Indiana Health Information Exchange Delivered Swine Flu Alert to Several Thousand Marion County Physicians
Created on Wednesday, 15 August 2012 09:28
Contact: Collette DuValle, 317-221-2463
Marion County Public Health Department Issued Alert Following Statewide Spike in Human Cases
INDIANAPOLIS -The Marion County Public Health Department harnessed the power of the Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE) to broadcast a critical swine flu alert to more than 3,700 healthcare providers in Marion County. The alert was delivered by DOCS4DOCS®, a secure clinical messaging service of IHIE, to remind healthcare providers to be diligent in identifying possible cases and included information about the characteristic symptoms of the H3N2v virus, as well as a list of recommendations and resources should a physician need to treat a patient with swine flu.
Although no cases of swine flu have been reported in Marion County, the alert was ordered last week to notify area healthcare providers after nearly 100 new human cases were reported statewide. Additionally, six feverish pigs were identified at the Indiana State Fair, prompting the early removal of all swine from the fair, which takes place in Marion County.
“DOCS4DOCS® is a great service for our physicians,” said Virginia A. Caine, MD, director of the Marion County Public Health Department. “It allows us to get our public health messages out to Marion County physicians in a quick and timely manner. It also saves us time and money. It is much faster than the traditional delivery methods. DOCS4DOCS® is yet another step in our healthcare system that is improving the health outcomes of our community and state.”
Thousands of clinical messages are delivered daily through DOCS4DOCS® around the state, including hospital admission and discharge notices, lab test results and radiology and transcription reports.
“Delivering public health messages to a wide geographic area is not the most common use case for DOCS4DOCS® but it was an effective solution and we are glad we had the opportunity to help serve the public and support the efforts of Dr. Caine and the Marion County Public Health Department,” said Jane Niederberger, Vice President of Client Services for IHIE. “I am proud of the IHIE team for pulling together an effective solution in such short order.”
IHIE employees recognized for their efforts to quickly deliver the public health alert include Scott Moshier, Manager of Solutions Development and John Sanchez, Senior Analyst and Programmer with support from Maggie Hilt, Meghan Mack and Hui Xiao.
About Indiana Health Information Exchange, Inc.
Indiana Health Information Exchange, Inc.(IHIE) is a non-profit corporation formed in 2004 by the Regenstrief Institute, private hospitals, localand state health departments, BioCrossroads and other prominent organizations in Indiana. IHIE is the nation’s largest health information exchange organization, delivering clinical information to providers securely and efficiently, along with providing information to assist providers as they care for patients needing preventive care and management of chronic diseases. An IHIE-led collaboration (Central Indiana Beacon Community) is one of 17 national cooperatives to help advance healthcare quality and efficiency. This collaboration will help communities in Indiana identify opportunities to measurably improve patient care. The IHIE network includes facilities throughout the state, from Evansville, Ind. to Crown Point, Ind. ( http://www.ihie.org/About/IHIE-Hospital-Network.php )
To learn more, visit www.ihie.org .
