Please note that this information has been superseded by a more recent item and is only retained here for reference.
AFL 20-31.2 From the California Department of Public Health
July 17, 2020
TO: General Acute Care Hospitals (GACHs)
SUBJECT: GACH Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Daily Reporting
(This AFL supersedes AFL 20-31.1)
AUTHORITY: Proclamation of Emergency (PDF)
All Facilities Letter (AFL) Summary
- This AFL requires GACHs to report COVID-19 data daily to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). This reporting is to ensure California has the information necessary to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- This AFL has been updated to announce CDPH will submit data on behalf of hospitals through the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) TeleTracking. Hospitals will continue to report to CDPH daily via the COVID-19 Tracking Tool. The National Health Safety Network (NHSN) system will no longer be used for COVID-19 hospital reporting.
- The COVID-19 Tracking Tool will be updated on July 22, 2020 to reflect new reporting metrics required by DHSS.
On July 10, 2020, DHHS updated the COVID-19 Guidance for Hospital Reporting and FAQs (PDF) to reflect new reporting methods and data metrics. Beginning July 15, 2020, hospitals were required to submit COVID-19 data to DHHS using one of several methods, including the TeleTracking portal, HHS Protect or through the state. The NHSN system will no longer be used for COVID-19 hospital reporting. CDPH will submit data on behalf of hospitals through TeleTracking, beginning July 22, 2020. Hospitals will continue to report to CDPH via the COVID-19 Tracking Tool no later than 12:00 P.M. Pacific Time daily.
To facilitate the data transfer to TeleTracking, the California Hospital Association (CHA) worked with CDPH to update the COVID-19 Tracking Tool. This update incorporates data elements requested by DHHS, including information on COVID-19 confirmed and suspected patients, availability of personal protective equipment, medication shortages, remdesivir data and staffing shortages. The new COVID-19 Tracking Tool will go live on July 22, 2020. To ensure consistent reporting across the state, CDPH is providing a data dictionary (PDF) that incorporates the DHHS definitions. GACHs are encouraged to review the data dictionary (PDF) in its entirety before inputting data into the COVID-19 Tracking Tool.
The COVID-19 Tracking Tool ensures GACHs report the necessary patient and resource data to support the local, state, and federal public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have any questions about the COVID-19 Tracking Tool, please email COVIDTracker@calhospital.org.
Use of this tool will take the place of daily reporting to CDPH district offices, related to the information specified above. Use of this tool will also replace hospital reporting COVID-19 Patient Impact/Hospital Capacity and Healthcare Supply data to DHSS.
For purposes of this AFL the following definitions apply:
- “COVID confirmed” means, an individual who has at least one respiratory specimen that tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 by a CDC laboratory, state or local public health laboratory, or commercial laboratory using FDA-validated COVID-19 nucleic acid amplification (NAA).
- “COVID suspected” means, persons without a laboratory-confirmed COVID diagnosis who, in accordance with CDC’s Interim Public Health Guidance for Evaluating Persons Under Investigation (PUIs), have signs and symptoms compatible with COVID (most patients with confirmed COVID have developed fever and/or symptoms of acute respiratory illness, such as cough, shortness of breath or myalgia/fatigue).
All other reporting requirements to CDPH district offices will continue using the standard reporting process. CDPH may revise the types of information collected by issuing subsequent AFLs.
If you have any questions about this AFL, please contact the CDPH Duty Officer at CHCQDutyOfficer@cdph.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
Original signed by Heidi W. Steinecker
Heidi W. Steinecker
Deputy Director
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