I. PURPOSE

This directive provides instructions to inspection program personnel (IPP) regarding industry access to the Public Health Information System (PHIS). This directive also instructs IPP on how to enter the name and contact information of the establishment’s designated Establishment Administrator in the establishment profile in PHIS, if they choose to enroll. In addition, this directive instructs IPP to verify that each establishment has a designated lab results contact.

KEY POINTS:

• If the establishment wants PHIS access and provides the name of the individual who will serve as the Establishment Administrator, IPP are to record the Establishment Administrator as a new contact with the position type of “Establishment Administrator” on the Contacts page of the establishment profile in PHIS.
• IPP are to request a designated lab results contact and enter that contact in PHIS for each establishment that does not already have one.

II. BACKGROUND

PHIS is a Web-based application that requires Internet access. The PHIS Establishment Management User Guide, available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/phis under the Accessing PHIS heading, lists the Web browsing software supported by PHIS. FSIS has expanded PHIS use to exports, import inspection, egg products inspection, and Siluriformes fish inspection. See the attachment regarding how establishments can access PHIS.

III. IPP UPDATES TO PHIS PROFILE

A. If the establishment wants to access PHIS, IPP are to provide the attachment titled Industry Access and direct establishment personnel to the User Guide and Quick Reference materials presented at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/inspection/compliance-guidance/phis

B. When the establishment provides the name of the individual who will serve as the initial Establishment Administrator, IPP are to record the Establishment Administrator as a new contact with the position type of Establishment Administrator on the Plant Contacts page of the Establishment Profile in PHIS. IPP are to enter the Establishment Administrator’s First Name, Last Name, Telephone, and Primary Email exactly as provided by establishment management in the appropriate fields. IPP are to verify that the new contact appears as expected in the list of plant contacts. Even if the individual is already listed as a contact under another role in the PHIS establishment profile, IPP are to create a new line for the individual with the Establishment Administrator role.

C. Each establishment can have up to three Establishment Administrators listed at a time in PHIS. However, IPP only need to enter the initial Establishment Administrator in PHIS for enrollment validation. IPP are to be aware that the initial Establishment Administrator will manage any additional PHIS enrollment for the establishment as described in Section 2.1.2 of the User Guide. IPP are to be aware that establishment roles managed by the initial Establishment Administrator will not display in the Plant Contacts page of the Establishment Profile.

D. If establishment management decides to remove the employee designated as the Establishment Administrator from the PHIS establishment profile, IPP are to be aware that the establishment may ask IPP to do so or a different Establishment Administrator can remove the individual. In the event that IPP remove the Establishment Administrator, IPP are to find the specified contact in the List of Contacts on the Plant Contacts page with the Position of Establishment Administrator and delete it. IPP are to follow the prompts to select “OK” and “Yes” when deleting this contact.

E. In addition to adding the Establishment Administrator, IPP are to verify that a contact with the Position of Lab Results exists in the List of Contacts on the Plant Contacts page. If no contact is listed, IPP are to ask the establishment for a designated Lab Results contact. FSIS will send sampling results and quarterly establishment letters to the contact designated for Lab Results. IPP are to mark the Lab Sample Result Contact checkbox for Type of Position and enter the contact’s First Name, Last Name, Telephone, and Primary Email exactly as provided by establishment management. F. IPP are to be aware that PHIS automatically disables industry user access after a lack of logon activity of 60 days. Users attempting to login in this situation will receive the message “you do not have sufficient privileges to access this page” or will be redirected to the Profile page. To re-enable access, the establishment employee will need to contact the FSIS Service Desk for assistance at 1-800-473-9135 and follow the prompts described in the attachment.

IV. QUESTIONS

Refer questions regarding this directive to the Office of Policy and Program Development through askFSIS or by telephone at 1-800-233-3935, if needed, after correlation with your supervisor. When submitting a question, use the Submit a Question tab, and enter the information indicated below in the designated fields. Subject Field: Enter Directive 13,000.6 Question Field: Enter question with as much detail as possible. Product Field: Select General Inspection Policy from the drop-down menu. Category Field: Select Public Health Information System (PHIS) from the drop-down menu. Policy Arena: Select Domestic (U.S.) Only or International (Import/Export) from the drop-down menu. When all fields are complete, press Continue and at the next screen press Finish Submitting Question. NOTE: Refer to FSIS Directive 5620.1, Using askFSIS, for additional information on submitting questions.

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