GAO calls for stronger national testing strategy in public health emergencies

Editor's Note

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) is urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to strengthen its approach to diagnostic testing during a pandemic or other public health crisis, citing ongoing gaps in leadership, coordination, and readiness, according to a June 5 report from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP).

As detailed in the report, the GAO issued four recommendations and identified nearly 100 potential areas for improvement in how HHS develops, deploys, and manages testing infrastructure. The analysis follows a 2023 GAO report that noted limited progress toward HHS emergency preparedness goals. Additionally, HHS has remained on GAO’s High-Risk List since January 2022 due in part to continued shortcomings in its ability to lead national responses to pandemics, infectious disease outbreaks, and other public health threats.

The GAO review was informed by internal HHS documents, interviews with officials, and a roundtable discussion involving 19 experts selected by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The resulting recommendations emphasize the need for a national testing strategy with clearer roles and better interagency collaboration. According to CIDRAP, the four central recommendations include:

• developing a national testing strategy with designated leadership
• updating that strategy regularly to reflect emerging infectious threats
• creating or expanding a diagnostic testing forum with broad stakeholder representation
• ensuring that forum meets routinely before and during potential outbreaks.

GAO also pointed to additional actions HHS could pursue to enhance readiness. These include encouraging diagnostic test development before emergencies occur, expanding the pool of qualified testing organizations, improving communication of testing protocols, and increasing standardization in how testing data are collected. The full report offers additional detail on HHS statements on implementing these steps, the motivations for the report, the need for national coordination, and more.