The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) recently reminded ambulatory surgery centers of the requirement and steps required to submit healthcare personnel (HCP) influenza data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Healthcare Safety network (NHSN) by May 15, 2020. Is your documentation complete? Are you prepared to comply with DPH and CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) requirements?
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Flu season is in full swing…Requirements for Reporting Seasonal Influenza Vaccination

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) recently reminded ambulatory surgery centers of the requirement and steps required to submit healthcare personnel (HCP) influenza data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Healthcare Safety network (NHSN) by May 15, 2020.  Is your documentation complete?  Are you prepared to comply with DPH and CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) requirements?

Introduction:

We all recognize the annual struggle to get everyone to agree to the flu vaccination, but the work doesn’t end there.  Documentation and reporting of our process and success rates are also required.  Facilities usually start with an informed consent, including checking for contraindications and providing a vaccine information statement (VIS) to each recipient.  Additionally, facilities need to document lot number, expiration date, and location of administration, but there’s more…After all that is done, facilities must now meet the DPH and CMS requirement to report to the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network.  This final step must be done by May 20, 2020.

Background

DPH requires facilities to offer free-of-charge annual influenza vaccination to all personnel.  Facilities must document receipt of vaccination, either at or outside the facility or declination thereof.  Finally, facilities need to report compliance with the vaccination requirement.

Minimum performance goal

DPH established a minimum vaccination rate goal of at least 90% for all HCP.  This aligns with the National Healthy People 2020 target of 90% influenza coverage of HCP.  For the 2018-2019 season, the mean percent vaccinated was 81% with a range of 44% to 100%. To see individual facility results, you can visit the state page for flu vaccination reports for healthcare personnel.

Reporting

DPH requires reporting via the CDC’s NHSN and to make the data available to DPH via NHSN.  For specific instructions and additional training on reporting, please visit the CDC’s NHSN training website.  This site includes information for patient safety, healthcare personnel safety, ASC’s, long-term care facilities, dialysis centers and more.

Need additional help?

Complete compliance is the goal and DPH recommends sharing the information provided in the circular letter with everyone in your facility responsible for infection prevention, employee health, and quality management reporting.  Our consultant pharmacists are also here to help.  If you have questions or need additional guidance, please contact us.

The Consultant Pharmacists at OctariusRx provide guidance on safe medication management, survey readiness and cost savings to ambulatory healthcare facilities/surgery centers, senior care facilities and pharmacies  We also help individual patients optimize their medications to improve their quality of life and save money. Contact us for assistance.

Any health, medical or drug information on the Web Site is for informational purposes only. This information is not intended to be used, and you should not use it, as a substitute for obtaining professional healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment. You should always seek the advice of your doctor, a pharmacist or other qualified healthcare provider for professional healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment for any medical condition.