CDC released a draft plan to simplify federal Covid-19 data collection for health care facilities, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from California, Georgia, and Illinois.

• California: Members of a union that represents 1,300 resident physicians and fellows at Los Angeles County+University of Southern California Medical Center (LAC+USCMC), Harbor-University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Outpatient Center on Tuesday announced that they voted to authorize a strike. Between May 16 and May 30, the union voted 99% in favor of their bargaining committee calling a strike over what they consider to be unfair labor practices. With the vote, the Committee of Interns and Residents, a local chapter of Service Employees International Union, alleged that the county gave workers "no choice but to be ready to strike, failing a resolution in the coming days," the union said in a news release. "The results of our vote show how committed we are across our hospitals and across our departments to taking this next step if we need to," added Mahima Iyengar, a resident at LAC+USCMC and a Committee of Interns and Residents regional VP. Meanwhile, Los Angeles County noted that "[n]egotiations are ongoing, and the county remains hopeful of reaching a fair and fiscally responsible contract with our labor partners. The authorization vote by the Committee of Interns and Residents is not a strike and services to the public are continuing without interruption." (Christ, Modern Healthcare, 6/1)

• Georgia: CDC released a draft plan to simplify the federal Covid-19 data it collects from health care facilities. Under the plan, CDC will likely stop collecting data on suspected cases of Covid-19 that have not been confirmed by tests. The agency may also taper off federal reporting from health care facilities that are not major intake points for cases, including rehabilitation and mental health facilities. While CDC encouraged hospitals to report all suspected infections early in the pandemic, tests are no longer in short supply, and most hospitals test patients upon admission, which means cases can either be confirmed or ruled out within a few hours. As a result, the agency noted that data on suspected cases is not as useful as it was during the early stages of the pandemic. According to Bloomberg, people familiar with the plan said the drafted recommendations are currently in the final review stages. Notably, these changes would only apply to federal data collection, which means states will still be able to request other types of information from health care facilities. (Gamble, Becker's Hospital Review, 5/27; Griffin/Armstrong, Bloomberg, 5/26)

• Illinois: The American Hospital Association (AHA) on Wednesday highlighted resources to help support the LGBTQ+ community while furthering health equity. AHA has shared resources through its Institute for Diversity and Health Equity that provide practical solutions to help all hospitals and health systems create a more inclusive and equitable community. (American Hospital Association, 6/1)