Hospital inpatient bed utilization data has been added to the Kansas City Region COVID-19 Data Hub. Hospital data displayed on the hub is sourced through HHS TeleTracking.
Rationale: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention introduced COVID-19 community levels to “help communities and individuals make decisions based on their local context and their unique needs.” The CDC looks at the combination of three metrics — new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past 7 days, the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients and total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days — to determine the COVID-19 community level. You can read more about the calculation on the CDC website.
FAQ:
Q: Why is there a difference in percent of inpatient hospital beds used by patients with COVID-19 on the CDC and hub websites?
A: There are two main reasons for this difference:
- While both sites are using a 7-day average, the range of dates used for this calculation may vary. MARC hospital data uses a two-day lag to ensure data completeness and is updated daily Monday through Friday.
- Geographic summaries differ between the two resources. The CDC uses “Health Service Areas,” while the hub offers summaries based on jurisdictional boundaries.
Q: How is the percent of inpatient hospital beds used by patients with COVID-19 calculated?
A: Here’s how:
Percent of inpatient beds used by patients with COVID-19 =
7-Day Rolling Average (Total COVID Inpatients (COVID Confirmed Adults + COVID Confirmed Pediatrics)) / 7-Day Rolling Average (Total Inpatient Beds)
Additional questions, comments or concerns are always welcomed at covidhub@marc.org.