6 CCR 1011-1, Chapter 18 - Psychiatric Hospitals Stakeholder Process Announcement

 

To: All Hospitals, All Hospital Units, All Psychiatric Facilities, All Rural Health Facilities, All Critical Access Hospitals, All Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities, All Community Mental Health Centers, All Behavioral Health Entities, All Health Facilities From: HFEMSD The Department will be convening a stakeholder engagement process to review, reorganize, and update 6 CCR 1011-1, Chapter 18 - Psychiatric Hospitals. The first stakeholder meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., and the first Tuesday of each following month beginning October 2026 and continuing through February 2028. This update of Chapter 18 will incorporate recent hospital-related statutory changes, and coincide with the planned update to 6 CCR 1011-1 Chapter 4 – General Hospitals, and 6 CCR 1015-4 – Statewide Emergency Medical and Trauma Care System.  All interested parties are invited to attend meetings either in-person at the Department or online via Zoom. If you are interested in the stakeholder process to update Chapter 18, please sign-up to receive notice of each meeting and meeting details. Please feel free to share this link with other interested parties. Notice of each meeting will be emailed directly to interested parties and sent via the Division’s portal messaging system roughly one to two weeks before each meeting. Meeting details, including agendas and proposed rule language, will be available before each meeting in the public Google folder dedicated to this rulemaking. Meeting details for Tuesday, November 3, 2026 — 1:00 p.m. In-person meeting location: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South Denver, CO 80234 Building A, Room A2A (there will be signs and someone at the doors to let you into the area)  Remote meeting information: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 838 9979 8218  Passcode: 455980  Find your local number Stakeholder engagement is integral to the Department’s effort to align Chapter 18 with hospital facility care and requirements in Colorado and to protect the health, safety, and welfare of patients. If you have any questions or comments prior to the first meeting, please contact Ash Jackson at ash.jackson@state.co.us or Alexandra Haas at alexandra.haas@state.co.us

Your input needed: Update List of Supplemental Healthcare Staffing Agencies

 

To: Facility Administrators From: CDPHE, HCPF, and CDLE It’s time to update the list of Supplemental Healthcare Staffing Agencies that healthcare facilities in Colorado are using. Colorado Revised Statute (C.R.S.) § 8-4-125 requires staffing agencies providing services in Colorado to healthcare facilities that are licensed by the Department of Public Health and Environment pursuant to C.R.S. § 25-1.5-103(1)(a) to submit semi-annual reports to the Division of Labor Standards and Statistics (DLSS). DLSS shares the data submitted with the Colorado Departments of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF). To identify which SHSAs need to report, CDPHE and HCPF gather information about the staffing agencies they utilize from healthcare facilities. If your facility is licensed by CDPHE pursuant to C.R.S. § 25-1.5-103(1)(a), please complete the Healthcare Provider Questionnaire by October 15, 2026, including the names of any supplemental health-care staffing agencies your facility currently uses or has used during 2026. For further information, contact the DLSS Reporting and Accountability Programs by email at cdle_health_staffing@state.co.us or phone (720) 235-8291.

2026 HAI Annual Report Released

 

