The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released guidance on Oct. 22 related to Medicare conditions of participation requirements for hospitals to report acute respiratory illnesses, beginning on Nov. 1. In the fiscal year 2025 Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule, the CMS required hospitals to report data elements on acute respiratory illnesses, including influenza, RSV, and COVID-19. The new guidance clarifies data elements and frequency of reporting.
Specifically, the CMS is offering hospitals the option to report bed capacity, occupancy, and hospitalization by respiratory illness data as one-day-a-week snapshots. Hospitals may report total new hospital admissions of patients with confirmed respiratory illnesses as weekly totals instead of daily values. The CMS also outlined the enforcement process for incomplete reporting and noncompliance, which would consist of an incomplete reporting notification letter and could ultimately result in termination from Medicare for noncompliance with the conditions of participation.
Additional information on the respiratory reporting requirements can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Healthcare Safety Network page.
- Washington Highlights