New York Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Information System (NYEHDI-IS) Frequently Asked Questions

The NYEHDI-IS is the New York Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Information System. This secure data system collects information related to hearing screenings, diagnostic testing, and amplification for infants in New York State (NYS). The system acts as a repository of this information for health care providers and other stakeholders (eg. birthing facilities, hospitals, audiologists, and Early Intervention Programs) to use to ensure infants with hearing loss are identified and receive services as soon as possible. (NYEHDI rhymes with "Eddy")

NYS Public Health Law (2500~g) requires any hearing testing conducted on an infant less than six months of age to be reported to the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH). Professionals who are required to report test results include but are not limited to hospital-based newborn hearing screening programs, audiology practices, primary care practices, and early intervention providers. Additionally, local health departments, municipal Early Intervention Programs, Department of Social Services, and other NYS surveillance programs may have access to these data. While NYS Public Health Law requires reporting of hearing screening results for infants up to 6 months of age, the system can accept hearing test results for any infant born since January 1, 2000.

Access to the NYEHDI-IS is a two-step process. The first step requires obtaining a NYS Health Commerce System (HCS) account. The second step requires requesting access to the New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS). Permission to access NYSIIS is associated with the user's HCS account. NYEHDI-IS cannot be accessed without an HCS account and NYSIIS access.

The Health Commerce System (HCS) is a secure, online environment for collecting and distributing health-related data. This environment is often referred to as a portal. It is the security gateway where users can access DOH applications, documents and notifications. The HCS username and password are the only username and password the user needs to access the NYEHDI-IS. The account process ensures that only appropriate persons are granted access. All individuals who need to access the hearing application must be granted an HCS account prior to being given access to the hearing application. HCS user accounts CANNOT be shared.

Users will access NYSIIS through the NYSDOH Health Commerce System (HCS). All NYSIIS users are required to have an individual HCS user account. Medical professionals and audiologists can apply at any time online at https://hcsteamwork1.health.state.ny.us/pub/top.html.

A medical or audiologic professional who signs up for an account may designate another user to be the HCS Coordinator for his or her medical practice. The HCS Coordinator obtains and manages the medical or audiologic practice user accounts (for medical and non-medical staff) on the HCS and is the principal point of contact concerning HCS access. It is recommended that practices designate at least two HCS coordinators. Any questions about HCS and establishing an HCS Coordinator and user accounts should be directed to the Commerce Accounts Management Unit (CAMU) at 1-866-529-1890.

Obtaining an HCS account offers medical professionals many advantages including the ability to receive important NYSDOH communications and notices, access the Health Alert Network (HAN), enroll in the Health Department's Public Health Preparedness Practitioner Volunteer Program, receive disease information, and participate in other educational opportunities. In addition, medical professionals who are licensed to prescribe have the ability to order official New York State prescriptions online, customize the official prescriptions, and access the Physician Profile.

NYSIIS is an abbreviation for the New York State Immunization Information System. NYSIIS is a web-based, statewide immunization information system, also known as a registry, which maintains computerized immunization data for persons of all ages in a confidential and secure manner.

NYEHDI-IS shares the demographic record and search functions with NYSIIS. In order to access NYEHDI-IS, the user must have permission to access NYSIIS. The ability to see immunization information is determined by the user's role. Only users at primary care practices or birthing facilities will have the ability to see immunizations. Most NYEHDI-IS users will be assigned a hearing-only role called "Audiologist". This term refers to the user's access, not necessarily the user's profession.

Many health care providers such as hospitals and primary care practices already have access. Refer to the table below for the correct contact for obtaining access to NYSIIS.

Type of User Program Contact
Primary Care Practices (administers immunizations) NYSIIS Help Staff 1-866-389-0371
Birthing Facility (nursery) NYEHDI Help Staff 518-473-7016
Audiologic Practices (including hospital-based departments or clinics) NYEHDI Help Staff 518-473-7016
Local Health Department Staff/Other Government NYEHDI Help Staff 518-473-7016
Early Intervention Providers (Audiologists) NYEHDI Help Staff 518-473-7016

A: The Child Health Information Integration (CHI2 or CHI2) initiative seeks to provide a seamless integration of essential health information for New York's children, so health care providers will have a comprehensive picture of their pediatric patient's medical history. An integrated health profile can facilitate clinical care and follow-up in a timely manner to enhance service delivery and health outcomes for infants and children.