To: Facility Administrators and Infection Preventionists From: CDPHE Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI/AR) Program  The Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Annual Report for 2026 is now available. This report contains 2025 rates of HAIs that Colorado health care facilities report to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment via the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). It includes infections associated with urinary catheters, central lines, dialysis, and surgeries. It also includes hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infections. Rates of HAIs from 2024 are included for comparison. The written narrative report is available now, and an updated dashboard will be available in the coming weeks. In 2025, overall rates of the following conditions were lower (better) than the national baseline: Catheter-associated urinary tract infections in acute care hospitals overall and in adult and pediatric critical care units and inpatient wards Central line-associated bloodstream infections in acute care hospitals overall, adult and pediatric critical care units and inpatient wards in acute care hospitals, and long-term acute care hospitals Clostridioides difficile infections in acute care hospitals and inpatient rehabilitation facilities Overall rates of the following conditions were higher (worse) than the national baseline: Catheter-associated urinary tract infections in long-term acute care hospitals  Surgical site infections following breast surgeries and knee replacement surgeries conducted in outpatient units attached to acute care hospitals Surgical site infections following inpatient hip replacement surgeries in critical access hospitals Surgical site infections following knee replacement surgeries in ambulatory surgery centers In 2025, overall rates of the following conditions were lower (better) than the rates from 2024: Central line-associated bloodstream infections in acute care hospitals in adult and pediatric critical care units and inpatient wards Overall rates for other conditions were similar to the national baseline or suppressed due to small numbers of events. Facility-specific rates of HAIs are presented in detail. The 2026 HAI Annual Report is the first report to use the 2022 NHSN baseline. NHSN updated the baseline in 2022, meaning the risk adjustment for the standardized infection ratio (SIR) was updated to account for facility, patient, and healthcare characteristics relevant in 2022. The most recent prior baseline was updated in 2015. SIRs calculated using the 2022 baseline will not be directly comparable to SIRs calculated using the 2015 baseline. The 2015 baseline was used in the HAI annual report through 2025.  Questions about the report can be directed to the HAI Program at cdphe_hai_ar@state.co.us.

 

To: All Hospitals, All Hospital Units, All Psychiatric Facilities, All Rural Health Facilities, All Critical Access Hospitals, All Health Facilities From: HFEMSD The Department will be convening a stakeholder engagement process to review, reorganize, and update 6 CCR 1011-1, Chapter 4 – General Hospitals. The first stakeholder meeting will be held on Tuesday October 6, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., and the first Tuesday of each following month beginning October 2026 and continuing through February 2028. This update of Chapter 4 will incorporate recent hospital-related statutory changes, and coincide with the planned update to 6 CCR 1015-4 – Statewide Emergency Medical and Trauma Care System.  All interested parties are invited to attend meetings either in-person at the Department or online via Zoom. If you are interested in the stakeholder process to update Chapter 4, please sign-up to receive notice of each meeting and meeting details. Please feel free to share this link with other interested parties. Notice of each meeting will be emailed directly to interested parties and sent via the Division’s portal messaging system roughly one to two weeks before each meeting. Meeting details, including agendas and proposed rule language, will be available before each meeting in the public Google folder dedicated to this rulemaking. Meeting details for Tuesday October 6, 2026 — 9:30 a.m. In-person meeting location: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South Denver, CO 80234 Building B, Room B1F Map Remote meeting information: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 811 5115 3252 Passcode: 914022 Find your local number Stakeholder engagement is integral to the Department’s effort to align Chapter 4 with hospital facility care and requirements in Colorado and to protect the health, safety, and welfare of patients. If you have any questions or comments prior to the first meeting, please contact Ash Jackson at ash.jackson@state.co.us or Alexandra Haas at alexandra.haas@state.co.us.

CDC Advancing Hemovigilance to Identify Transfusion-Transmitted Infections

 

