Reporting Requirements for Open Heart Surgery and Cardiac Catheterization [28 Pa.B. 4990] On June 6, 1998, the Department of Health (Department) amended its hospital licensure regulations. Two of these regulations require hospitals to collect information and file reports with the Department.
Regulation 28 Pa. Code § 136.21 (relating to quality management and improvement) requires those hospitals which perform open heart surgery to maintain patient data on the following indicators: 1) mortality/morbidity; 2) infections and complications; 3) patient risk factors and 4) volume of procedures performed. The regulation requires the hospitals to provide the information to the Department on a quarterly basis.
Similarly, 28 Pa. Code § 138.20 (relating to quality management and improvement) requires those hospitals which provide cardiac catheterization services to maintain patient data on the same indicators, and to provide this information to the Department through the Pennsylvania Cardiac Catheterization Report.
In an effort to reduce duplication and promote efficiency in the collection of these data, the Department has consulted with the Health Care Cost Containment Council (Council). The Council is authorized to collect and analyze data and information on both the cost and quality of health care services.
The Department has determined that hospitals can fulfill the regulatory requirements under 28 Pa. Code §§ 136.21 and 138.20 by providing the information specified in those regulations to the Council through their quarterly data reporting process. The information which is provided must include the Council's complete UB92 and Atlas severity information for all open heart surgery procedures and all cardiac catheterization procedures performed on an inpatient basis, and UB92 information for all cardiac catheterizations performed on an outpatient basis. The Council has apprised the Department that it will provide this information in quarterly reports to the Department for its use. Further clarification may be forthcoming from the Department in conjunction with the Council.
Additionally, hospitals which were approved to perform cardiac catheterization under the former Certificate of Need program since 1991 have been filing reports with the Department on each cardiac catheterization performed in the hospital. Effective immediately, those hospitals will be meeting their reporting obligations under 28 Pa. Code § 138.20 by filing the reports required by the Council, and should cease the filing of the cardiac catheterization reports with the Department.
V/TT: (717) 783-6514 for speech and/or hearing impaired persons or the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Services at (800) 654-5984 [TT].
DANIEL F. HOFFMANN,
Secretary[Pa.B. Doc. No. 98-1617. Filed for public inspection October 2, 1998, 9:00 a.m.]
