSP vendor patches (Onboarding and Production) 12:00–8:00 AM ET (Completed)
- November 28: NSSP vendor patches (Testing and Development) 12:00–8:00 AM ET
- November 30: NSSP vendor patches (Onboarding and Production) 12:00–8:00 AM ET
Mortality Data
Onboarding of mortality data can be fast. To add the mortality data source for your site, please contact nssp@cdc.gov. Commonly asked questions about mortality data are posted on the NSSP website. An NSSP article describes the routing of mortality data. There’s also a slack channel: #Mortality-data.
Onboarding
More than 50 people attended the October 4, 2023, Data Validation Call. Here are the topics we discussed:
- Complications after August Update: NSSP requires that users log in to the Access & Management Center (AMC) once a month to keep their accounts active. After NSSP made security updates to the AMC last month, some users didn’t receive their updates. We attribute this to users letting their accounts expire. The remedy is simple. Site administrators should log in to the AMC user management tab to make sure all user accounts are active.
- Onboarding of Various Facility Types: Quite a few people asked about how to onboard different facility types. We’re excited about this interest in expanding participation in NSSP, and the process for onboarding EDs, Urgent Cares, and Inpatient facilities, etc., is the same. New facility onboarding manuals and resources from job aids to articles about onboarding outreach are posted in the NSSP Technical Resource Center. FAQs about onboarding are also available.
The next Data Validation Call has been moved to December 13, 2023, to avoid conflict with the 2023 Syndromic Surveillance Symposium that will be held virtually December 5–7, 2023.
Questions about onboarding or data quality? Every other month the onboarding team hosts the BioSense Platform Data Validation Call to focus on what’s important to you. To join the next call, please email the NSSP mailbox (nssp@cdc.gov) or create an NSSP Service Desk ticket.
BioSense Platform
Data Validation Call:
December 13, 2023, 3:00–4:00 PM ET
To receive an invite, select “Onboarding Communications” in your AMC User Profile, or email a request to nssp@cdc.gov.
Whodunit!
Sometimes uncovering the truth about data is a challenge. Sometimes it’s a true mystery. Check out our latest article posted to the Data Quality Corner: “The Case of the Missing Chief Complaint.” This whodunit will guide your search for clues as to why Chief Complaint can have low completeness by visit and suggests several ways to fix the problem.
Publication Updates
An update to the BioSense Platform User Manual for the Data Quality Dashboard is posted under Technical Publications and Standards in the NSSP Technical Resource Center. This manual has been completely overhauled to describe the new user interface, which has been improved by using grid cards (Java GridLayout Class).
“Modernization” of our public health data and surveillance systems is one way in which CDC invests in the future of public health.
The CDC Public Health Data Modernization Initiative lays out a path to move us toward integrated systems that provide data more efficiently for public health action. This framework guides decisions for allocating resources to create interoperable systems (federal, state, local, and healthcare), coordinate investments across CDC (and with partners), develop next-generation tools (e.g., modeling, visualization, machine learning), and strengthen predictive analytics and forecasting. One objective of DMI is for syndromic surveillance to give a faster understanding of emerging health threats through electronic reporting of emergency department visits.
CDC’s earlier modernization efforts laid the groundwork that supports NSSP’s current approach to surveillance and—bolstered by CDC’s Data Modernization Initiative—positions the program to better protect our country from all types of public health threats.
