Join NHSN Office Hours on 06/03/26 at 1 pm

 

To: Acute care hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, critical access hospitals, outpatient hemodialysis centers, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, long-term acute care hospitals, pediatric hospitals From: The Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) and Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Program at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Please join us at our National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Colorado Group Quarterly Office Hours webinar on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 from 1:00 – 1:45 MST. The CDPHE HAI/AR program provides quarterly National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) office hours via webinar to provide updates and training related to NHSN. These are a great way to connect with the HAI/AR program at CDPHE and get answers to your questions regarding the use of NHSN and HAI/AR and antimicrobial use reporting. The next NHSN office hours will be held on June 3, 2026 from 1pm-1:45pm MT via Zoom. The agenda includes the following topics: Updates from CDPHE regarding upcoming NHSN Validation Project and recent reporting changes Summary of Updates from 2026 NHSN Annual Training for HAI and AUR Troubleshooting Common Errors during AU/AR Data Uploads Q&A Register for the Office Hours through Zoom.  For further information please contact the CDPHE HAI AR program, cdphe_hai_ar@state.co.us.

SSI Discussion at HAI Advisory Committee Meeting on May 26, 2026, 2-4p

 

To: Facility Administrators and Infection Preventionists From: CDPHE Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI/AR) Program  The next HAI Advisory Committee meeting is Tuesday, May 26, 2-4pm. During this meeting, we will discuss: Preliminary data from the HAI Annual Report Review of surgical Site Infection (SSI) surveillance definition and reporting criteria Discussion of challenges in identifying and reporting SSIs The agenda will be posted on CDPHE's HAI Advisory Committee website 24 hours prior to the meeting. We encourage interested stakeholders to join this discussion and contribute your thoughts. Contact cdphe_hai_ar@state.co.us to register for the HAI Advisory Committee meeting.

HAI Advisory Committee Meeting on March 24, 2026, 2-4p

 

To: Infection Preventionists and Facility Administrators From: CDPHE Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI/AR) Program The next HAI Advisory Committee meeting is Tuesday, March 24, 2-4pm. During this meeting, we will discuss: 1. An overview of the Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI/AR) Program, HAI reportable conditions, and findings from public health surveillance The National Healthcare Safety Network’s (NHSNs) new 202 standardized infection ratio (SIR) baseline and adoption for use in the HAI Annual Report Outpatient dialysis facility reporting in Colorado and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) exclusion criteria for facilities that see 10 or fewer patients.  The agenda will be posted on the CDPHE website 24 hours prior to the meeting. We encourage interested stakeholders to join this discussion and contribute your thoughts. Contact cdphe_hai_ar@state.co.us to register for the HAI Advisory Committee meeting. For more information about the 2022 SIR rebaselining, review the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC's) webpage on 2022 SIR Rebaseline. For more information about the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reporting requirements for outpatient dialysis facilities, review the CDC frequently asked questions document. Note that CDPHE and CMS reporting requirements may differ.

CDPHE Recruiting 2 Members for HAI Advisory Committee

 

To: Facility Administrators, Physicians, Health Insurers, Infection Preventionists, Chief Medical Officers, Medical Staff From: CDPHE Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Program CDPHE is recruiting two new members of the Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory (HAI) Committee. Currently, the committee is requesting applicants for the following two positions: Physician, and Representative from a health insurer The physician must be board-certified or board-eligible physician, licensed in the state of Colorado, affiliated with a Colorado hospital or medical school, an active member of a national organization specializing in health-care epidemiology or infection control, and have demonstrated an interest and expertise in health facility infection control.  Applicants must be a resident of Colorado and must be able to contribute objectively to committee meetings from the perspective of the position. All interested and qualified individuals should apply. This position will be appointed by the Executive Director of CDPHE for a term of three years. Please see the Recruitment Letter for details. For further information, contact Nicole Harty at cdphe_hai_ar@state.co.us.

NHSN Office Hours - Feb. 18, 2026 at 1:00 p.m.

To: Acute care hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, critical access hospitals, outpatient hemodialysis centers, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, long-term acute care hospitals, pediatric hospitals From: The Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) and Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Program at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) The CDPHE HAI AR program provides quarterly National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) office hours. These are held in conjunction with the NHSN Antimicrobial Use and Resistance Module (AUR) office hours. These are a great way to connect with the HAI/AR program at CDPHE, and get your questions answered regarding antimicrobial stewardship, HAIs, or NHSN reporting.  The next NHSN office hours will be held on February 18, 2026, from 1:00 to 1:45 p.m Mountain Time via Zoom. You can register here. We will discuss updates to the HAI Annual Report and NHSN AUR module. There will also be a Q&A section, so bring any questions you might have. Office hours Zoom registration:  https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYqde6trzosHNIP_z82D2fBf9EAAdRmp4gE For further information, please contact the CDPHE HAI AR program, cdphe_hai_ar@state.co.us.

