Section 512.598 - [Effective 10/1/2024] Decarbonization and Resilience Initiative(a)Voluntary reporting. A TEAM participant may elect to respond to questions and report metrics related to the TEAM participant's, or the TEAM participant's corporate affiliate's, emissions to CMS on an annual basis following each performance period. Voluntary reporting includes the following metrics: (1) Organizational questions, which are a set of questions about the TEAM participants' sustainability team and sustainability activities.(2) Building energy metrics, which are a set of metrics related to measuring and reporting GHG emissions related to energy use at TEAM participant facilities. (i) Building energy metrics are based on the ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® guidelines for the time of submission. TEAM participants reporting these metrics must submit using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager in the manner described in paragraph (b) of this section.(ii) Metrics to be collected include all of the following:(A) ENERGY STAR® Score for Hospitals as defined in the ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® as well as supporting data which may include energy use intensity, electricity, natural gas, and other source emissions and normalizing factors such as building size, number of full-time equivalent workers, number of staffed beds, number of magnetic resonance imaging machines, zip codes, and heating and cooling days, as specified in the ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager®.(B) Energy cost, to capture total energy costs, as specified in the ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager®.(C) Total, direct, and indirect GHG emissions and emissions intensity as specified in the ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager®.(3) Anesthetic gas metrics, which are a set of metrics related to measuring and managing emissions from anesthetic gas which include all of the following:(i) Total greenhouse gas emissions from inhaled anesthetics based on purchase records.(ii) Normalization factors that may include information on anesthetic hours, operating rooms, or MAC-hour equivalents.(iii) Assessment questions based on key actions recommended for reducing emissions for anesthetic gases.(4) Transportation metrics, which are a set metrics that focus on greenhouse gases related to leased or owned vehicles and may include any of the following: (i) Gallons for owned and leased vehicles.(ii) Normalization factors that may include patient encounter volume and the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees.(iii) Assessment questions on key actions to reduce transportation emissions.(b)Manner and timing of reporting.(1) If the TEAM participant elects to report the metrics in paragraph (b) of this section to CMS, such information must be reported to CMS in a form and manner specified by CMS for each performance year, including the use of ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® for the building energy metrics at paragraph (a)(2) of this section and a survey and questionnaire for questions and metrics at paragraphs (a)(1), (3), and (4) of this section.(2) If the TEAM participant chooses to participate, the TEAM participant must report the information to CMS- (i) No later than 120 days in the year following the performance year; or(ii) A later date as specified by CMS.(c)Individualized feedback reports; recognition. If a TEAM participant elects to report all the metrics specified in paragraph (a) of this section to CMS, in the manner specified in paragraph (b) of this section, CMS annually provides the TEAM participant with the following: (1) Individualized feedback reports, which may summarize facilities' emissions metrics and may include benchmarks, as feasible, for normalized metrics to compare facilities, in aggregate, to other TEAM participants in the Decarbonization and Resilience Initiative. A TEAM participant that receives individualized feedback reports from CMS must request approval from CMS in writing and receive written approval from CMS prior to publication or public disclosure of data or information contained in the individualized feedback reports.(2) Publicly reported hospital recognition for the TEAM participant's commitment to decarbonization through a hospital recognition badge publicly reported on a CMS website, which may include recognition of the TEAM participant's corporate affiliates when such data has been submitted as specified in paragraph (a) of this section.