Please note that this information has been superseded by a more recent item and is only retained here for reference.
AFL 20-31.1 From the California Department of Public Health
April 18, 2020
TO: General Acute Care Hospitals (GACHs)
SUBJECT: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Daily Reporting
(This AFL supersedes AFL 20-31)
AUTHORITY: Proclamation of Emergency (PDF)
All Facilities Letter (AFL) Summary
- This AFL supersedes AFL 20-31 and modifies previous daily reporting information.
- This AFL notifies GACHs of the need to have daily updates on the number and status of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) patients, bed capacity, and personal protective equipment availability to ensure California has the information necessary to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- This AFL also notifies GACHs that the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) will submit data on behalf of hospitals through the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) COVID-19 module per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) instructions.
On April 11, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced (PDF) that states can now submit federally requested COVID-19 data on behalf of hospitals through the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) module. To facilitate the data transfer, the California Hospital Association worked with CDPH to update the COVID-19 Tracking Tool to incorporate information on COVID-19 confirmed and suspected patients, and availability of equipment and information requested by the DHHS related to COVID-19. In addition, several fields were removed from the COVID-19 tracking tool to reduce reporting burden.
The COVID-19 Tracking Tool ensures that GACHs are reporting the necessary patient and resource data to support the local, state and federal public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To that end, CDPH requests that GACHs update the COVID-19 Tracking Tool no later than 12:00 P.M. Pacific Time daily. Instructions for the tool are available here (PDF). Questions related to the COVID-19 Tracking Tool can be sent to 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 NHSN. In order for CDPH to submit data to NHSN, GACHs must confer rights to the NHSN CDPH group to upload data on their behalf, accept that the rights for their data are viewable to CDPH, and not grant rights to groups other than CDPH to upload COVID-19 data on their behalf.
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 Steinecker
Heidi W. Steinecker
Deputy Director
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