The 2025 HAI Annual Report and HAI Dashboard have been reposted

To: Administrators and infection preventionists at acute care hospitals, critical access hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, long-term acute care hospitals, outpatient dialysis centers, pediatric hospitals   From: The Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Program at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment The 2025 Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Annual Report and HAI Dashboard have been re-posted to the CDPHE website. In the original September publication of the 2025 HAI Annual Report, there were errors in the data reported for surgical site infections in ambulatory surgery centers. The errors included the representation of multiple years of data reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network, rather than one year of data, for the year 2024. The corrected tables and text are included in this revised report, completed Oct. 21, 2025. For any questions, email cdphe_hai_ar@state.co.us.

Infection control breach related to reprocessing of a transrectal ultrasound probe

 

To: Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, and Free Standing Emergency Departments From: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Program The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Program recently identified that a transrectal ultrasound probe was reprocessed using low-level disinfection (LLD) instead of high-level disinfection (HLD), which was contrary to the manufacturer’s instructions for use (MIFU). This is a semi-critical device for which HLD is necessary. Failure to reprocess this device by HLD according to the MIFU may create a low risk of bacterial, viral, and bloodborne pathogens. In this scenario, the transrectal ultrasound probe was being reprocessed and supplied by a hospital vendor. We are not aware of any infections related to this event. Infection preventionists and sterile processing departments (SPDs) should review the MIFU for endocavitary probes, including transrectal ultrasound probes and similar devices such as endovaginal probes that come into contact with mucous membranes, and ensure that they are reprocessed according to the MIFU. CDC guidelines recommend the use of a new probe cover and HLD between patients, CDC. Disinfection and Sterilization Guideline. Ensure proper reprocessing by internal SPD staff and by external vendors that supply the instrument. If patients are exposed to improperly reprocessed endocavitary probes, conduct a risk assessment for infection or other harm, and consider patient notification as appropriate. Contact the Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI/AR) Program at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for assistance: email cdphe_hai_ar@state.co.us or call 303-692-2700.

NHSN Office Hours 11/19/25 at 1 pm

 

To: Acute care hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, critical access hospitals, outpatient hemodialysis centers, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, long-term acute care hospitals, pediatric hospitals From: The Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) and Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Program at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) The CDPHE HAI AR program provides quarterly National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) office hours. These are held in conjunction with the NHSN Antimicrobial Use and Resistance Module (AUR) office hours. These are a great way to connect with the HAI/AR program at CDPHE, and get your questions answered regarding antimicrobial stewardship, HAIs, or NHSN reporting.  The next NHSN office hours will be held on November 19, 2025 from 1pm-1:45pm MT via Zoom. We will discuss updates to the HAI Annual Report and U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week. There will also be a Q&A section, so bring any questions you might have. Zoom link for office hours registration For further information please contact the CDPHE HAI AR program, cdphe_hai_ar@state.co.us.

Apply to become a member of the Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Committee

 

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is recruiting four new members of the Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory (HAI) Committee. Currently, the committee is requesting applicants for the following positions Medical statistician OR clinical microbiologist with an advanced degree, Representative from a health insurer, Infection control practitioner from a long-term care setting, Representative from a rural hospital. Applicants must be a resident of Colorado and must be able to contribute objectively to committee meetings from the perspective of the position. All interested and qualified individuals should apply. This position will be appointed by the Executive Director of CDPHE for a term of three years. The HAI Advisory Committee was established under Colorado Revised Statute (C.R.S.) 25-3-602 to provide oversight to CDPHE for the collection and public reporting of data on HAI infection rates from health facilities. The committee typically meets every other month on the fourth Tuesday of the month from 2 - 4 p.m. CDPHE facilitates committee meetings using video conferencing. There are 11 members who represent a variety of stakeholders. Membership is voluntary. Participation on the HAI Advisory Committee is a great way to learn about HAIs and play an important role in state public health! We appreciate a diversity of input. Membership is not labor intensive, apart from participating in committee meetings. CDPHE invites qualified persons to complete and submit the fillable application with a resume or curriculum vitae by email to cdphe_hai_ar@state.co.us. You may submit additional pages with the application if needed to answer the “additional questions.” The deadline for submission is October 31, 2025. The CDPHE Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Program will review applicants internally before making a recommendation to the Executive Director for appointment. For more information, please see the HAI Advisory Committee Website or contact Chris Czaja MD, DrPH at christopher.czaja@state.co.us or 303-692-2700.

2025 HAI Annual Report is now available

 

To: Facility administrators and infection preventionists From: Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Program The 2025 Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Annual Report from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is now available. New in 2025: There is a new dashboard of HAIs in Colorado. The dashboard allows users to quickly view and compare HAIs in reporting health care facilities. It supplements the written HAI annual report. Review the HAI annual report and HAI dashboard, and share them with your stakeholders. We have a communications toolkit with social media and graphics you can share with your health care providers or patients. Email cdphe_hai_ar@state.co.us with questions.

