More improvement needed on NY health data collection

Former state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker's recent appearance before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic might have been eye-opening, an insightful, honest look at what the state Health Department did right — and wrong — during the pandemic. Or, it might have been an example of Zucker's usual talking points, defending New York's response, blaming nursing homes and other facilities, bereft of needed accountability and information.

As of now, we have no idea what Zucker said because his appearance took place in a closed-door session. Making public the transcript of that session would be important for current New York officials who could learn from Zucker's experience, if it's forthright and thorough.

For years, families of nursing home residents and others have tried to assess COVID-19's staggering impact on nursing homes, what state officials did right and wrong, and what changes have been and should be made.

More than 15,000 New York nursing home residents died of COVID-19, according to state data. Long-standing problems that predated the pandemic in such areas as infectious control, data collection, regulation, and oversight compounded the horror and remain concerns.

Zucker's Washington testimony came as New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli published a follow-up report to his March 2022 audit of the state Department of Health. State officials still haven't followed through on some of his earlier recommendations, DiNapoli said. The department, for instance, still isn't doing enough to assess and utilize the data it collects on infection control, to guide nursing homes and other long-term facilities on how to collect the information, or to ensure its reliability. As a result, DiNapoli said in the follow-up report, there's “a good chance” that the Health Department's data is “at times, inaccurate, inconsistent or incomplete.”

That's concerning and disappointing. Health Department officials respond that they have made significant efforts to improve their regulatory capabilities, especially when it comes to data, infection control and communication. They say they've added staff, improved technology, and upgraded internal procedures. 

Those are good steps, but clearly not enough. The department remains understaffed and likely needs more resources. To become a more modern, streamlined regulator, it must improve employee training, better use existing resources, and fully address the remaining DiNapoli recommendations. And state officials and industry leaders must together address significant shortcomings.

This isn't only about preparation for and response to a pandemic like COVID-19. The deeper problems within the long-term care industry — from infection control and staffing to resident care — remain enormous, affecting patients and their families on a day-to-day basis. On that, real progress unfortunately remains elusive.