To: Facility Administrators and Infection Preventionists From: CDPHE Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI/AR) Program  The CDPHE Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI/AR) Program encourages healthcare facilities to voluntarily enroll in the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) hemovigilance module in 2026. The module tracks infrequent (a handful of events in the U.S. every one to two years) but serious transfusion-transmitted infections (TTI) nationwide to facilitate a rapid public health response. All U.S. healthcare facilities that transfuse blood components and manufactured blood products are eligible to report.  Earlier this year, the CDC updated the hemovigilance module of the NHSN Biovigilance Component to quickly and systematically identify emerging pathogens that blood transfusions can transmit. The new module (version 3.0) is substantially streamlined compared with the previous version. Participating healthcare facilities’ laboratory systems will flag pathogens of interest.* The flag prompts the hospital epidemiologist or infection preventionist to review the patient’s 30-day transfusion history and send an alert to the CDC via NHSN if the test is positive. The CDC will work with the CDPHE HAI/AR Program to investigate TTIs in Colorado.  Eligible healthcare facilities can now enroll in the new hemovigilance module, complete the Annual Facility Survey, and report through the NHSN Biovigilance Component.  TTIs can be severe and geographically widespread, but providers frequently under-identify them. Enrolling in the NHSN hemovigilance module 3.0 helps keep patients and the public safe. Enrollment is voluntary. To voluntarily enroll your healthcare facility, follow the steps outlined in the Facility Next Steps NHSN Hemovigilance flyer. For questions about using NHSN or the public health response to TTIs in Colorado, email the HAI/AR Program at cdphe_hai_ar@state.co.us. *Pathogens of interest include:  Viruses: Cache Valley virus, Colorado tick fever virus, dengue virus, eastern equine encephalitis virus, hepatitis A virus, hepatitis E virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, Oropouche virus, Powassan virus, St. Louis encephalitis virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, Chikungunya virus, yellow fever virus, Zika virus.  Bacteria: Acinetobacter baumannii, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Brucella spp., Coxiella burnetii (Q fever), Ehrlichia spp., Leclercia adecarboxylata, Rickettsia rickettsii.  Parasites: Babesia spp., Leishmania spp., Plasmodium spp. (malaria). Facility Next Steps NHSN Hemovigilance flyer

Link CORRECTION: Service Availability Form for Non-Medical Denial of Care 2026 Biennial Update

 

To: All stakeholders interested in regulations related to the Service Availability Form created by the Patient’s Right to Know Act regarding non-medical denial-of-care. From: HFEMSD Dear Stakeholders, The link that was provided previously for the Service Availability Form (SAF) Biennial Stakeholder Announcement on July 24, 2026 was incorrect. Here is the CORRECT SAF Interested Parties Sign-Up link for you to use and send out to those who might wish to partake in the stakeholdering process. Our apologies for any inconveniences this may have caused. The SAF Questionnaire will be open until August 31, 2026. The Service Availability Form FAQ answers many common questions regarding the Service Availability Form and the Patients’ Right to Know Act. If you have any questions regarding this review of the Service Availability Form, please contact Ash Jackson at ash.jackson@state.co.us or Alexandra Haas at alexandra.haas@state.co.us.

Service Availability Form for Non-Medical Denial of Care 2026 Biennial Update

 

To: All stakeholders interested in regulations related to the Service Availability Form created by the Patient’s Right to Know Act regarding non-medical denial-of-care. From: HFEMSD The Division is publishing a Service Availability Form Questionnaire for all interested stakeholders to complete regarding the healthcare services listed on the form in connection with non-medical denial-of-care and the “Patient’s Right to Know Act.” The law requires general hospitals, community clinics, rehabilitation hospitals, freestanding emergency departments (FSEDs), and licensed hospital units to make publicly available a list of the health-care services which are generally available or are subject to significant restriction related to the following topics: Reproductive health-care services; LGBTQ health-care services; End-of-life health-care services. The Department reviews the Service Availability Form every 2 years to assess whether the form adequately addresses those healthcare services related to Reproductive Health-care, LGBTQ Healthcare, and End-of-Life Health-care which are or may be subject to non-medical denial of care in Colorado. The questionnaire asks whether there are any additional procedures that stakeholders feel should be included in the Service Availability Form. Please provide your feedback on the Service Availability Form here. The questionnaire will close August 31, 2026. After the Division has a chance to review responses, it will determine if further stakeholder review is necessary. Please sign-up to the interested parties list to receive further notice pertaining to this and future updates. Stakeholder engagement is integral to the Department’s effort to protect the health, safety, and welfare of patients in Colorado. All interested parties are encouraged to complete the questionnaire. The Service Availability Form FAQ answers many common questions regarding the Service Availability Form and the Patients’ Right to Know Act. If you have any questions regarding this review of the Service Availability Form, please contact Ash Jackson at ash.jackson@state.co.us or Alexandra Haas at alexandra.haas@state.co.us.