NHSN Office Hours 08/20 at 1 pm

 

To: Acute Care Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Critical Access Hospitals, Outpatient Hemodialysis Centers, Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities, Long-Term Acute Care Hospitals, Pediatric Hospitals From: The Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) and Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Program at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) The CDPHE HAI AR program provides quarterly National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) office hours. These are held in conjunction with the NHSN Antimicrobial Use and Resistance Module (AUR) office hours. These are a great way to connect with the HAI/AR program at CDPHE, and get your questions answered regarding antimicrobial stewardship, HAIs, or NHSN reporting.  The next NHSN office hours will be held on August 20, 2025 from 1pm-1:45pm MT via Zoom. You can register here. We will discuss updates to the HAI Annual Report and AUR updates from the NHSN Annual Training. There will also be a Q&A section, so bring any questions you might have. Zoom link for office hours registration For further information please contact the CDPHE HAI AR program, cdphe_hai_ar@state.co.us.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) reporting requirements and the HAI Annual Report – June 2025

 

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) reporting requirements and the HAI Annual Report – June 2025 All separately licensed healthcare facilities in Colorado must report healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) through the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) as required in Colorado Revised Statutes (C.R.S) 25-3-601-607. Reporting requirements are determined by the HAI Advisory Committee and CDPHE and differ by facility type and reporting location. Facility types include: Acute care hospitals,  Ambulatory surgery centers,  Critical access hospitals,  Inpatient rehabilitation facilities,  Long-term acute care hospitals,  Outpatient hemodialysis centers, and  Pediatric hospitals. Colorado HAI reporting requirements and deadlines can be found on the HAI/AR Program website. In order to meet the reporting requirements, healthcare facilities must include the reportable conditions in their NHSN reporting plan AND confer rights to CDPHE by joining the appropriate CDPHE reporting group in NHSN.  Separately licensed healthcare facilities in separate locations should report separately, even if they share a CMS certification number (CCN). This is consistent with NHSN guidance for facilities that share a CCN. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will aggregate the data from all applicable NHSN Org IDs and will send data to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) under the single CCN for CMS reporting purposes. Additionally, healthcare facilities that do not have a CCN are able to use NHSN to fulfill Colorado reporting requirements. The HAI/AR Program in the CDPHE Communicable Disease Branch distributes a survey to healthcare facilities annually in order to determine HAI reporting eligibility and status of reporting. HAI reporting requirements are verified at the time of license renewal as well.  In April 2025, C.R.S. 25-3-603 was amended such that the publication date for HAI Annual Report was changed from July 15th to September 15th beginning in 2025. The timeline for reporting HAI reportable conditions to CDPHE has not changed. Healthcare facilities are responsible for the quality and accuracy of their data reported to CDPHE through NHSN for representation in the HAI Annual Report. NHSN offers training for HAI reporting on the NHSN website. NHSN has announced the Patient Safety Component Annual Training Summer Series to start in June 2025.  For questions about Colorado HAI reporting requirements and timeline, how to confer rights for data access to CDPHE in NHSN, the annual HAI reporting survey, or the HAI Annual Report, email the HAI/AR Program at cdphe_hai_ar@state.co.us. The HAI/AR Program offers NHSN office hours quarterly and provides technical assistance for NHSN reporting upon request. The HAI/AR Program website has information about the HAI Advisory Committee and HAI reporting.

NHSN Office Hours 05/21 at 1 pm

 

To: Acute care hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, critical access hospitals, outpatient hemodialysis centers, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, long-term acute care hospitals, pediatric hospitals From: The Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) and Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Program at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) The CDPHE HAI AR program provides quarterly National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) office hours. These are held in conjunction with the NHSN Antimicrobial Use and Resistance Module (AUR) office hours. These are a great way to connect with the HAI/AR program at CDPHE, and get your questions answered regarding antimicrobial stewardship, HAIs, or NHSN reporting.  The next NHSN office hours will be held on May 21, 2025 from 1pm-1:45pm MT via Zoom. Register here for the Zoom meeting. We will discuss updates to the HAI report and types of AUR reports available to present to your stewardship program and/or facility leadership. There will also be a Q&A section, so bring any questions you might have. Zoom link for office hours registration For further information please contact the CDPHE HAI AR program, cdphe_hai_ar@state.co.us.

Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Annual Report 04/15 reporting deadline

 

To: Acute Care Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Critical Access Hospitals, Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities, Long-Term Acute Care Hospitals, Outpatient Dialysis Centers, Pediatric Hospitals From: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) and Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Program The reporting deadline for NHSN healthcare-associated infections (HAI) data is April 15, 2025. Please be sure to finish all HAI data reporting by April 15th to be included in the annual report. The HAI/AR Program pulls reportable HAI data from the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) on April 16 for publication in the Annual Report on July 15. Here is a list of reportable conditions. NHSN includes data quality checks that can be found in the data quality folder within the supplemental reports. Please run these reports to ensure the quality of your data before submitting. Here is more information on data quality. The deadline for completion of the annual health facility survey has passed. If you have not completed the survey, please do so now. The survey helps us to ensure that your facility is accurately represented in the HAI Annual Report, and should only take a few minutes to complete. If you did not receive the survey, reach out to Amy Fitzgibbons, amy.fitzgibbons@state.co.us. For further information: Contact Amy Fitzgibbons, amy.fitzgibbons@state.co.us.