Happy New Year! On December 31, 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new QSO Memo, “Long-Term Care (LTC) Facility Acute Respiratory Illness Reporting Requirements” (QSO-25-11-NH). Here’s what you need to know:
- The COVID-19 requirements for reporting expired on 12/31/2024, except for reporting COVID-19 vaccination status for LTC facility residents and staff.
- As of 1/1/2025, LTC facilities were required to report to the CDC NHSN information about COVID-19, influenza and RSV in accordance with reporting requirements and frequency.
- The LTCSP will have these requirements incorporated into it once guidance for surveyors is released.
The specific data that LTC providers need to report to the revised NHSN Long-Term Care Facility COVID-19 Module includes:
- Census
- Resident vaccination status for COVID-19, influenza and RSV
- Confirmed resident cases of COVID-19, influenza and RSV (overall and by vaccination status)
- Hospitalized residents with confirmed cases of COVID-19, influenza and RSV (overall and by vaccination status)
This QSO Memo supersedes the earlier Memo “Interim Final Rule Updating Requirements for Notification of Confirmed and Suspected COVID-19 Cases Among Residents and Staff in Nursing Homes” (QSO-20-29-NH). View the QSO Memo here.
