*IMPORTANT UPDATE – SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED*

*THIS IS A TARGETED FAX FROM CMS TO YOUR FACILITY*

RECOGNIZING THAT THE AMBULATORY SURGICAL CENTER QUALITY REPORTING (ASCQR) PROGRAM IS IN ITS INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION YEARS, THE CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES (CMS) IS PROVIDING ADDITIONAL TIME TO COMPLETE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE UPCOMING PAYMENT DETERMINATION BY EXTENDING THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING ONLINE DATA FROM AUGUST 15, 2015 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 FOR THE FOLLOWING MEASURE:

  • ASC-8: INFLUENZA VACCINATION COVERAGE AMONG HEALTHCARE PERSONNEL*

* SUBMITTED DIRECTLY TO THE NATIONAL HEALTHCARE SAFETY NETWORK (NHSN)

ASCS THAT DO NOT MEET THIS DEADLINE MAY RECEIVE A TWO PERCENTAGE POINT REDUCTION IN THEIR CY 2016 MEDICARE PAYMENT UPDATE.

OUR RECORDS INDICATE THAT AS OF JULY 30, 2015, YOUR FACILITY HAS NOT COMPLETED THE ENROLLMENT PROCESS IN NHSN. THE ENROLLMENT PROCESS IS A MULTI-STEP PROCESS AND IS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO SUBMIT DATA REQUIRED BY CMS’ASC QUALITY REPORTING (ASCQR) PROGRAM.

IF THE ENROLLMENT PROCESS IS NOT STARTED IMMEDIATELY, YOU MAY NOT BE ENROLLED IN TIME TO REPORT YOUR FACILITY’S 2014/2015 INFLUENZA VACCINATION SUMMARY DATA BY THE SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 DEADLINE; A MINIMUM OF TWOTO FOUR WEEKS IS REQUIRED.

IF YOUR FACILITY HAS BEGUN THIS PROCESS, PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU COMPLETE ALL OF THE STEPS AND SUBMIT YOUR DATA.

IF YOU ARE GETTING THIS NOTICE AND THINK YOU HAVE COMPLETED THESE PROCESSES, SEE THE ENROLLMENT AND DATA SUBMISSION TIPS BELOW TO ENSURE THE ENROLLMENT AND DATA ENTRY WILL BE CREDITED TO YOUR ASC.YOU CAN CHECK YOUR DATA SUBMISSION STATUS BY VISITING AND CLICKING ON “STATUS LISTING LOOKUP TOOL” IN THE ASC MENU.TO CHECK DATA SUBMISSION FOR NHSN, SELECT “NHSN STATUS LISTING.”

TIPS FOR ENROLLMENT

  • FOR ENROLLMENT TO BE VALID, YOU MUST ENTER A VALID CCN FOR YOUR FACILITY. AN ENTRY OF “NA” OR AN INCORRECT CMS CERTIFICATION NUMBER (CCN)WILL NOT CREDIT YOUR ASC WITH DATA SUBMISSION.
  • IF THIS CCN WAS ISSUED PRIOR TO 01/01/2015,YOU MUST ENTER AN EFFECTIVE DATE OF 01/01/2015.
  • IF THE CCN WAS ISSUED AFTER 01/01/2015, YOU MUST ENTER THE EXACT DATE THE CCN WAS RECEIVED.
  • SELECT THE CORRECT TYPE OF FACILITY:“AMB-SURG-OUTPATIENT SURGERY FACILITY.”

TIPS FOR DATA SUBMISSION

  • WHEN ADDING YOUR FACILITY’S MONTHLY REPORTING PLAN, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO:
  • SELECT A MONTH BETWEEN JANUARY AND JUNE
  • SELECT 2015
  • CLICK THE BOX FOR “INFLUENZA VACCINATION SUMMARY”

NO OTHER BOXES SHOULD BE SELECTED ON THIS SCREEN.

  • WHEN SUBMITTING YOUR FACILITY’S DATA, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO:
  • SELECT THE FLU SEASON FOR “2014/2015”

THE NHSN ENROLLMENT PROCESS IS OUTLINED AT THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION’S WEBSITE AT

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT INFLUENZA VACCINATION DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING IS AVAILABLE FROM CDC AT

CDC CAN ASSIST YOU WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROCESS VIA EMAIL AT .

THE ASCQR PROGRAM SUPPORT CONTRACTOR CAN ASSIST YOU WITH QUALITYNET SECURE PORTAL PROCESS OR ANY PROGRAM-RELATED ISSUES AT 866.800.8756 OR AT

A COPY OF THIS FAX AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS RELATED TO DATA SUBMISSION CAN BE FOUND AT BY CLICKING ON “VIDEO, RESOURCES AND TOOLS” UNDER THE ASC MENU AND LOCATING THE “DATA SUBMISSION COMMUNICATION RESOURCES.”

This material was prepared by the Outpatient Quality Reporting Outreach and Education Support Contractor under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). FL-OQR/ASC-Ch8-07312015-03