Nationwide COVID-19 Surveillance for Nursing Homes
Powerful data for nursing facility operators and public health departments.
Baltimore, MD, June 18, 2020 — Real Time Medical Systems, the industry-leading interventional analytics solution in healthcare, is officially announcing its launch of DiseaseWatch, a data collection service providing nursing facilities and health entities a centralized infection surveillance system to immediately detect hotspots of potential infectious diseases – from COVID-19 to influenza – days in advance. In May, it was announced that DiseaseWatch would be providing data to inform the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s COVID-19 modeling.
Partnering with nursing facility operators and state healthcare associations, DiseaseWatch captures and synthesizes leading indicators of infectious disease pulled directly from the nursing facility electronic health records (EHR) systems within hours of documentation. This real-time data gives operators a powerful tool for identifying early warning signs of infectious diseases days in advance of a potential outbreak. This evidence-based data enables facilities to share data with state agencies to direct resources where they’re most needed to safely and effectively treat patients and contain transmission.
“As influenza season approaches, it will become increasingly more difficult – but essential – for nursing facilities to differentiate between the flu and new cases of COVID-19, which present with similar signs and symptoms,” said Dr. Scott Rifkin, Real Time’s executive chairman, who is a physician, nursing facility operator, and patient advocate. “Having access to DiseaseWatch data will be imperative in providing evidence-based data to support prevention, intervention, and care improvement.”
Heat Map Visualization Report. DiseaseWatch provides a geographical representation to track emerging infectious diseases, enabling healthcare organizations to identify specific areas of focus. (Note, graphic is a sample of what the program can offer and is not based on actual data.)
With the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) now requiring nursing facilities to report COVID-19 data to the CDC and the anticipated resurgence of the pandemic, it’s never been more important to have the ability to identify and respond to indications of a potential outbreak as early and accurately as possible. These new reporting guidelines come as nursing facility operators are already racing to comply with recent and significant regulatory changes from CMS made with limited corresponding guidance.
DiseaseWatch holds tremendous potential for health-related organizations of all sizes with a vested interest in monitoring the ongoing care and safety of nursing facility patients. Data provided by DiseaseWatch can help guide such entities in targeting testing, allocating resources, and ensuring that patient care is being provided consistently and appropriately across facilities, without government mandate. For more information visit realtimemed.com.
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