The CDC will likely stop collecting hospitals' data on suspected cases of COVID-19 that have not been confirmed by tests, Bloomberg reported May 26.
Bloomberg News reviewed a draft of the CDC's plan to simplify the COVID-19 data it collects from hospitals. When tests were in short supply early in the pandemic and it could take days to confirm results, the CDC encouraged hospitals to report all likely infections. Now most hospitals test all patients upon admission, meaning suspected cases can be confirmed or ruled out within hours and the data point is not as useful as it once may have been.
Under the drafted plan, the CDC may also wind down federal reporting from rehabilitation and mental health facilities that are not major intake points for virus cases, according to Bloomberg.
The drafted recommendations are in final stages of review, people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named told Bloomberg. The changes would apply to federal collection of data; states can still ask hospitals and other healthcare facilities to report other types of information.