Health system data underscores pandemic’s toll on state and its people
Madison, Wis., May 3, 2021—In a milestone reflecting the still intense interest in reliable, real-time data about COVID-19 in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Hospital Association Information Center (WHAIC) online COVID-19 dashboard recently logged one million views in just over a year since its launch in April 2020. In those 13 months, the dashboard has averaged 2,589 views per day.
Recognizing early on the lack of data needed to fight COVID-19, WHAIC quickly developed its dashboard, which for over a year now has served as a daily and reliable source of information for policymakers, the media and the general public. Referenced in hundreds of statewide news stories every month, WHAIC’s COVID-19 dashboard draws upon information from Wisconsin’s seven Health Care Emergency Readiness Coalitions and translates the data into accurate and easy-to-understand visualizations of COVID-19 hospitalization, testing, case, death and supply capacity data. The dashboard informs key decision-making by helping users understand the current state of the pandemic, its impact on the health care system and its changing intensity statewide and regionally and how all these measures trend over time.
“The Wisconsin Hospital Association Information Center made a commitment very early in the pandemic to put data to good use in our state’s fight against COVID-19,” said Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) President and CEO Eric Borgerding. “Entirely resourced by WHAIC, the dashboard requires a significant investment of technological resources and staff time every day, roughly 1,200 hours thus far including weekends and holidays, to maintain. It’s more than worth the effort and is one of the many ways we are proud to assist the state’s response to this once-in-a-lifetime challenge.”
The data captured in WHAIC’s COVID-19 dashboard provides a detailed accounting of the ongoing challenge. A few key milestones and data points from the dashboard tell part of Wisconsin’s COVID story thus far.
| Date | Event | ||
| · April 2, 2020 | WHAIC COVID-19 dashboard launched, 35,000 views in first 48 hours. 192 COVID-19 hospitalizations in Wisconsin—lowest one-day figure recorded to date. | ||
| · Nov. 16, 2020 | 178 – Largest single day increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations in Wisconsin. | ||
| · Nov. 17, 2020 | 2,277 – Highest, or peak, number of COVID-19 patients being treated in Wisconsin hospitals on one day. | ||
| · Nov. 19, 2020 | 113 – Largest single-day decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations in Wisconsin. | ||
| · March 21, 2021 | 193 COVID-19 hospitalizations recorded, lowest point since dashboard launch, reflecting a 91% decrease since Nov. 17 peak. | ||
| · April 30, 2021 | WHAIC COVID-19 dashboard logs one million views, averaging 2,589 views per day. |
Sadly, the dashboard also tracks deaths of Wisconsinites due to COVID-19. Much more than a number, the nearly 7,000 family members, friends and loved ones lost to this disease reflect the true toll COVID has taken on Wisconsin, underscoring the continued resolve needed to beat the virus.
Also last week, a WHAIC analysis used available data to document effects of the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic on Wisconsin’s health care system and patients seeking both COVID and non-COVID care. The report, COVID-19 Effects on Wisconsin Hospitals, Health Systems and Patient Care, is available here.
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ABOUT THE WISCONSIN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
The Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) advocates on behalf of its 130-plus member hospitals and health systems to enable the delivery of high-quality, high-value care to the citizens of Wisconsin. Learn more at wha.org.
ABOUT THE WISCONSIN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION INFORMATON CENTER
Formed in 2003, the Wisconsin Hospital Association Information Center (WHAIC) is dedicated to collecting, analyzing and communicating complete, accurate and timely data from the stat’s hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. These data include charges, utilization and quality, making WHAIC an important source for using data to enable smart health care decision making and policy development.