CMS CoPs - Respiratory Care: More than Just Meeting Seasonal Demands

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Providing respiratory care services can be a challenge for hospitals, especially during months when respiratory illnesses are at their peak throughout communities. Hospitals spend a great deal of time planning to meet the needs of patients during peak periods as they must prepare for the possibility of a large influx of patients. There are several additional strategies that hospitals must also follow in addition to managing respiratory illness and preventing the spread of respiratory illness.


Reporting responsibilities must also be considered. Failure to report the specified data related to COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), including confirmed infections of respiratory illnesses among hospitalized patients, hospital bed census and capacity (both overall and by hospital setting and population group [adult or pediatric]), and limited patient demographic information, including age, may lead to the termination of a hospital’s participation from the Medicare and Medicaid programs.


Hospitals who participate in CMS should ensure that they are meeting reporting requirements for acute respiratory illness such as COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).


Additional data reporting requirements include patient population affected, demographic data and bed capacity. Participating hospitals should also ensure that respiratory care services are integrated into their respective Quality Assurance Performance Improvement Programs.



If you are uncertain if your organization provides services that quality as respiratory care, CMS provided the following list of examples: Respiratory Care Service

Respiratory Care Services Oversight

Identifying a qualified individual(s) to provide respiratory care services is a requirement for hospitals who participate in CMS, which is just one of the requirements. Respiratory professionals should meet qualifications as determined by the hospital’s medical staff and in accordance with state law. Moreover, hospitals must appoint a Doctor of Medicine or osteopathy to oversee respiratory care services. This individual must be appointed on no less than a part-time basis. 

Delivery of Services

Being familiar with CMS requirements for delivery of respiratory care services is another important consideration for participating hospitals. A hospital’s medical staff must develop a written directive outlining how care will be delivered by respiratory professionals. Such directives should specify what supervision is required before respiratory care services can be delivered independently by a healthcare professional.


If lab work is being performed, the collection of such labs must be done in accordance with CMS laboratory service requirements. All respiratory treatments must be documented in the patient’s medical record.



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References:

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/chapter-IV/subchapter-G/part-482/subpart-D/section-482.57

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