from the editor
from the editor
Be Aware of Updated Hospital Reporting Requirements for Respiratory Viruses
late April 30 , some mandatory federal reporting requirements for
In acute-care hospitals ( ACHs ) and critical-access hospitals ( CAHs ) expired , resulting in voluntary data reporting that led to reduced visibility , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ).
That is changing on Nov . 1 , 2024 , when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ( CMS ) will require ACHs and CAHs to report electronically certain key information about COVID-19 , influenza , and respiratory syncytial virus ( RSV ), such as confirmed infections of respiratory illnesses among hospitalized patients , bed capacity , and limited patient demographic information , including age , on a schedule specified by the secretary of the Health and Human Services ( HHS ) department .
This reporting will have a new standardized format and frequency to provide situational awareness of the impact of these respiratory diseases , CMS says .
As background , from Sept . 2 , 2020 through April 30 , 2024 , all ACHs and CAHs were required to report COVID-19 data to HHS / CDC under CMS Conditions of Participation . Under this new CMS rule , Hospital Respiratory Data reporting will replace Hospital Respiratory Pathogen , Bed Capacity , and Supply Data ( i . e ., “ Hospital COVID-19 Data ”). It will encompass many of the same data elements around capacity and occupancy , as well as hospitalized patients with lab-confirmed COVID-19 , influenza , and RSV ; new admissions of patient with lab-confirmed COVID-19 , influenza , and RSV ; and hospital personal protective equipment ( PPE ) and supply information .
Reporting will take place in the National Healthcare Safety Network ( NHSN ) application , all reporting modalities ( webform , CSV upload , and API ) will continue to be available , and the process for reporting will remain the same , CMS says . Hospitals will still be able to report individually while hospital systems will still be able to report centrally at an enterprise level . Additionally , third-party vendors will still be able to report on behalf of hospitals and / or jurisdictions .
In terms of what ’ s new , there are new data elements , a refinement of definitions for existing data elements , new CSV upload templates , as well as new protocol ( guidance document ), tables of instructions ( list of data elements and descriptions ), plus an updated website . Also changing is the cadence of reporting , in that once-weekly reporting will now be required ; there will also be options to report daily or weekly data to meet CMS requirements .
The CDC says these data will complement other data that it collects and disseminates from other sources , such as wastewater , laboratory , and emergency department data : “ These data sources support robust systems that detect and monitor threats , keep the public informed about threats in their communities , and inform respiratory disease forecasting efforts ,” according to the agency .
The CDC also emphasizes that respiratory virus data are important for patient safety and public health by noting , “ The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ( PHE ) underscored the critical role of hospital data in providing situational awareness around the impact of respiratory disease on the nation ’ s hospitals , their patients , and workers . Considering this , CMS ’ new rule will require respiratory illness reporting in a modified form similar to previous reporting requirements . CDC , CMS , and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response ( ASPR ) worked together on these requirements , which were also informed by public comment . The requirements create a minimum set of data elements necessary to maintain situational awareness and address current patient health and safety needs while also informing CDC ’ s public health response .”
The CDC adds , “ Hospital data were collected through previous reporting requirements during the COVID-19 PHE and through the first respiratory virus season after the PHE declaration expired . This hospital data helped CDC provide weekly reports on severe health consequences of flu , COVID-19 , and RSV and also monitor hospital capacity . Before the previous reporting requirements ended , NHSN data also informed local jurisdictions , hospitals , and nursing homes about local respiratory virus spread . Additionally , this data helped guide infection prevention strategies , such as source control , to protect patients , residents , and healthcare workers . While CDC continued sharing voluntary data after the mandatory reporting requirements ended in April , the change in reporting requirements impacted completeness , and information would fluctuate from week to week . The number of hospitals regularly reporting data decreased by nearly two-thirds .”
These data are critical , the CDC says , to help with public health coordination and keeping patients safe by :
• Informing strategic planning and coordination of public health responses .
• Enhancing disease surveillance and early warning systems by helping identify trends and patterns of disease spread .
• Improving healthcare delivery and patient outcomes through patient-centered care .
HHS says it will provide additional details on the specific data elements hospitals will be required to report in the coming weeks . CDC ’ s NHSN will work closely with hospitals to provide training and technical assistance to ensure they are ready and able to meet these updated reporting requirements . Until next time , bust those bugs !
Kelly M . Pyrek Editor & Publisher Kelly @ healthcarehygienemagazine . com
Reference : ( FY 2025 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System ( IPPS ) and Long- Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System ( LTCH PPS ) Final Rule , pgs . 2462-2490 .) healthcarehygienemagazine
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6 • www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com • september 2024