The ASC-13 Normothermia Measure - A New CMS Regulation

What Is ASC-13?

The Center for Medicare Medicaid Services (CMS) now requires data to be submitted directly via the QualityNet website.

Why Does it Matter?

All surgical patients are clinically at risk for hypothermia because;

• Unintentional perioperative hypothermia is almost always caused by a patient’s response to general anesthesia or neuraxial anesthesia.
• A surgical patients body temperature can fluctuate therefore monitoring is preferred over episodic temperature taking.
• Hypothermia in surgical patients can delay blood clotting, healing and increase infections.
• Patients may be normothermic but state they feel cold and may even shiver; therefore, the clinician must verify whether the patient is actually normothermic.
• Surgical suite temperatures are lowered to decrease infections but can also lower body temperatures.

Crucial Criteria for Device Selection:

• Travels with patient from Pre-Op through PACU for uninterrupted results.
• Features alarms that can alert staff of drastic temperature changes, improving response time.
• Records temperature readings and generates an ASC-13 Compliant report.