Newborn Screening (NBS) is a vital public health program required by law that screens all newborns for rare but serious disorders. Hospital partners play a crucial role in ensuring the success of the screening process. As a trusted part of the health care team, it is important to understand the benefits of NBS and the impact of early identification and treatment of these rare disorders. This video explains the impact this test has on families and their children. To hear more from families about their personal experiences, please visit: Many Voices, One Vision.
This webpage contains resources that are intended for hospital professionals participating in the newborn screening process.
This comprehensive guide provides detailed instructions for hospital staff on the process for collecting blood spot screens in Michigan. This document is updated quarterly to include up-to-date information.
The guide also includes considerations for screenings when infants have been admitted to intensive care units, special care nurseries, or have received transfusions. This guidance can also be found here.
Three online courses offering nursing contact hours are available. Titles include:
This comprehensive guide provides detailed instructions for hospital staff on the process for collecting pulse oximetry screens for critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) in Michigan.
After newborn screening is completed, left over blood spots are stored. The BioTrust is a program that oversees the research use of these stored blood spots. The choice to participate in this de-identified research can be made by parents around the time that blood spots are collected for screening. This document provides instructions on how to complete the consent process with families.
This form should be used to communicate updated information about an infant or newborn screen with the NBS Follow-up Program.
Replacement NBS card(s) can be requested due to expiration, card errors, damaged/defective cards, or poor-quality collections by submitting one of the forms below:
Accurate completion of the newborn screening card and quality blood spot collection is critical. All specimens are examined for quality upon receipt at the newborn screening lab. Unsatisfactory specimens will require a repeat specimen collection. The video below from the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) that shows steps to the proper collection of a blood spot card.
Initial and repeat blood spot screening cards must be purchased and are available in packs of 25.
In addition to newborn screening cards, the NBS program offers a variety of parent education brochures and infographics for hospitals to order at no cost. At a minimum, each family should receive the Michigan Newborn Screening, critical congenital heart disease, and the Michigan BioTrust for Health brochure. Materials are available in English, Spanish, and Arabic.
Please visit the NBSOnline web store to place orders for newborn screening cards and educational materials.
The NBS News is a quarterly newsletter designed for Michigan birthing hospital partners. Each edition highlights stellar performing hospitals and provides newborn screening updates, tips, and resources.
After newborn screening is complete, families may also choose to have the leftover blood spots destroyed or request that they be returned to their family for personal use. These options ensure that families have autonomy over the storage and use of blood spots. Storage and consent decisions can be changed at any time by completing the forms listed below:
Congenital heart defects are the most common group of birth defect. Critical congenital heart defects (CCHD) are one of the most significant causes of infant death in the United States. Screening for CCHDs using pulse oximetry is a mandated part of newborn screen in Michigan. Hospitals play a critical role in the collection and reporting of the pulse oximetry screens.
To learn more about Michigan CCHD screening, please visit the CCHD Website.
Birth hospitals play a crucial role in newborn hearing screening programs, which are designed to identify hearing loss in infants as early as possible. Early detection of hearing loss is important because it allows for timely intervention and support, which can significantly improve a child's language development, communication skills, and overall quality of life.
To learn more about the Michigan Early Hearing Detection and Intervention program, please visit the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program website
The Newborn Screening Dashboard is a convenient way to review hospital blood spot and critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) screening metrics. The Dashboard is updated quarterly.
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Updated 09/24/2025
