Auditor General DePasquale: Fiscal Watchdogs in Pennsylvania, Other States to Review COVID-19 Data Reporting, Monitoring
Auditor General DePasquale: Fiscal Watchdogs in Pennsylvania, Other States to Review COVID-19 Data Reporting, Monitoring
HARRISBURG (July 28, 2020) – Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today joined with the fiscal watchdogs of other states to announce a first-of-its-kind project to review how COVID-19 data has been tracked and reported.
“Each participating state will examine data collection, reporting and monitoring of COVID-19 cases,” DePasquale said. “The goal is to help states increase the accuracy of data collection and interpretation, and to apply analytical techniques to improve our understanding of the pandemic’s progression.”
Pennsylvania worked with four other states – Delaware, Florida, Mississippi and Ohio – to create a framework for all participating states to follow. The questions were designed so that apples-to-apples comparisons among states can be made after all reviews are complete.
“There are differences in how each state has approached data collection, reporting and monitoring of COVID-19 cases,” DePasquale said. “By adopting a standardized approach to state-level reviews, we can help ensure consistency so that public health officials have access to the most reliable information.”
The multistate effort received initial coordination assistance from the National State Auditors Association and was the brainchild of Delaware State Auditor Kathleen McGuiness. Participating states will begin work on the project by this fall, and each state will release results when its review is complete.
Other participating entities include: Louisiana Legislative Auditor; Michigan Office of the Auditor General; Tennessee Office of the Comptroller of the Treasury; Colorado State Auditor's Office; District of Columbia Office of the Auditor; Puerto Rico Office of the Comptroller; and Iowa Office of the Auditor of State.
Learn more about the Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General online at www.PaAuditor.gov.
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