Informatics Corporation of America Solution Ideal for Pandemic Surveillance Preparedness
NASHVILLE, Tenn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–With increased national concern over the spread of Swine Influenza (H1N1), Informatics Corporation of America (ICA; www.icainformatics.com) points to its CareAlign™solution as a key to identification of disease and to preparedness for future epidemics and pandemics. Whether deployed within a single delivery system or within a health information exchange (HIE), CareAlign™ extracts clinical data from existing clinical information systems within the healthcare setting, aggregating the information into a single view that enables users to search and query data to identify key trends both for a patient or a patient population.
“CareAlign™ exemplifies the important role of information technology in helping our country to address pandemics and other healthcare challenges occurring after natural disasters such as hurricanes or floods,” says Gary Zegiestowsky, CEO. “With CareAlign™ in place, the aggregation of clinical data across a community allows for quick identification of trends. Today, one ICA installation is graphing emergency room visit discharge data to determine if there is a higher incidence of high fever and flu-like incidences throughout the community. As a result, they can determine if their community may be seeing an increase in flu-related incidences. This information could be vital to the identification, treatment and control of the spread of diseases such as Swine Flu within the community.”
CareAlign™ not only integrates and aggregates complete data, but also makes it meaningful for clinical decisions at the point of care, truly enabling organizations or communities to proactively drive quality outcomes. This focus on driving clinical value can be applied across multiple areas, from managing a primary care home to bio-surveillance for pandemics. It is also a key component of community analyses and research that balances security with improving community health.
Zegiestowsky points out that while it is important not to overact to the current threat of a pandemic, Homeland security officials advise that the outbreak of Swine Flu is expected to spread. In response, many health systems are proceeding as if in preparation for a full pandemic level.
“As the threat of Swine Flu continues to emerge, it is vital for community health systems to rapidly identify these trends and quickly deploy information, protocols and directives on the utilization of the antiviral prescriptions TamiFlu® and Relenza®,” says Zegiestowsky. “CareAlign™ is an important ally in meeting these challenges head-on.”
About Informatics Corporation of America (ICA)
Informatics Corporation of America (ICA) was created with nationally renowned Vanderbilt Medical Center to take innovative technology developed by Vanderbilt physicians to the broader healthcare market. Today ICA is unmatched in its ability to deliver a cost-effective, proven solution that leverages complete data across clinical settings to aid decision-making and improve patient outcomes. Visit www.icainformatics.com
