Â鶹ŮÓÅ

Concerned about the accuracy and uniformity of COVID-19 data, a bipartisan coalition of fiscal watchdogs have banded together to try to help make sure states are compiling and tracking information the same way. The state auditors will take a close look at how health officials in their own states are collecting, reporting and monitoring data. The goals are to ensure that information presented to the public is consistent and accurate, to allow apples-to-apples comparisons among states and to help officials get a better handle on the issue if the pandemic gets worse in the coming months or there is another disaster in the future. (Bergal, 9/4)

The Houston medical supply company US Med-Equip said Thursday it has acquired a New Jersey competitor as the COVID-19 pandemic drives medical equipment sales and rentals. The privately held US Med-Equip said the acquisition of Martab Equipment Management Services will give it access to markets in the Northeast and Middle Atlantic States, where Martab has seven regional branches stretching from Maryland to Massachusetts and west to Ohio. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. (Wu, 9/3)

Kaiser Health News: HHS Plan To Improve Rural Health Focuses On Better Broadband, Telehealth Services  

Knowing it may be met with some skepticism, the Trump administration Thursday announced a sweeping plan that officials say will transform health care in rural America. Even before the coronavirus pandemic reached into the nation’s less-populated regions, rural Americans were sicker, poorer and older than the rest of the country. Hospitals are shuttering at record rates, and health care experts have long called for changes. (Tribble, 9/4)

The U.S. has the world's most expensive health care system, but it leaves roughly 30 million people uninsured. As policymakers consider making changes, some are looking to Australia as a model. That nation has achieved universal health coverage at a lower cost, using a successful mix of public and private systems. (Brangham and Kane, 9/3)