CDPHE Request to White List (Accept) Email Addresses (correction and update)

 

To: Technical support/providers From: Department of Public Health and Environment, Office of the State Registrar of Vital Statistics We send monthly email information with reminders or new announcements to facilities and providers regarding birth, death and fetal death record submission. The email address we send from is cdphe.vitalrecords411@state.co.us.  The email with the underscore, cdphe_vitalrecords411@state.co.us, is no longer in use.  Please allow emails from cdphe.vitalrecords411@state.co.us.  Below is a reminder about a different email address notice/request that was sent very recently, on or about May 29, 2026. There was an extra letter in the address, in the previous communication. Apologies for the error. Below is the correct address. We are requesting technical support/providers in facilities allow receiving (white listing) of emails from this address: cdphe.coves.notification@state.co.us. These emails are received by physicians, physician assistants, advance practice nurses, medical support staff, administrative staff, birthing facility staff, midwives and midwifery staff involved in the entry of data for birth, death and fetal death records. These emails are necessary login MFA receipt and/or notices for successful and timely compliance with vital statistics reporting requirements.   If you have questions or concerns, you may contact us at the above email. The email address is now in use.

CDPHE Request to White List (Accept) Email Address

 

To: Organizational Technical Support From: Department of Public Health and Environment, Office of the State Registrar of Vital Statistics We are requesting technical support/providers in facilities allow receiving (white listing) of emails from this address: cdphe.coves.notification@state.co.us These emails are received by physicians, physician assistants, advance practice nurses, medical support staff, administrative staff, birthing facility staff, midwives and midwifery staff involved in the entry of data for birth, death and fetal death records. These emails are necessary login MFA receipt and/or notices for successful and timely compliance with vital statistics reporting requirements. If you have questions or concerns, you may contact us at cdphe.coves.notification@state.co.us. This email address is expected to begin to be in use by June 2026.

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.

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.

Technical Request Regarding Incoming Email

 

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Office of the State Registrar of Vital Statistics sends periodic reminders/requests to facility IT staff to ensure email communications are allowed (not blocked, refused, spam/junk, etc.) from the below addresses: cdphe.vitalrecords411@state.co.us cdphe_vitalrecords411@state.co.us cdphe.coves@state.co.us  noReply@cohosting-by-genesis.com The first two are from our office directly and are used to communicate monthly regarding birth and death completion and signing, reminders, updates, etc. The third is from our office directly and is used to provide system and technical support of the COVES system (Colorado Vital Events System) regarding vital event reporting. The fourth is from our COVES system vendor and provides time-critical email notices regarding death records to be completed and signed, multi-factor authentication login codes, etc. Recipients may include staff/supervisors/managers involved with vital event reporting, physicians, advance practice nurses, physician assistants and other medical professionals. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Michelle Cowell, Field Unit Supervisor, Office of the State Registrar of Vital Statistics at michelle.cowell@state.co.us. Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice CDPHE | 4300 Cherry Creek Dr. South | Denver, CO 80246 US

Your input needed: Update List of Supplemental Healthcare Staffing Agencies

 

To: Facility Administrators From: CDPHE, HCPF, and CDLE It’s time to update the list of Supplemental Healthcare Staffing Agencies that healthcare facilities are using in Colorado.  Colorado Revised Statute (C.R.S.) § 8-4-125 requires staffing agencies providing services in Colorado to healthcare facilities that are licensed by the Department of Public Health and Environment pursuant to C.R.S. § 25-1.5-103(1)(a) to submit semi-annual reports to the Division of Labor Standards and Statistics (DLSS). DLSS shares the data submitted with the Colorado Departments of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF). To identify which SHSAs need to report, CDPHE and HCPF gather information about the staffing agencies they utilize from healthcare facilities. If you are licensed under C.R.S. § 25-1.5-103(1)(a), please complete this Healthcare Provider Questionnaire on or before March 28, 2025.   For further information contact the DLSS Reporting and Accountability Programs by email at acdle_health_staffing@state.co.us or phone (720) 235-8291.