Hospitals may have received an update from NHSN-CDC regarding COVID-19 Hospital Capacity & Utilization (CU) reporting. As with all prior updates and changes, Alabama Hospitals do not need to do anything at this time. Alabama Hospitals will continue reporting COVID-19 CU data including Bed Capacity and COVID Inpatient Survey data directly into AIMS. Per the revision to the CMS Final Rule (CMS-1771-F) Hospitals, CAHs, Psychiatric* and Rehabilitation* facilities will continue reporting on a reduced number of COVID-19 data elements after the conclusion of the current COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) ending on May 11, 2023. The implementation date has not been finalized but is expected to take effect prior to the end of May. We will keep you posted as more information is released from NHSN. Hospital COVID-19 CU Reporting will continue through April 30, 2024, unless the Secretary established an earlier ending date. Summary of changes to the COVID-19 CU Reporting: A. Data Element Reduction The number of data elements required to be reported will be reduced. The following fields will no longer be required and will be made OPTIONAL: 10a: Total hospitalized Pediatric Suspected or Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 patients
11: Hospitalized and Ventilated COVID-19 patients
12a: Total ICU Adult Suspected or Laboratory- Confirmed COVID-19 patients
13: Hospital onset
17b: Previous day’s Adult admissions with Suspected COVID-19 and breakdown by age bracket: 18-19 • 20-29 • 30-39 • 40-49 • 50-59 • 60-69 • 70-79 • 80+ • Unknown
18b: Previous day’s Pediatric admissions with Suspected COVID-19
19: Previous day total ED visits
20: Previous day total COVID-19-related ED visits The following fields specific to Alabama, will NO LONGER BE REPORTED and will be removed: 9g. COVID+ Pregnant
9h. COVID+ Pregnant ICU
9i. COVID+ Pregnant Ventilated
11b. Hospitalized and Ventilated Pediatric patients B. NHSN Weekly Reporting Cadence: NHSN reporting cadence will change from a daily requirement to a weekly requirement (Sunday – Saturday as defined by CDC MMWR week) with values reported for each day of the previous week by the following Tuesday before noon.
Data must still be submitted for each day of the week; it is not a cumulative total for the week.
Example: Data for Sunday, April 9 – Saturday, April 15 would need to be submitted by noon Tuesday, April 18 for compliance. An individual COVID CU report is retrospectively submitted for each day: April 9, April 10, April 11, April 12, April 13, April 14 and April 15th.
The CMS compliance enforcement period will be expanded to 28 days C. What does this mean for Alabama Hospitals: As always, your hospital may choose to report daily by noon to maintain consistency and to avoid having to retrospectively collect and report data.
If your hospital is able to report retrospectively (capturing both Bed Status and COVID-19 CU data), and if you choose to, upon the implementation date as set by NHSH, you are exempt from daily reporting of Beds and the COVID CU report and may transition to weekly reporting.
To report weekly retrospective data, once logged into AIMS, click on the SUPPORT Tab – LINKS- AIMS COVID Compliance Form. Enter the “Reported for Date” for which you are submitting, complete all required data fields and submit.
Example: Data for Sunday, April 9 – Saturday, April 15 would need to be retrospectively submitted by noon, Tuesday, April 18 for CMS compliance via the AIMS COVID Compliance Form:
Complete the COVID Compliance Form for Reported for Date April 9, 2023 (Sunday) – complete all required data fields and submit.
Complete the COVID Compliance Form for Reported for Date April 10, 2023 (Monday) – complete all required data fields and submit.
Complete the COVID Compliance Form for Reported for Date April 11, 2023 (Tuesday) – complete all required data fields and submit.
Complete the COVID Compliance Form for Reported for Date April 12, 2023 (Wednesday) – complete all required data fields (THIS INCLUDES SUPPLIES) and submit.
Complete the COVID Compliance Form for Reported for Date April 13, 2023 (Thursday) – complete all required data fields and submit.
Complete the COVID Compliance Form for Reported for Date April 14, 2023 (Friday) – complete all required data fields and submit.
Complete the COVID Compliance Form for Reported for Date April 15, 2023 (Saturday)- complete all required data fields and submit. D. AIMS COVID Inpatient Survey: There is no retrospective report form for the COVID Inpatient Survey. Continue to submit the Inpatient Survey following a COVID-19 patient discharge/death;
As of the implementation date, you will no longer need to submit daily with “NO” reported discharges/deaths; only submit upon discharge/death. *Note: Psychiatric and Rehabilitation Hospitals The update will not change reporting requirements. These facilities will continue to report once annually from October to October (October 11, 2023 is the next annual Alabama report due date) and will report the reduced data elements once implemented. AlaHA will send out additional communications and will host optional Q&A Zooms in the coming weeks. In the meantime, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out: AlaHA – Danne Howard (dhoward@alaha.org) / 334-398-2947 or USACDHP/AIMS- Elizabeth Williams (elizabethwilliams@southalabama.edu / 251-583-2140.