Non-Substantive Change Request _25MAY2022

Change Memo for

National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Surveillance in Healthcare Facilities

(OMB Control No. 0920-1317)

Expiration Date: 01/31/2024

Program Contact

Lauren Wattenmaker

Surveillance Branch

Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion

National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Atlanta, Georgia 30333

Phone: 404-718-5842

Email: [email protected]

Submission Date: May 19, 2022

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP) requests a non-substantive of an approved Information Collection Request:

National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Surveillance in Healthcare Facilities (OMB Control No. 0920-1317)

Long-Term Care Component, COVID-19 Module

The Resident Impact and Facility Capacity (RIFC) Pathway form and the Staff and Personnel Impact Pathway Form will undergo a number of revisions, many of which include removing data elements. The Supplies and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Pathway will also be turned off and users will no longer need to report data to this pathway.

Justification:

1. The Supplies and PPE Pathway will be turned off within the user interface, and users will no longer need to report data to this pathway. The COVID-19 Surveillance Pathways currently consist of four reporting pathways that include: RIFC, Staff and Personnel Impact, Supplies and PPE, and Therapeutics. Revisions to these pathways were made to remove data elements where federal pandemic response activities have been discontinued. Based on these discontinued activities, the pathways will be scaled down, and users will no longer need to report data for the Supplies and PPE Pathway.

Change in Time Burden: decreased by 25 minutes

2. The RIFC Pathway will have several data elements removed. Long-term care facilities will no longer be required to report the following:

   1. COVID-19 test type (rapid point-of care antigen and PCR tests)

   2. Vaccine manufacturer for primary vaccine series and additional or booster doses

   3. COVID-19 re-infections, with sub-questions to count number of symptomatic and asymptomatic persons

   4. Other respiratory illness (not COVID-19 or influenza)

Additionally, long-term care facilities will no longer respond to the following questions:

5. Since the last date of data entry in the Module, has your LTCF performed SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) viral testing on residents and/or staff?

6. During the past two weeks, on average, how long did it take your LTCF to receive SARS-CoV-2 viral test results from NON- point-of-care tests?

In the RIFC form, long-term care facilities are required to indicate the vaccination status of each resident that tests positive for COVID-19. The vaccination status section will be revised to reflect updates in CDC vaccination guidance pertaining to vaccines and boosters. Specifically, the following data fields will replace the current Vaccination Status fields: Not Vaccinated, Partial Vaccination, Complete Primary Vaccination Series, and Additional or Booster Vaccination. The user will enter the aggregate counts for these vaccination options based on the number of positive tests reported. The Additional or Booster Vaccination field will now have two subfields, One Booster and Two or More Boosters. The sum of these two fields will need to be less than or equal to the count entered for the Additional or Booster Dose Vaccination.

An additional data element to assess for the up-to-date vaccination status of the residents will be added as well.

An additional question will be added to address PPE shortages within the facilities. The user will indicate if they will no longer have any PPE supply items in 7 days. If the user answers “Yes,” then they will move on to indicate the specific items they need within the table. If the user answers “No,” then they will not need to indicate specific supply items within the table.

Time Burden: estimate 45 minutes to complete the form

Change in Time Burden: decreased by 15 minutes

3. The Staff and Personnel Event form will also undergo revisions by deleting various data elements. The elements that will be removed are:

   1. Test type

   2. COVID-19 re-infections, with sub-questions to count number of symptomatic and asymptomatic persons

   3. COVID-19-Influenza co-infections

   4. Other respiratory illness (not COVID-19 or influenza)

The section regarding staff shortages will also be revised to include one question regarding staffing shortages and, if the long-term care facility user answers “yes,” they must indicate which specific staffing roles have the shortage.

Time Burden: estimate 10 minutes to complete the form

Change in Time Burden: decreased by 15 minutes

Dialysis Component, COVID-19 Module

The NHSN Dialysis Team is proposing modifications to the NHSN COVID-19 Module Data Entry Form to ensure the appropriate data are collected and reduce the burden of reporting from facilities.

• Current data elements on the form:

  • Facility Operational Information

  • SARS-CoV-2 Positive (+) Patients and Staff

  • Suspected SARS-CoV-2 Infection

  • Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Infection

  • COVID-19 Vaccination Status

  • COVID-19 Vaccination Status – Additional Doses

  • SARS-CoV-2 Positives (+) that have recovered

  • Suspected or Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 deaths

  • Staff and/or Personnel Impact

  • Supplies & Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

  • Laboratory Testing

• Proposed data elements on the form will be reduced to:

  • Facility Operational Information

  • SARS-CoV-2 Positive (+) Patients and Staff

  • COVID-19 Vaccination Status – Primary Series

  • COVID-19 Vaccination Status – Additional and Booster Doses

  • COVID-19 Deaths – Patients and Staff

  • Shortages: Staff/Personnel & Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

The NHSN team has discussed all of these revisions and deletions with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and CMS is no longer expecting nursing homes to report data on supplies and PPE, COVID-19 test type and manufacturer, re-infections, and other respiratory illness.  NHSN has furthermore coordinated with CMS on the updates to the vaccination status section and addition of PPE shortage questions.

Time Burden: estimate 15 minutes to complete the form

Change in Time Burden: decreased by 10 minutes