[DataDrivenMD]

The challenge to building a screening app is that there is no universal screening criteria (more on this in a bit). Moreover, the criteria has been changing by the day. For this MVP, we decided to stop chasing a moving target. We did the next best thing: link to the testing criteria that a location is using (to the extent that the information is publicly available).

Early in the process of sourcing data for this project, we realized that the CDC guidelines are used as a starting point, and that other factors come into play that are less transparent to the public. For example, there are still many states with extremely limited capacity. In those areas, public health departments have been forced to create lists of patients that would be tested immediately if it were possible. Lacking sufficient testing capacity, they prioritize the list of persons under investigation (PUI) using criteria that they develop internally through a collaborative effort with key stakeholders.

On our site, you will note that there are pockets of the country with lots of testing options. But that doesn't mean that testing is easy to come by. We learned that those areas are enriched for academic medical centers and large hospital systems that have been granted FDA approval for their own (custom) version of the COVID-19 test. Through strategic partnerships with community-based medical groups that predate the pandemic, patients in the broader community benefit from direct access to testing services. But the the problem has resurfaced: the demand for testing is already exceeding supply, and we witnessed the turnaround time for test results grow from 4 hours -> 12 hours -> 24 hours -> 4-5 days since we began this project exactly 7 days ago.

Make no mistake about it: the testing problem is far from resolved. Screening tools are a stopgap designed to lessen the mental anguish experienced by those who are tasked with rationing a (literally) vital resource. We will continue to explore ways to incorporate them into our project, but will approach the decision mindful of our commitment to empower everyone with the information they need to flatten the curve. To the extent that screening tools have thus far played a role in obfuscating where we are on the curve, you can rest assured that, if a screening tool finds its way onto our site, it will serve a greater purpose for a greater number of people.