There is a link to access NYEHDI-IS on the CHI2 page on the HCS.

A: NY EHDI Program staff can assist you with access to the application, data entry problems, policy questions, best practice suggestions, and data change requests. To reach the NY EHDI Program, please call 518-474-0535 and ask for the NY EHDI (pronounced "eh-dee") Program, or contact us by e-mail at nyehdi@health.ny.gov.

A: Most initial hearing screening results conducted prior to discharge from a birthing facility are reported via the electronic birth certificate system. Those results prepopulate NYEHDI-IS. Most demographic information is also reported this way and will be viewable when an infant's record is searched. It takes approximately 7 to 14 days from the infant's birth for the birth record information to be viewable in NYEHDI-IS.

A: You will need at least two of the following: Child's First Name, Child's Last Name, Date of Birth, Mother's First Name, Mother's Maiden Last Name, Father's First names if available, and Father's Last Name if available.

Once you have the information from above, perform the following searches in order. If the search you are using did not produce the child you are looking for, proceed to the next search.

  • a) The first three letters of the child's last name and the DOB;
  • b) The first three letters of the mother's last name and the DOB;
  • d) The first three letters of the child's last name and the first two of their first name;
  • e) If the father's name is known, search the child (a. from above) using the father's last name rather than the child. Proceed with all child searches using this replacement;
  • f) Start entering more of the child's last and first name in the search one letter at a time, until the whole name is populated;
  • g) Start entering more of the mother's last and first name in the search one letter at a time, until the whole name is populated;
  • g) Start entering more of the mother's last and first name in the search one letter at a time, until the whole name is populated;
  • h) Start trying Middle name, gender, phone and patient ID. These are generally ineffective for a search. Use only as a last resort.

A: An infant's record may not be found for several reasons: delay in the electronic birth certificate's data entry, out-of-state infants (no record), home births (delay in receiving records), name changes, misspellings, no first name, and other similar reasons. It can take 7 to 14 days for initial hearing screening results to appear. If a user cannot locate an infant, she/he should wait a few days and try again. If the user is unable to locate an infant using the search, call the NYEHDI-IS Help Staff. A new infant record should not be entered into the system.

If a child over 30 days of age cannot be found, call NYEHDI-IS Help Staff for assistance. NEVER email identifying information. These cases must be discussed over the phone.

A: No. Infants must be searched using the infant's name, their DOB, the mother's name, or sex. There is a "Patient ID" field on the search page. This corresponds to PCP records, not hospital records.

A: A user can find infants with missing information by entering parameters other than first name. Last name, date of birth, or mother's information can all be used to search. Searches should be performed using partial names. For example, "John Smith" should be searched by only typing "Smi" into the last name search field. Various search criteria can be used if an infant's record is not found the first time. The most accurate search uses the first three letters of the last name and the DOB. If an infant's record cannot be found even after trying various search criteria, call the NYEHDI-IS Help Staff. A new infant record should not be entered into the system.

A: All infants should have an initial hearing screening result from the electronic birth certificate system in the NYEHDI-IS. It is possible that this information was not entered into the electronic birth certificate system, or was not timely enough to be included in the data transmission to NYEHDI-IS. In these cases, results can be entered manually by selecting "Data Entry Correction" from the drop down box labeled "Manual Entry Reason".

A: No. Results must be entered either by the provider who performed the test or by another authorized individual within the practice where the test was performed. All individuals must have their own HCS account. HCS user accounts cannot be shared. Contact the provider and ask them to enter the results, or call the NYEHDI-IS Help Staff.

A. A drop-down box titled "Manual Entry Reason" was added to allow for this. There are three reasons listed for the following scenarios:

  • If the original entry from the electronic birth certificate system was incorrect, select "Data Entry Correction" and proceed with entering the correct hearing screening results. While the electronic birth certificate system may allow for the correction of incorrect data, users should not use the birth certificate system to make these corrections.
  • If the infant was in the NICU, and the results from the electronic birth certificate indicate "Not Performed – Medical Exclusion", select the value "NICU Stay" and proceed with entering the hearing screening results conducted prior to discharge.
  • If an infant with a physical abnormality of the external ear (eg. microtia or atresia), and the results from the electronic birth certificate indicate "Not Performed – Medical Exclusion", select the value "Physical Abnormality of the external ear" and proceed with entering the hearing screening results conducted prior to discharge.

