Antibiotic Use and Resistance Data Reporting to NHSN Included in Proposed Meaningful Use Stage 3

According to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s proposed 2015 Certification Criteria released yesterday for public comment, hospitals would have the option to qualify for electronic health record (EHR) incentive payments for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed Meaningful Use Stage 3 of EHR Incentive Programs by electronically reporting antimicrobial use (AU) and antimicrobial resistance (AR) data to CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).

Public comments on both proposed rules are due no later than 5 p.m. on May 29, 2015. 

As a part of the National Strategy for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and recently released National Action Plan [PDF - 442 KB], CDC, CMS, and ONC are working to strengthen national antibiotic use and resistance surveillance efforts by creating incentives for hospital reporting of these data to NHSN. Antibiotic use and resistance data are vital for implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs and coordinated national efforts aimed at detecting, preventing, and responding to antibiotic resistant threats.

For additional information about CDC’s NHSN AU and AR options for reporting, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/acute-care-hospital/aur/index.html.

To learn about CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/solutions-initiative/index.html.

Source: CDC