Flu season officially started on Oct. 1, 2014. ASCs are required to collect data on ASC-8: Influenza Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel from Oct. 1 through March 31, 2015, as part of Medicare’s ASC Quality Reporting Program. ASCs must register with the National Healthcare Safety Network, which is managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in order to report data for ASC-8. Fewer than 1,000 centers (out of more than 5,300 Medicare-certified facilities) have registered for NHSN so far.
The registration process can take more than a month, so please register immediately if you have not already. Click here for instructions.
If a facility is already enrolled in NHSN, it does not have to be re-enrolled. The NHSN Facility Administrator for that facility may simply activate the Healthcare Personnel Safety Component in NHSN.
The CDC has produced an NHSN Facility Enrollment & Set-Up Checklist for ASCs that explains the required steps for NSHN enrollment in the correct order. The CDC has also written an informational letter to ASCs that includes support links and describes expectations for reporting ASC-8.The reporting deadline is May 15, 2015.
ASC-8 is just one of the 10 quality measures facilities are required to report on in 2015 for Medicare's ASC Quality Reporting Program. To help ASCs comply and avoid payment penalties down the line, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) has developed a free quality reporting resource that identifies the deadlines and reporting mechanisms associated with all 10 quality measures that ASCs will need to report next year.
Visit ASCA's Quality Reporting web page for additional resources, including the latest specifications manual, frequently asked questions, a quality data G-codes cheat sheet and sample safe surgery checklists.
For the most up-to-date information on registering for NHSN, visit the CDC web site.