Public health preparedness: COVID-19 medical surge experiences and related HHS efforts : report to congressional addressees

Public health preparedness: COVID-19 medical surge experiences and related HHS efforts : report to congressional addressees

Collection:
Health Policy and Services Research
Alternate Title(s):
COVID-19 medical surge experiences and related HHS efforts
Contributor(s):
United States. Government Accountability Office, issuing body.
Publication:
Washington, DC : United States Government Accountability Office, August 2022
Language(s):
English
Format:
Text
Subject(s):
COVID-19 -- economics
Health Care Coalitions -- economics
Surge Capacity -- economics
United States
United States. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
Genre(s):
Technical Report
Abstract:
Why GAO did this study. HHS leads the nation's medical and public health preparedness for, response to, and recovery from emergencies and disasters. This includes helping hospitals and others build medical surge readiness. Emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, put enormous strain on hospitals in times of crisis. The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2019 includes a provision for GAO to review implementation of HHS’s regional preparedness and response guidelines for hospitals and other facilities to increase medical surge capacity. Issuance of these guidelines has been delayed due to the continuing COVID19 response, according to HHS. The CARES Act also includes a provision for GAO to report on the federal response to the pandemic. This report describes (1) medical surge challenges selected hospitals faced in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and how health care coalitions have supported their efforts, and (2) selected HHS programs and activities underway to support medical surge readiness. To do this work, GAO reviewed HHS and hospital documentation. GAO also interviewed HHS officials and representatives from a nongeneralizable sample of eight hospitals and eight associated coalitions across three states. These states were selected based on their involvement in HHS regional preparedness and response efforts. We provided a draft of this report to HHS for review and comment. HHS provided technical comments, which we incorporated as appropriate.
Copyright:
The National Library of Medicine believes this item to be in the public domain. (More information)
Extent:
1 online resource (1 PDF file (ii, 43 pages))
Illustrations:
Illustrations
NLM Unique ID:
9918505287706676 (See catalog record)
Permanent Link:
http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918505287706676