Notice2025-22005
Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
December 5, 2025
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
Abstract
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project titled the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP). The NSSP promotes and advances development of a syndromic surveillance system for the timely exchange of syndromic data.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 232 (Friday, December 5, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 232 (Friday, December 5, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56158-56159]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-22005]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[60Day-26-0824; Docket No. CDC-2025-0849]
Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and
Recommendations
AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice with comment period.
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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part
of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the
utility of government information, invites the general public and other
federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a continuing information
collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This
notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project
titled the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP). The NSSP
promotes and advances development of a syndromic surveillance system
for the timely exchange of syndromic data.
DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before February 3, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2025-
0849 by either of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow
the instructions for submitting comments.
<bullet> Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road
NE, MS H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments
to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>.
Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking
portal (<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>) or by U.S. mail to the address listed
above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan
and instruments, contact Jeffrey M.Zirger, Information Collection
Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton
Road NE, MS H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; Telephone: 404-639-7570;
Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8be4e6e9cbe8efe8a5ece4fd"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="107f7d72507374733e777f66">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), federal agencies must obtain approval from
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of
information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires
federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information
collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a
proposed data collection as described below.
The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected;
4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic
submissions of responses; and
5. Assess information collection costs.
Proposed Project
National Syndromic Surveillance Program (OMB Control No. 0920-0824,
Exp. 3/31/2026)--Revision--Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance,
and Technology (OPHDST), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC).
Background and Brief Description
Syndromic surveillance uses syndromic data and statistical tools to
detect, monitor, and characterize unusual activity for further public
health investigation or response. Syndromic data include electronic
extracts of electronic health records (EHRs) from patient encounter
data from emergency departments, urgent care, ambulatory care, and
inpatient healthcare settings, as well as laboratory data. Though these
data are being captured for different purposes, they are monitored in
near real-time as potential indicators of an event, a disease, or an
outbreak of public health significance. On the national level, these
data are used to improve nationwide situational awareness and enhance
responsiveness to hazardous events and disease outbreaks to protect
America's health, safety, and security.
The BioSense Program was created by congressional mandate as part
of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and
Response Act of 2002 and was launched by the CDC in 2003. The BioSense
Program has since been
[[Page 56159]]
expanded into the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP) which
promotes and advances development of a syndromic surveillance system
for the timely exchange of syndromic data.
CDC requests a three-year approval for a Revision for NSSP (OMB
Control No. 0920-0824, Expiration Date 3/31/26). This Revision includes
a request for approval to continue to receive onboarding data from
state, local and territorial public health departments about healthcare
facilities in their jurisdiction; registration data needed to allow
users access to the BioSense Platform tools and services; and data
sharing permissions so that state, local and territorial health
departments can share data with other state, local and territorial
health departments and CDC.
NSSP features the BioSense Platform and a collaborative Community
of Practice. The BioSense Platform is a secure integrated electronic
health information system that CDC provides, primarily for use by
state, local and territorial public health departments. It includes
standardized analytic tools and processes that enable users to rapidly
collect, evaluate, share, and store syndromic surveillance data. NSSP
promotes a Community of Practice in which participants collaborate to
advance the science and practice of syndromic surveillance. Health
departments use the BioSense Platform to receive healthcare data from
facilities in their jurisdiction, conduct syndromic surveillance, and
share the data with other jurisdictions and CDC.
The BioSense Platform provides the ability to analyze healthcare
encounter data from EHRs, as well as laboratory data. All EHR and
laboratory data reside in a cloud-enabled, web-based platform that has
Authorization to Operate from CDC. The BioSense Platform sits in the
secure, private Government Cloud which is simply used as a storage and
processing mechanism, as opposed to on-site servers at CDC. This
environment provides users with easily managed on-demand access to a
shared pool of configurable computing resources such as networks,
servers, software, tools, storage, and services, with limited need for
additional IT support. Each site (i.e., state or local public health
department) controls its data within the cloud and is provided with
free secure data storage space with tools for posting, receiving,
controlling and analyzing their data; an easy-to-use data display
dashboard; and a shared environment where users can collaborate and
advance public health surveillance practice. Each site is responsible
for creating its own data use agreements with the facilities that are
sending the data, retains ownership of any data it contributes to its
exclusive secure space, and can share data with CDC or users from other
sites.
NSSP has three different types of information collection:
(1) Collection of onboarding data about healthcare facilities
needed for state, local, and territorial public health departments to
submit EHR data to the BioSense Platform;
(2) Collection of registration data needed to allow users access to
the BioSense Platform tools and services; and
(3) Collection of data sharing permissions so that state and local
health departments can share data with other state and local health
departments and CDC.
Healthcare data shared with CDC can include: (1) EHR data received
by state and local public health departments from facilities including
hospital emergency departments and inpatient settings, urgent care, and
ambulatory care; (2) mortality data from state and local vital
statistics offices; laboratory tests ordered and their results from a
national private sector laboratory company; and (3) EHR data from the
Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) Disaster Medical
Assistance Teams (DMATs).
Respondents include state, local, and territorial public health
departments. There are no costs to respondents other than their time to
participate. The only burden incurred by the health departments is for
submitting onboarding data about facilities to CDC, submitting
registration data about users to CDC, and setting up data sharing
permissions with CDC. The estimated annual burden is 54 hours. This is
significantly lower than the previous three-year period because we have
achieved high levels of participation with all states, one territory,
and nearly 84% of emergency departments having been onboarded.
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Number of Avg. burden per
Type of respondents Form name Number of responses per response (in Total burden
respondents respondent hours) (in hours)
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State, Local, and Territorial Public Health Onboarding..................... 15 10 10/60 25
Departments.
State, Local, and Territorial Public Health Registration................... 15 10 10/60 25
Departments.
State, Local, and Territorial Public Health Data Sharing Permissions....... 15 1 15/60 4
Departments.
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Total......................................... ............................... .............. ................ ................. 54
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Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Public Health
Ethics and Regulations, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2025-22005 Filed 12-4-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P
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