On Wednesday, the White House Coronavirus Task Force instructed hospitals across the nation to submit COVID-19 data to the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) instead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, effective Wednesday.

Hospitals were directed to stop using the CDC data collection system to report COVID-19 data including coronavirus testing, capacity, utilization and patient flow. Instead, they are required to report the data directly to a central database in Washington, according to the most recent COVID-19 Guidance for Hospital Reporting. 

"Today, the C.D.C. still has at least a week lag in reporting hospital data," Michael R. Caputo, a health and human services spokesman said. "America requires it in real time. The new, faster and complete data system is what our nation needs to defeat the coronavirus, and the C.D.C., an operating division of H.H.S., will certainly participate in this streamlined all-of-government response. They will simply no longer control it." 

Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) say the move will streamline the data collection process and assist the White House Coronavirus Task Force with allocating medical supplies more efficiently and accurately. 

HHS officials recently posted a document on the agency's website that redirected hospitals' daily reporting of a range of data meant to assess the impact of the coronavirus on them. TeleTracking Technologies, based in Pittsburgh, will now collect that information.

Yet, public health experts are raising concerns about transparency because unlike the CDC's website, the HHS COVID-19 data gathering information will not be open to the public. 

But according to CBS news, HHS chief information officer Jose Arrieta says the CDC, state and local health departments would have access to the data. Arrieta also said that HHS is also looking into ways to share the COVID-19 information with the public.

A CDC official, who is familiar with the agency's system, disputed Caputo's figures, saying only about 60 percent of the nation's hospitals have been reporting to the CDC system, but most data is collected and reported out within two days. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about it, according to AP.

The CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network system was launched 15 years ago and is perhaps best known for its work gathering, and publicly reporting, data on hospital infections. It has helped drive a successful push to reduce certain kinds of hospital infections. 

The system started its COVID-19 data collection in March. Two other systems have been put in place since, one involving hospitals reporting directly to states and the other the TeleTracking system.

The White House has also suggested that state governors deploy the National Guard to help hospitals submit daily data to the new system.

Hospitals don't think the suggestion is appropriate. Rick Pollack, president of the American Hospital Association, told the Washington Post, "It makes no sense. Certainly, the expertise of the National Guard can be used in a more productive way."

Redfield, the CDC director, said the agency will retain access to all the data. He also said the change will enable it to focus on collecting other data, like information from nursing homes. 

Still, his predecessor, Dr. Tom Frieden, expressed dismay at the decision.

"Rather than strengthening the CDC public health data system to improve hospital reporting, the administration has handed data to an unproven, commercial entity," said Frieden, who was the agency's director during the Obama administration.

In April, the government awarded a 10.2 million U.S. dollars contract to a TeleTracking Technologies, based in Pittsburgh. At the time, the company was hired to gather data on things that were already being reported to the CDC, such as available hospital beds.

TeleTracking has won 29 contracts for federal government work stretching back to 2004. None of its previous contracts paid more than $300,000. The prior contracts were for computer systems and programming at Veteran Affairs hospitals.

The company has also gotten approval to tap a government loans program designed to help small business keep employees on their payroll during the pandemic. The forgivable loan was from the Payroll Protection Program for between $5 million and $10 million. TeleTracking indicated it planned to use the loan to help save the jobs of some of its 376 workers.

TeleTracking did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The CEO of Teletracking, Michael Zamagias, also runs a real estate investment firm with several properties in Pittsburgh. One of his companies, Michael G. Zamagias Interests LTD, was approved for a Payroll Protection Program loan for between $150,000 and $350,000.

(With input from AP)

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