The NHSN national reporting system for nursing homes to submit COVID-19 vaccination data has set webinar dates to review important changes to the system. The next viewing opportunity is at 1 p.m. ET Monday.
Under new federal recommendations, most individuals will not be up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines until they receive the 2023-2024 updated COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The NHSN Vaccination Team will be hosting multiple webinars to review important changes to the surveillance definition of Up to Date with COVID-19 vaccines for long-term care facilities reporting vaccination data and RIFC Pathway data through the NHSN Vaccination and COVID-19 Modules, CMS announced this week.
The new definition of “up to date” with COVID-19 vaccines applies for NHSN surveillance starting Monday (Sept. 25), the first week of reporting for the fourth quarter of 2023.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) is the federal government’s most widely used healthcare-associated infection tracking system. It has been a linchpin for regulators’ monitoring of nursing homes’ worker and resident COVID-19 vaccination data.
Officials said the new definition of up-to-date applies to both the NHSN Weekly HCP and Resident Vaccination Forms and the NHSN COVID-19 Surveillance Pathways (RIFC Form).
The Food and Drug Administration recently updated the list of 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccines for this fall/winter season. The bivalent vaccines have not been authorized since Sept. 12, 2023.
The CDC recommends everyone aged 6 months and older should receive the 2023-2024 updated COVID-19 vaccine in order to remain up-to-date with vaccination status, and to protect against serious illness should COVID-19 hit.
The webinar “Up to Date Vaccination Status: Surveillance Definition Change for Long Term Care Facilities (Replay)” starts at 1 p.m. Monday. Advance registration can be performed here.
It will be repeated exactly a week later (at 1 p.m. Oct. 2) and also offers advance registration. The original and replays will cover the same NHSN information. Therefore, attendees only need to attend once, officials said.
