Percent of Residents Assessed and Appropriately Given the Pneumococcal Vaccine (Long-Stay)

This measure is based on data from MDS 3.0 assessments of long-stay nursing facility residents. The measure reports the percentage of all long-stay residents 5 years and older who were assessed and appropriately given the Pneumococcal Vaccination as reported on the target MDS assessment (OBRA, PPS or discharge) during the 12-month reporting period. This proposed measure is harmonized with NQF’s quality measure on Pneumococcal Immunizations.(1) The MDS 3.0 definitions have been changed to conform to the NQF standard. The NQF used current guidelines from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and others to guide decisions on all parameters for the harmonized measures.(2-10) The recently updated ACIP guidelines remain unchanged relative to their recommendations for pneumonia vaccinations.(12) The NQF standard specifications were harmonized to achieve a uniform approach to measurement across settings and populations, addressing who is included or excluded in the target denominator population, who is included in the numerator population, and time windows for measurement and vaccinations.
Long-stay residents are those residents who have been in the nursing home facility for over 100 days. The measure is restricted to the population with long-term care needs and does not include the short-stay population who are discharged within 100 days of admission.
1. National Quality Forum. National voluntary consensus standards for influenza and pneumococcal immunizations. December 2008. Available from http://www.qualityforum.org/Publications/2008/12/National_Voluntary_Consensus_Standards_for_Influenza_and_Pneumococcal_Immunizations.aspx
2. ACIP. Prevention of pneumococcal disease: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR. Recomm Rep. 1997;46(RR-8):1-24.