How should our hospital handle reporting for ICUs not mentioned in the rule, e.g., we have a cardiothoracic ICU, would this be considered a "coronary ICU"?
Your hospital would not have to report for the cardiothoracic ICU. There are many types of ICUs within hospital systems. However, for the purpose of the initial implementation of MHIRS, the DHSS will only require hospitals to report on the ICUs that are listed in the rule: coronary, medical, surgical, medical/surgical, pediatric, and NICU. Reporting information on these ICUs will permit the greatest number of hospitals to report, thus, ultimately making the public reporting of healthcare-associated infections more reliable and accurate for the general public.