DES MOINES – Iowa’s Auditor released a report today that says Governor Kim Reynolds’ Test Iowa reporting chain for Covid is “wasteful and risky”.
This report was initiated due to state and county level employees reaching out to the Auditor of State’s Office to discuss reporting delays related to Test Iowa. The reporting delays mentioned could have a negative impact on the pandemic response by hindering contact tracing and decision- making at both governmental and individual levels, the Auditor’s office said. The investigation claims to have “identified illegal and unbusinesslike practices, inefficiencies, and apparently pointless risks” in the Test Iowa system.
Auditor of State Rob Sand today released a report on COVID-19 test reporting involving the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the State Hygienic Laboratory (SHL) for the period April 21, 2020 through July 10, 2020. Procedures were performed as a result of concerns regarding reporting delays and indirect reporting related to Test Iowa identified by state and county level employees. The issues could have a negative impact on the pandemic response by hindering contact tracing and decision-making at both governmental and individual levels.
Sand reported section 139A.3 of the Code of Iowa requires health care providers or laboratories attending a person infected with a reportable disease “shall immediately report the case to the department.” It also requires IDPH to publish and distribute instructions concerning the method of reporting.
Sand also reported the SHL is analyzing every potential COVID-19 specimen collected through Test Iowa. However, SHL sends Test Iowa results exclusively to a private entity that is a part of the Test Iowa program, rather than reporting them immediately to IDPH as required by the Code. The result then goes to another private company, then to another state entity, prior to finally reaching IDPH. The reporting chain for Test Iowa is contrary to law, takes apparently pointless risks, and increases taxpayer risk of legal liabilities.
In addition, Sand reported the Test Iowa reporting chain, which includes three intermediaries prior to test results being reported to IDPH, is wasteful and risky when compared to immediate reporting. Each link in the chain is an area where the integrity, reliability, and timely transmission of information is put at unnecessary risk of error, equipment failure, maladministration, outright falsification, or any other cause. The private entities included in the reporting chain also have similar contracts established with Utah and Nebraska and may be pursuing additional contracts. Adding these entities to the reporting chain prior to reporting test results to IDPH makes timely reporting of results and therefore public health in Iowa dependent upon their processing schedules and capacity.
Finally, Sand reported no documentation was provided of an IDPH order establishing the reporting chain currently used. As SHL reports being instructed to report in this manner and IDPH does not deny that, such instruction must have been verbal.
The report includes a recommendation the SHL immediately begin reporting Test Iowa results to the IDPH, as the law requires. Due to the ongoing and high-risk nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, this change should be made immediately in order to eliminate apparently pointless risks, potential legal liability, and improve the state’s response to the pandemic. It also includes a recommendation to the IDPH that any orders should be in writing and be published as required by law.
Copies of the report have been filed with the Polk and Johnson County Sheriff’s Offices, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Polk and Johnson County Attorney’s Offices, and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. A copy of this report is available for review on the Auditor of State’s web site at https://auditor.iowa.gov/reports/audit-reports/.
Back in April, Governor Kim Reynolds launched the Test Iowa Initiative to expand testing capacity to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Iowa. The state is partnering with Nomi Health and its subsidiary DOMO which has already launched a similar initiative in the state of Utah.
My son in West Texas had Covid19. He has been tested twice. Each time he had the test results in one hour. He gets tested at a Urgent Care Unit. He said the Texas State test take five days to report like Iowa. Urgent Care does it in one hour.
Iowa has got it bad. Testing a few does not do it. It will get worst. Florida is being crushed by King Kong Coronie. They are starting to shutdown the states again. Open schools and the whole nation will be entering new uncharted territory. Spanish flu ain’t sh!t compared to this monster. It’s like that old 50’s movie ‘The Blob’. It’s about to explode. Dark winter ahead. There’s the facts… then there’s the truth. Facts are not always the truth. With so much economic damage it is a wise idea to not count on surplus money Governor. The 30’s was lean times in River City and elsewhere. Lean and mean.
Coronie means:
Coronie is a district of Suriname, situated on the coast. Coronie’s capital city is Totness.
OR
Coronie is a term that is typically used to describe a fellow worker of the same yard/report location that drives a bus.
Which do you mean?
The article is about Covid-19, everybody knows what he means, except you!!! NIT’s official grammar NAZI, is alive and well.
If they are to dumb to type Covid, instead of Coronie, who is the stupid one?
…too dumb…