HHS has issued new guidance, effective July 15, changing the protocol for how hospitals are required to report COVID-19 data to the federal government. Previously, hospitals reported data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) via the National Healthcare Safety Network website. The new guidance shifts data collection responsibilities to HHS, which has contracted with the company TeleTracking to create the new reporting system. HHS will use the data to monitor and allocate supplies, treatments, and other resources, including Remdesivir (an antiviral medication used to treat coronavirus).
The HHS guidance requires hospitals to submit daily reports of detailed information, including the number of available beds and ventilators. Hospitals may report the data directly to the TeleTracking system or to their state government. Under the CDC data collection system, hospitals could report data to their respective state governments, and the state would submit data to the CDC. Under the new guidance, hospitals may continue to do so, as long as:
- they receive a written release from their state;
- the state has received written certification from their Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Regional Administrator to take over federal reporting responsibilities; and
- the state has assumed reporting responsibilities.
The new guidance includes the full list of 32 data points that must be reported and is available here.