VHCA-VCAL | Correcting NHSN Data Errors

Greetings!

We wanted to pass along information AHCA/NCAL has shared on correcting errors in the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) data published on Nursing Home Compare yesterday.

This message also includes:

details on how to document your efforts to submit your NHSN data;
links to the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund FAQs; and
information on the new flexibilities and adjustments to the CMMI models.

Sincerely,

April Payne, LNHA

Vice President of Quality Improvement | Director of VCAL

Virginia Health Care Association | Virginia Center for Assisted Living

Correcting NHSN Data Errors

On June 4, the CMS publicly released individual facility data related to COVID-19 on Nursing Home Compare. Some centers who reviewed their data, have found errors in what is posted publicly. Centers are encouraged to check Nursing Home Compare for data accuracy.

Nursing homes are required to report data to the NHSN. The data is then submitted from NHSN to CMS for upload into Nursing Home Compare.

Centers who review Nursing Home Compare and identify issues to their data may make corrections to data entered into the NHSN system by:

Logging into the NHSN COVID-19 LTCF module
Choose the relevant date on the calendar feature
Edit the inaccurate data
Click “SAVE” before exiting

See this help document.

NHSN submits data to CMS every Monday morning. When CMS receives the data, the center’s revisions will be reflected with the next update of the CMS Nursing Home Compare webpage. The change will not be immediate due to the delayed upload to Nursing Home Compare.

Other COVID-19 Updates

NHSN Efforts and Supportive Documentation: The grace period for NHSN reporting has officially ended and CMS will automatically issue civil monetary penalties (CMPs) if facilities fail to report by the June 7, 2020 deadline. Nursing homes are required to report COVID-19 related information to NHSN at least weekly. Centers who fail to report to NHSN will be issued per day CMPs by CMS and amounts will increase if nursing homes fail to report in subsequent weeks. Read More

HHS Releases Additional Provider Relief Fund FAQs: On June 4, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released three additional FAQs that address the ability to retract attestation and implications of the June 3 deadline.

CMS Creates Flexibilities for Certain CMMI Models to Mitigate COVID-19 Impact: On June 3, CMS released a table outlining the new flexibilities and adjustments to current and future Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) models.