APIC Issues Reminder About Healthcare Worker Flu Vaccination Data Reporting

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is making infection preventionists aware of the following information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

Acute-care hospitals participating in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program will be required to submit summary data on influenza vaccination of healthcare personnel via the CDCs National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) beginning on Jan. 1, 2013 for the 2012-2013 influenza season.

The NHSN module for reporting these data will be available on September 8, 2012. Corresponding training materials, protocol, forms and instructions will be available on the NHSN website on Sept. 7, 2012. Healthcare facilities may begin reporting data for the 2012-2013 influenza season prior to January 1, 2013; however these data are not required by the CMS rule.

Hospitals will be asked to report vaccinations received by healthcare personnel at the facility, vaccinations received outside the facility, medical contraindications and declinations. Data must be reported for:
 all employees on payroll;
 licensed independent practitioners (who are physicians, advanced practice nurses, and physician assistants affiliated with the hospital but not on payroll);
 students, trainees, and volunteers aged 18 or older.
Only healthcare personnel physically working in the facility for at least 30 days between Oct. 1 and March 31 should be counted. Download the NHSN reporting form for the healthcare personnel influenza vaccination module.

Acute-care hospitals planning to report healthcare personnel influenza vaccination summary data should make sure:
 their facility is enrolled in NHSN;
 the Healthcare Personnel Safety Component is activated; and,
 personnel who will be entering these data for the hospital (e.g. employee health staff) are given user rights to the component. 

Within the Healthcare Personnel Safety Component, monthly reporting plans must be created or updated to include healthcare personnel influenza vaccination summary reporting, before data can be entered.