CMS releases guidance on COVID-19 data reporting as a condition of hospitals’ Medicare participation

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services late today released guidance on how it will implement its August interim final rule that makes collecting and reporting COVID-19 data a condition of participation for hospitals that participate in Medicare. The guidance includes new reporting requirements for hospitals, as well as enforcement provisions. Highlights of the guidance include:

• the reduction of mandatory supply-related data reports to once-per-week submissions;
• a requirement that psychiatric and rehabilitation hospitals report data only once per week;
• beginning on Nov. 1, Remdesivir- and staffing-related data will be optional; and
• additional reporting requirements that begin Nov. 1 for certain data on influenza patients.

CMS also describes the enforcement process, which will include initial letters notifying non-compliant hospitals. The initial letters for non-compliance will start going out tomorrow and be followed by warning letters beginning three weeks after initial notifications.

Hospitals that remain noncompliant will then receive a letter letting them know they will be terminated from the Medicare program unless they come into compliance within 30 days.