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Maine’s top epidemiologist said Thursday that he is concerned about implementing a controversial new federal requirement that hospitals submit their data on the coronavirus response directly to a database in Washington instead of directing it to the state first.
Prior to Wednesday, Maine hospitals were able to send that data to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which would then forward it to their federal counterparts, said Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC.
But in a change that was announced Tuesday and went into effect a day later, hospitals must now send the data, which measures things like daily virus cases and available beds, to a portal maintained by the Department of Health and Services. Humans of the USA
While the Trump administration has said the change will simplify the reporting process and make it easier to track the availability of critical supplies, the move has alarmed health experts, who they think could make it difficult to access the information contained in members of the public. in that federal database, according to the New York Times.
At least some Maine healthcare providers share those concerns, according to Maine Public.
“The downside to using the DHS website and portal is that it will create a lack of visibility and transparency in other systems and in information from other states,” John Alexander, medical director for Central Maine, told the news station Healthcare at Lewiston. “In our state, we have been using that information all the time to keep ourselves well informed and, in some cases, ahead of the issues before they got here.”
During a press conference Thursday, Shah played down the problems the change will create for the CDC in Maine, saying the state will still independently collect and publicly report the same metrics on the COVID-19 spread that has been underway. accumulating throughout the pandemic. She also said she will still be able to access data from other states collected by the federal government.
“This change will not affect operations and conduct and how we respond to the COVID-19 situation throughout the state,” Shah said.
But Shah added that the change has created new reporting burdens for Maine hospitals at a time when they are critical to the state’s response to the ongoing health threat. As a result, the CDC in Maine is working to restore the old system where hospitals could report that data directly to the state so that it can then be passed on to the feds.
“What we have heard is that this change for hospitals presents a challenge,” Shah said. Frankly, any change in any operational pace in the midst of an emergency can be onerous and damaging. We understand that and we recognize it. The CDC of Maine has only one goal in these situations: to support and support Maine hospitals that have been important allies for us from day one of the pandemic response.
Shah also expressed frustration at the lack of input that states were able to provide on such a rushed change in the federal reporting process.
“It was announced and released within 24 hours,” Shah said. “Those procedural points are important: both consultation and rapid deployment. And we’re working with the federal government to make sure that when subsequent changes of this nature are announced, they inform the states, they get our input, and they make sure that information is reflected when it is triggered by this change. “
