| Point of Care (POC) Test Reporting Tool:
The following enhancements will be made.
1. Analysis updates:
- A line list will be available for POC test results for Visitors.
- First name, middle name, and/or last name will be available in the list of variables for inclusion in the line lists of Staff, Resident or Visitor POC results. This option is being created to fill a need identified by facilities for use during visits with their state health department.
2. The ability to confer Group rights for POC data will be enabled. Rights to POC data will be automatically conferred to state health departments.
3. Facilities and state health departments will be able to upload POC test results by use of the NHSN Direct protocol in a Health Level-7 (HL7) format. For information on how to enroll and use the NHSN Direct process, please see the guidance provided athttps://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/cdaportal/importingdata.html#DIRECTProtocol . Note that a small fee is associated with using Rosetta Health, the Health Information Service Provider (HISP) enabled to use the DIRECT protocol. Send any questions to our Direct team at NHSNCDA@CDC.GOV with the subject line ‘Direct Submissions for POC data’, and someone will help with the onboarding process. Please note, that whenever data is uploaded to NHSN, it will be necessary to monitor the success of the upload and to address any error codes in a timely manner. This is especially true with the NHSN Point of Care Test Result Reporting Tool, as the data is in turn transmitted to the Association of Public Health Laboratories every 15 minutes and from there to state health departments. Failure to correct data in a timely manner may result in incorrect data being communicated and used for public health prevention and control activities.
Resident Impact and Facility Capacity Pathway:
Vaccination Status section: Additional COVID-19 vaccine added- Janssen (Johnson & Johnson). Unspecified status added to permit for counts of residents who received full vaccine series (based on vaccine manufacturer recommendations) from unspecified manufacturer.
Supplies and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Pathway:
The Supplies and Personal Protective Equipment pathway has been updated to include the optimization strategies that LTCF’s are using regarding their PPE supply items. The requirement to report once a week is still in place for this pathway. Reporting for the updated data elements to begin the week of March 8, 2021.
1. Alcohol-based hand rub will now appear on the form as opposed to alcohol-based hand sanitizer. This wording change is to include a broader range of products and to align with CDC guidelines. Availability as well as urgent need are the areas to report for this product.
2. PPE supply items will now include the type of optimization strategy the facility is using as a reporting measure. The supply items have not changed and continue to include N95 respirators, facemasks, eye protection, gowns, and gloves. The availability for these items will be reported by indicating the optimization strategy that is being used for each supply item. The optimization strategies include conventional, contingency, and crisis capacity strategies. Users will also be asked to report if there is an urgent need for each PPE supply item listed above.
3. A new section added called, Need for Government Support or Assistance. This new section offers facilities a new option to indicate they would like outreach from state or local government to discuss COVID-19 assistance needs related to staffing shortages, personal protective equipment shortages, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) testing supply shortages, infection control/ outbreak management, staff training, and COVID-19 vaccination for residents and/or staff. Local, State, and Federal governments will use affirmative (“Yes”) responses to this question as another way to monitor assistance needs that facilities face and to prioritize outreach and response actions.
Importantly, these new questions do not replace established local and state mechanisms to request assistance, particularly in cases where those needs present immediate threats to the health and safety of residents or staff. They also do not guarantee resources can be provided as local, state, and federal resources are allocated based on supply and priority of need. Nonetheless, the questions do offer facilities a new option to proactively request outreach from local or state government partners (for example, public health departments and emergency management agencies) to discuss assistance needs.
Therapeutics Pathway:
1. Additional therapeutic added- Bamlanivimab and etesevimab (Lilly).
NEW Data Quality Alerts:
1, Users will see Data Quality Alerts that impact NHSN COVID-19 data reported to CMS. These actionable alerts will allow users to review and verify accuracy of the data within the NHSN application and make corrections if needed.
Analysis:
1. COVID-19 Dashboard: The NHSN COVID-19 dashboards for facility and group have been updated to reflect recent changes to the variables in the Resident Impact and Facility Capacity pathway.
2. Line Listings: Users will see new and updated line lists for the surveillance data reporting pathways. Be sure to GENERATE DATA SETS prior to running analysis reports.
Weekly NHSN COVID-19 Vaccination Data Modules:
1. The COVID-19 Vaccination Module will now include updated questions about vaccine supply in the summary forms for Healthcare Personnel and Residents (Questions 4.1 through 4.4).
2. Instructions for .CSV upload have been posted on the NHSN website and are located under Supporting Materials: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/ltc/weekly-covid-vac/index.html
3. Updated instructions on how to generate line lists and bar charts have been posted on the NHSN website and are located under Supporting Materials: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/ltc/weekly-covid-vac/index.html
4. When entering COVID-19 weekly data, click on the save button located at the bottom of the screen to save data. It is imperative to save data for each module tab before continuing to another tab.
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