December 2010

PBIS and PHIS:

A Side-by-Side Comparison

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is preparing to 

launch its new Public Health Information System (PHIS), a user-friendly, Web-based application that

will replace existing applications such as the Performance Based Inspection System (PBIS). This 

comparison factsheet highlights ways that PHIS will help FSIS better collect, consolidate, and analyze 

data, thus enabling the Agency to detect and respond to foodborne hazards more effectively and to

improve its ability to protect public health. Additional information on PHIS is available on the FSIS Web 

site at www.fsis.usda.gov/phis. 

Function

Performance Based 

Inspection System

(PBIS)

Public Health 

Information System

(PHIS)

PHIS Benefits

Design Originally designed to meet 

food safety inspection 

needs nationwide, in a 

centralized system.

Designed to integrate data 

from all agency systems and 

program areas for use as a 

tool in making the most 

informed decisions about 

inspection, sampling, policy 

and other food safety 

activities to protect public 

health. 

More informed decision-making; inspection 

personnel have access to assignment-related 

data from all parts of FSIS. Example: On PHIS 

home pages, inspection personnel can view

tasks (including status), NRs, FSAs, MOIs, 

appeals to NRs and the establishment's 

sampling history in one place, including direct 

links to NRs, FSAs and MOIs for assigned plants. 

This will help personnel stay informed on an 

establishment’s regulatory compliance.

Plant Profile Limited information; often 

out of date. Establishment 

cannot view current data.

Includes extensive information 

about operations, product 

types, HACCP system, etc. 

Creates a specific task for 

inspection personnel to 

periodically review and update 

establishment profiles. 

Establishment can access and 

view its own profile.

Inspection tasks as well as sampling and other 

activities can be tailored for public health 

priorities by using specifics about plants’ 

operations and previous verification results. 

Personnel are provided with clear expectations 

of activities for maintaining plant profiles; a tool 

for incorporating these activities with other 

tasks, as a reminder; and the ability to 

document task performance on their calendars.

Food Safety 

and Inspection

Service Fact Sheet Public Health 

Information 

System
Page 2 of 2

Function

Performance Based 

Inspection System

(PBIS)

Public Health 

Information System

(PHIS)

PHIS Benefits

Establishment 

Access to Data

Establishments do not have 

direct electronic access to 

FSIS information about 

their own plants.

After obtaining a USDA 

e-Authentication (eAuth) 

account, establishments will 

be able to view certain data, 

receive reports about their 

own establishments and 

respond to and appeal NRs. 

Supports clear, meaningful communication 

between establishments and inspection 

personnel to improve food safety; if 

establishments identify data that appear 

inaccurate, they can request corrections. 

Example: An establishment with access to PHIS 

can request reports directly from the system 

instead of going through inspection personnel.

Documentation Stores limited information 

about specific task 

performed and does not 

provide a way to document 

other, more specific 

information. 

Records findings and specific 

regulations verified by 

inspection personnel, who 

select each regulation from a 

"pick list." Enables personnel 

to document additional 

information for some 

procedures (e.g., "HACCP plan 

verified," "CCP and product 

involved," or lot number and 

specific regulations verified, as 

appropriate).

Facilitates improved documentation of tasks 

completed and regulations verified; provides 

inspection personnel and others in FSIS with 

higher-quality information to use in identifying 

where failures occur in an establishment’s 

system as well as an establishment's history of 

meeting specific regulatory requirements.

Documentation Does not provide a way to 

document memorandums 

of interview (MOI) or notes 

for and on meetings with 

plant management.

Keeps record of MOIs and 

notes for and on meetings 

with plant management.

Improves communication among inspection 

personnel; eliminates need for inspection 

personnel to set up additional files in which to 

store MOIs. Easier to create agendas for weekly 

meetings with establishments and to more 

easily document MOIs after meetings. A list of 

MOIs on the home page provides a direct link to 

each MOI.

Follow-up 

Procedures

Does not provide reminder 

or tool for inspection 

personnel to initiate followup procedures.

Following noncompliance 

findings, automatically 

generates follow-up tasks and 

adds them to task list for 

inspection personnel to

perform; data are available to 

all program areas. 

Facilitates effective follow-up; eliminates the 

need for inspection personnel to provide 

specific establishment information to generate a 

follow-up sample or task. Example: PHIS 

automatically assigns the required unscheduled

HACCP 02 procedure as a follow-up verification 

to a positive E. coli O157:H7 sample result.