Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the removal of the Healthcare Personnel (HCP) COVID-19 Vaccination measure from the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) in the
FY 2027 SNF Prospective Payment System (PPS) Final Rule. As a result, nursing homes are no longer required to report calendar year (CY) 2026 HCP COVID-19 Vaccination measure data for the FY 2028 payment determination. SNFs that do not report this data will not be penalized through the FY 2028 annual payment update under the SNF QRP.
Other NHSN Reporting Still Required
The removal of this measure does not end other NHSN reporting requirements for nursing homes.
Facilities should continue:
- Weekly respiratory illness reporting through NHSN, including required resident information related to COVID-19, influenza, and RSV.
- HCP influenza vaccination reporting, which remains a separate SNF QRP requirement.
- Any state-specific NHSN reporting requirements, including any requirements for reporting COVID-19 HCP data.
What Should Nursing Homes Do?
Make sure staff responsible for NHSN reporting understand that only the HCP COVID-19 vaccination measure has been removed from the SNF QRP. Other required NHSN reporting continues. Facilities should maintain appropriate NHSN access and continue checking required submissions for completeness.