“A group of
more than 100 stakeholders signed a letter on Friday to Vice President Mike Pence and Dr. Deborah Birx, along with HHS Secretary Alex Azar, to reverse the policy directing hospitals to bypass the CDC.”
HHS unveils Coronavirus Data Hub, but accuracy is still in question
—-
“The letter signers, which include the American Medical Informatics Association, the American Public Health Association, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and its HIV Medicine Association, among dozens of others, also asked the administration to invest in CDC data reporting and to acknowledge the critical need for data at the state and local level.
"Creating duplicate, siloed data reporting systems may make it harder for jurisdictions to get an accurate picture of the pandemic and limit visibility across neighboring states and localities," read the letter.”
[...]
“The publicization of the administration's new reporting requirements for hospitals triggered a flurry of responses across the industry.
In a special bulletin, the American Hospital Association told its members to report the information to HHS as requested.
"The agency notes it will no longer ask for one-time requests for data to aid in the distribution of remdesivir or any other treatments or supplies. This means that the daily reporting is the only mechanism used for the distribution calculations," said the AHA.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of sharing data, the need for tracking of resources and patient numbers has continuously conflicted with
technological capacity. It remains to be seen how smoothly hospitals will switch over to the new reporting system, with its additional required questions.
ON THE RECORD
"Reliable, comprehensive and timely data are essential to monitor and evaluate the state of the pandemic and to inform an effective response, including the distribution of essential supplies and treatment," wrote the stakeholders.
"We urge you not to advance the new data collection plan any further and instead consult with the public health and healthcare communities to discuss effective strategies for ensuring the availability of the data we all need and want to bring the pandemic under control in the U.S.," they continued.”
More than 100 industry groups ask Trump to reverse HHS data reporting requirement
