CMS began requiring hospitals to report specific admission information on Nov. 1.
The new rule governs reporting admission information related to respiratory illnesses, including capacity, to the CDC, and reinstates some pandemic-era requirements that have been voluntary since May 1.
Here are five things ASCs need to know about the ruling:
1. The revisions require hospitals to report the following to the CDC:
- Confirmed infections of flu, COVID-19, RSV and other respiratory infections among newly admitted and hospitalized patients
- Overall bed capacity and census, by hospital setting and age group
- Limited patient demographics
2. If a public health emergency is declared at the national, state or local level, hospitals may be required to report:
- Operational status of facility structure and infrastructure
- Emergency department diversion status
- Staffing shortages
- Supply inventory shortages
- Relevant medical countermeasures and therapeutics
3. The majority of hospitals are required to submit daily data values on a weekly basis by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time Tuesday, and must include data for each day from the previous week. Facilities required to report information to the CDC weekly are:
- Short-term acute care hospitals, including Medicaid-only facilities.
- Long-term care hospitals
- Critical access hospitals
- Indian Health Service hospitals
- Children's hospitals, including Medicaid-only
- Cancer hospitals
4. Some hospitals are required to report information to the CDC annually in January, including:
- Psychiatric hospitals including Medicaid-only
- Rehabilitation hospitals, including Medicaid-only
- Psychiatric hospital distinct part units
- Rehabilitation hospital distinct part units
5. The CDC will evaluate weekly reports for completeness and timeliness and return final reports to CMS in four-week periods. Failure to report the required information could result in the termination of a hospital's Medicare and Medicaid participation.