MHA Today | May 20, 2022

Staff Contact: Kara Amann-Kale or Keri Barclay

The CDC recommends that children ages five through 11 receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose five months after their initial Pfizer vaccination series. Additionally, the CDC strengthened its recommendation for second booster doses in adults ages 50 and older, as well as immunocompromised individuals ages 12 and older, due to increases across the country in cases and hospitalizations in older adults.

Facilities using the DHSS standing order should await an updated order, which will be available on the DHSS website in the near future.

Staff Contact: Andrew Wheeler

MHA published an analysis of the Hospital-Acquired Condition reduction program, the Value-Based Purchasing program, a Medicare quality program overview and quality trending reports. Although CAHs are exempt from the Medicare IPPS pay-for-performance program, the quality trends reports are available for CAHs that submit quality data to CMS. Policy and analytic studies, prepared for distribution by HIDI, are available for download to authorized users of HIDI Analytic Advantage.

Staff Contact: Keri Barclay

The CDC issued a health advisory for the monkeypox virus based on one confirmed case in Massachusetts. In addition, there are multiple outbreaks in countries where this virus is not endemic and there has been no recent travel history to high-risk areas. The CDC asks that providers remain vigilant for the disease and that they notify local public health should further investigation and testing be needed.

Staff Contact: Sherry Buschjost

The preview period for hospitals to review July 2022 publicly reported data ends Wednesday, June 15. The preview period is applicable for hospitals and facilities participating in the following programs.

• Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting
• Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting
• PPS Exempt Cancer Hospitals Quality Reporting

Staff Contact: Sherry Buschjost

Now available for hospitals participating in the OQR program are facility-specific reports for CY 2023 payment determination for the following outpatient imaging efficiency measures. The FSRs include post-adjudicated data from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, which were used to calculate results for 2022 public reporting and CY 2023 payment determinations.

• MRI Lumbar Spine for Low Back Pain (OP-8)
• Abdomen CT — Use of Contrast Material (OP-10)
• Cardiac Imaging for Pre-Operative Risk Assessment for Non-Cardiac, Low-Risk, Surgery (OP- 13)
• Breast Cancer Screening Recall Rates (OP-39) (new for 2022)

The FSRs will be available until Wednesday, June 15. Additional information is available.