NHSN to launch Healthcare Preparedness Component and twice-daily hospital status reporting

Marsha Williams, of the NHSN Protocol and Training Team, presented a new Healthcare Preparedness Component (HPC) within the NHSN application and said its first active module, the Daily Facility Operating Status (DFOS), will launch July 24, 2025.

Williams said the DFOS "is a new reporting tool that allows hospitals to monitor and report the status of critical infrastructure, both physical and operational, such as power, water supply, and structural integrity." The module is voluntary and currently available only to acute-care and short-term stay hospitals.

The DFOS asks hospitals to submit a standardized set of roughly 22 data elements grouped across eight categories to produce a near real-time snapshot of system functionality. Williams listed those categories as facility information and date fields, a facility operational status indicator, structural damage and evacuation/re-entry status, generator power status (including source and backup), water and sewer functionality, and an "immediate needs" free-text field for urgent issues that may affect patient care.

Reporting is required every 12 hours whether a facility is at baseline operations or responding to an emergency, Williams said, calling the cadence essential to "near real-time data collection for consistent situational awareness." She emphasized that DFOS does not replace any mandated reporting and encouraged facilities to continue following local and state requirements.

Data entry for DFOS is currently manual and not supported by CDA or CSV upload; Williams noted completing the form may require input from safety, facility operations or emergency management staff. She also clarified that "each hospital must report separately, even if they share a CMS Certification Number," so records reflect facility-level conditions.

In the NHSN user interface previewed during the presentation, the Healthcare Preparedness Component appears on the left navigation bar and opens a calendar-style summary showing month/year, the latest record date and the facility status. Users can Add or Edit records and access a History tab to review prior submissions. The DFOS form includes a "Facility Operational Status" indicator with selectable options labeled "Normal, Not Impacted, Contingency -- partially impacted -- or Emergency -- fully impacted," and required fields vary by selection.

Williams illustrated use of the module with a hypothetical category-3 hurricane that disrupts power and water: in that scenario a facility would mark status as "Emergency" and complete the elements for structural damage, evacuation status, generator power, water system function and immediate needs to inform responders and partners.

A training webinar with more comprehensive completion guidance will be provided before launch, Williams said; she closed the session by pointing attendees to on-screen links for further questions.

The NHSN presentation focused on helping hospitals and public-health partners better track and share facility-level status to support response and recovery efforts; reporting begins July 24, 2025, and will recur every 12 hours.