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.
