Statement attributable to: Susan R. Bailey, M.D., President, American Medical Association

"Accurate, timely, transparent data is critical in public health, particularly as we face a still-worsening COVID-19 pandemic. Since the Administration announced it will streamline data reporting on hospital capacity, we have heard both questions and concerns from physicians and researchers on the front lines fighting this pandemic. We await additional details and information from the Administration on how data collection and sharing will be operationalized, but we urge and expect that the scientists at the CDC will continue to have timely, comprehensive access to data critical to inform response efforts. Additionally, state-level aggregate data must continue to be publicly accessible, as it is used to guide reopening and closing decisions.

"Critical decisions that impact the health and safety of the American people are made based on this data, and the physicians, public health officials, and elected leaders making these decisions must be able to trust the data they are seeing is timely, reliable and actionable. We urge HHS to be transparent and forthcoming about these changes to hospital reporting for COVID19 infections, so they are understood by all."