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.

Summary of Findings for all reportable occurrences, effective 2/1/25

 

To: Facility Administrators/Managers From: HFEMSD, HFEQ, Occurrences Program  Dear Providers,  The Department has updated the format of its Summary of Findings for all reportable occurrences, effective 2/1/25. You may notice that the information included in these summaries has been abbreviated, however will still contain the necessary statutory and regulatory requirements for public posting. For your purposes, the occurrence reporting requirements and reporting process remain the same.  Thank you for your attention to this matter.  If you have any questions, please contact our Occurrence Line at 303-692-2900.

August 21, 2024 Board of Health Rulemaking Hearing Regarding HB23-1218 or the “Patients’ Right to Know” Act

 

To: All Stakeholders interested in regulations related to “Patients’ Right to Know” Act, or HB 23-1218 From: HFEMSD Thank you to those of you who participated in the stakeholder process to implement Hb23-1218 or the “Patients’ Right to Know” Act. The Board of Health will be holding a rulemaking hearing related to changes to the following rule chapters on August 21, 2024 at 10:00am : 6 CCR 1011-1, Chapter 4, General Hospitals  6 CCR 1011-1, Chapter 9, Community Clinics and Community Clinics with Emergency Centers 6 CCR 1011-1, Chapter 10, Rehabilitation Hospitals 6 CCR 1011-1, Chapter 13, Freestanding Emergency Departments (FSEDs), and 6 CCR 1011-1, Chapter 19, Hospital Units This change will incorporate language developed together with stakeholders from October 2023 through April 2025 in the above rule chapters to align them with HB23-1218, requiring notice from certain health facility types to patients regarding availability of care and non-medical denial of care related to reproductive health-care, LGBTQ+ health-care, and end-of-life health-care.  The period for submitting written comment to the Department has passed. To provide written comment in advance of the August Board of Health meeting, please email cdphe.bohrequests@state.co.us. To provide oral testimony, you must sign up before 5 pm on August 20, 2024. For further details about providing feedback at the Board of Health meeting, please visit Participate in the Board of Health. To access the Zoom link on the day of the meeting, please visit Board of Health meetings. .

REMINDER: Service Availability Forms due August 16, 2024

 

To: All Stakeholders interested in regulations related to “Patients’ Right to Know” Act, or HB 23-1218 From: HFEMSD Subject: Reminder: Service Availability Forms Due August 16, 2024 By statute, these facilities must submit a completed service availability form to the Department on or before August 16, 2024: Chapter 4: Hospitals, Chapter 9: Community Clinics, Chapter 10: Rehabilitation Hospitals, Chapter 13: Free Standing Emergency Departments, Chapter 19: Licensed Hospital Units. A blank service availability form can be downloaded at the Health Facility Service Availability webpage: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/health-facility-service-availability, and is attached to this email. Click here for the blank service availability form. Completed service availability forms must be submitted to this email address: cdphe_saf@state.co.us. (cdphe_saf@state.co.us)  Please send service availability forms to the above email with the facility name in the subject line, and the PDF form attached to the email. Please only send one service availability form per email. If a person needs to send service availability forms for multiple facilities, please send each service availability form in a separate email. Service availability forms will be returned if each required question is not answered, including if the form is not signed by the preparer. Service availability forms will be returned if the facility’s name, address, or facility identification number (FACID) does not match Department records, as displayed on the Health Facility service availability page. If the facility’s name or address differs from that reflected in Department records and the facility wishes to update Department records, please submit the appropriate change request in COHFI: https://www.cohfi.colorado.gov/COHFI/. The engagement of such changes does not alter the statutory deadline for facilities to return completed service availability forms to the Department. The service availability form FAQ can be accessed at the Health Facility service availability page. The FAQ includes answers to common questions related to completing the form. Any questions related to completion of the form not addressed in the FAQ can be sent to cdphe_saf@state.co.us. HB23-1218 contains a mandatory daily fine of up to $1,000 per day for failure to submit. Your prompt attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.   .

Feedback on proposed changes to the Epidemic and Communicable Disease Control rule

 

To: Facility administrators, infection preventionists, and medical officers From: Communicable Disease Branch, Disease Control and Public Health Response   The Division of Disease Control and Public Health Response and Office of STI, HIV, and Viral Hepatitis at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment are requesting stakeholder feedback to proposed changes to 6 Code of Colorado Regulations 1009-1 (6 CCR 1009-1): Epidemic and Communicable Disease Control.    6 CCR 1009-1 names the communicable diseases that are reportable to CDPHE and local public health agencies in order to protect the public’s health. As part of this, this set of rules: Details how these conditions must be reported to CDPHE, Includes language about access to pertinent medical records and public health authority to access those records, as necessary, to perform investigations, and  Outlines public health’s authority to investigate causes of epidemic and communicable diseases to implement disease control measures. Go to CDPHE’s disease reporting web page to review the proposed changes, information on how to provide feedback about any of the rules in 6 CCR 1009-1, and for the rulemaking process and timeline.   If you have further questions about the rulemaking process, email cdphe_dcphr_planning@state.co.us. .