Enrolling a Long-Term Care Facility in NHSN: The Five Steps

A guide to enrolling long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). Facilities reporting only COVID-19 data have separate steps.

Before you start

• After registering the facility, the designated user continues enrollment with a SAMS (Secure Access Management Services) token — either the Entrust Authenticator app on a device, or an Entrust grid card mailed to their home.
• A user who hasn't already been verified in SAMS must complete identity verification first.
• Enroll only once in the LTCF Component. After that, you can add users and enroll in other components.

Step 1: Prepare (about 40 minutes)

• Read the required LTCF enrollment guidance; the training slides walk through every step.
• Use Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome — not Internet Explorer.
• Add cdc.gov and verisign.com to your trusted sites, and allow their pop-ups.
• Let emails from NHSN@cdc.gov and SAMS-NO-REPLY@cdc.gov through your spam filter.
• System requirements: NHSN FAQs.

Step 2: Register the facility (about 10 minutes)

Accept the NHSN Rules of Behavior and register the facility online. You can gather the details first on the Facility Contact form.

You'll get two emails: "Welcome to NHSN!" right away, and "Invitation to Register with SAMS" within 24 hours.

Step 3a: Register with SAMS (about 15 minutes)

The SAMS invitation holds a link, your user ID (your email address) and a temporary password. Follow the link, sign in, and accept the SAMS Rules of Behavior. You have 30 days to finish.

Step 3b: Prove your identity, if asked (about 35 minutes)

SAMS will email an "Identity Verification Request." Choose either the newer online method through Experian or the secure document submission, and follow its instructions carefully.

Step 4: Approval and activation (about 40 minutes)

Once approved, sams-no-reply@cdc.gov sends a "SAMS Activity Authorization" email with links to the portal. NHSN requires strong authentication — a password plus a token:

• soft token: the Entrust Authenticator app on a phone, tablet or computer; or
• hard token: an Entrust grid card mailed to your home, which should arrive within 2 weeks — if not, write to samshelp@cdc.gov.

Step 5a: Complete NHSN enrollment (about 40 minutes)

Log in to SAMS with your token, choose NHSN Enrollment, and enroll in the Long Term Care Facility Component. The Facility Contact and Annual Facility Survey forms help gather the details first. The facility administrator and primary contact then get an "NHSN Facility Enrollment Submitted" email.

Step 5b: Accept the agreement (about 5 minutes)

The component primary contact or facility administrator logs in to SAMS, opens the LTCF Component, reviews the "Agreement to Participate and Consent," ticks Accept and submits. Accept within 60 days, or the facility is withdrawn.

Done — what's next

Enrollment is complete. Take the NHSN LTCF training if you haven't, then finish NHSN setup, which is required before entering data.

Sources

Based on "5-Step Enrollment for Long-term Care Facilities," National Healthcare Safety Network, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain. The page's stock photograph and illustration are not reproduced.