A. Best practice is to screen both ears at the same time. If you re-screen an infant who has a "refer" for one ear, both ears should be re-screened.

A user may edit entries from his/her organization by clicking the "Edit" button on the far right of the screen. A user can only edit the results that were entered by the organization they are affiliated with in NYEHDI-IS. If there are issues editing a record, the user must contact the NYEHDI-IS Help Staff.

A. Infants who were born out of state, born at home, or were lost to follow-up by the birthing facility, but have now appeared for hearing follow-up, may not have an initial hearing screening result in NYEHDI-IS. If these initial results are known, the user should call the NYEHDI-IS Help Staff so those results can be entered. Once in the system, the user can proceed with entering the follow-up results. The user must check the "No Results Recorded" box on the initial hearing screening data entry page and then click "Save" if the initial hearing screening results are not known. This will allow the user to enter the follow-up result.

A: Newborn hearing screening is defined in regulation as the use of an objective measurement of the auditory system to identify infants at risk for hearing loss. The objective measures currently used for newborn hearing screening are otoacoustic emissions (OAE) and the auditory brainstem response (ABR). There is no clinical judgment regarding the results of the screen. The results from OAE or ABR would read "pass" or "did not pass/refer".

A diagnostic test is any testing where the results are interpreted by a health care provider (typically an audiologist) to determine the type and severity of a hearing loss, if hearing loss is found.

A: Test results and the date that a confirmed diagnosis was obtained for an infant should be entered in NYEHDI-IS. If there were three appointments to achieve a diagnosis of hearing loss or establish normal hearing, the date of the last appointment should be recorded. All testing methods used, even if performed on different days, should be selected from the drop-down box by holding the control key on your computer's keyboard while selecting all diagnostic tests performed.

The user may capture the other appointment dates in the comments field if the information would be useful to the user or other health care providers. These dates are not required for reporting purposes.

A: Reports are not available at this time. Currently, NYEHDI-IS is a data collection and viewing tool. There is no report functionality. Each infant must be searched individually.

A: NYEHDI-IS does not make an automated referral to an Early Intervention Program. All referrals must be made by the health care provider and/or parent directly to the EI Program in the infant's county of residence. The user should record the date the referral was made in NYEHDI-IS after the EI referral has been made by phone or fax. For a complete list of county EI contacts, visit the NYSDOH website. http://www.health.ny.gov/community/infants_children/early_intervention/county_eip.htm

A: Yes, the responsibilities of birthing facilities have not changed. Birthing facilities are obligated to ensure follow-up for infants who miss or did not pass their initial screen. If an infant does not pass two screenings or has never received a screening, a referral to EI should be made to ensure that infants receive the necessary follow-up. Birthing facilities are obligated to make two documented attempts to contact the family. NYEHDI-IS does not have functionality to record these documented attempts to contact families at this time.

A: No, all reporting should now be done using NYEHDI-IS.

A: Yes, any contact information that is out-of-date should be updated. The user can do this on the demographic page in NYSIIS. Only contact information should be updated.

A: The primary purpose of this reporting system is to identify permanent or long-term hearing loss. Most permanent hearing loss is sensorineural. Some conductive hearing loss is also considered permanent. Microtia and atresia are considered the most common examples of permanent conductive hearing loss. In the situation where an infant is found to have transient conductive hearing loss and referred for medical treatment, and subsequently returns for re-test following treatment, the test result obtained following treatment is the result that should be reported.

A. The reporting of microtia and atresia should be reported as permanent hearing loss. Other conductive hearing losses should be reported as transient.

A. No. The user can choose to use the diagnostic section to report successive testing over time to facilitate communication in the medical home, but is not required.

A. The user should report the atresia or microtia by using the manually entry drop down box to select the reason of "physical abnormality of the external ear."