Regenstrief, IHIE and others create dashboard to help public health officials respond to pandemic
The dashboard augments the State’s information by providing data on patients’ course of care through local healthcare systems. Data on hospitalizations and intensive care unit stays gives State leaders a more comprehensive picture of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on Hoosiers and the healthcare system, as well as perspective to anticipate emerging hotspots and surges.
Partners in this effort are the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), Indiana Family Social Services Administration (FSSA), Indiana Management Performance Hub (MPH), Regenstrief Institute, Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE), Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, and Indiana University School of Medicine.
The partnership makes it possible to access data from the majority of Indiana’s health systems and laboratories. Access to these data during this emergency, and to the experts who help with interpretation, allows public health professionals to identify key patterns and predict how to best respond as COVID-19 cases spread across the state.
“This data is a key component to helping state leaders make critical decisions at crucial times during this crisis. The expertise and resources of our partners brought this concept to fruition,” said Connor Norwood, PhD, chief data officer for FSSA and data leader for the State’s COVID-19 response team. “We appreciate the contributions of Regenstrief, IHIE, IU Fairbanks School of Public Health, and IU School of Medicine as we work to keep Hoosiers healthy.”
Among the capabilities that the state has leveraged are those provided by Regenstrief Institute, an international leader in informatics and health information technology, and IHIE, Indiana’s health information exchange, which also manages the Indiana Network for Patient Care, the nation’s largest interorganizational clinical data repository.
“These critical data visualizations and tools were developed thanks to the extensive data assets, connectivity, expertise and longstanding collaborations we have in Indiana,” said Peter Embí, M.D., Regenstrief president and chief executive officer and professor and associate dean for informatics and health services research at IU School of Medicine. “Collaborative efforts like this across the public and private sectors are especially crucial in times of crisis, and we are proud of the dedication and tireless work of our teams to create and maintain this resource that will help our public health officials make critical data-driven decisions for the well-being of our residents.”
“The frenetic work of responding to the outbreak has truly underscored the need for high-quality, actionable information,” says John Kansky, President and CEO, Indiana Health Information Exchange. “I’m hopeful that the dashboard will help decision-makers plan, respond and ultimately save lives.”
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Indiana State Department of Health
For more information, visit the ISDH website.
About The Regenstrief Institute
Founded in 1969 in Indianapolis, the Regenstrief Institute is a local, national and global leader dedicated to a world where better information empowers people to end disease and realize true health. A key research partner to Indiana University, Regenstrief and its researchers are responsible for a growing number of major healthcare innovations and studies. Examples range from the development of global health information technology standards that enable the use and interoperability of electronic health records to improving patient-physician communications, to creating models of care that inform practice and improve the lives of patients around the globe.
Regenstrief Institute is celebrating 50 years of healthcare innovation. Sam Regenstrief, a successful entrepreneur from Connersville, Indiana, founded the institute with the goal of making healthcare more efficient and accessible for everyone. His vision continues to guide the institute’s research mission.
About the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI
Located on Indiana’s premier research and health sciences campus, the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI is committed to advancing the public’s health and well-being through education, innovation and leadership. The Fairbanks School of Public Health is known for its expertise in biostatistics, epidemiology, cancer research, community health, environmental public health, global health, health policy and health services administration.
About Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE)
IHIE was founded in 2004 as a non-profit health information exchange that enables hospitals, physicians, laboratories, payers, and other health service providers to avoid redundancy and deliver faster, more efficient, higher quality healthcare to patients in Indiana. Today, by making information available to approximately 50,000 healthcare providers in Indiana and neighboring states, we deliver services that make a real difference in health and healthcare.
About IU School of Medicine
IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability.
More about Brian Dixon, PhD, MPA
In addition to his role as public health informatics director, Brian Dixon PhD, MPA, is a research scientist at Regenstrief Institute Center for Biomedical Informatics and Indiana University Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research, an associate professor at Fairbanks School of Public Health, and a health research scientist at the Center for Health Information and Communication, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) Service, Roudebush VA Medical Center.
More about Shaun Grannis, M.D., M.S.
In addition to his role as Regenstrief vice president for data and analytics, Shaun Grannis, M.D., M.S., is a research scientist in the Regenstrief Clem McDonald Center for Biomedical Informatics and a professor and Regenstrief Chair in Medical Informatics at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
About Peter Embí, M.D., M.S.
In addition to serving as the president and CEO of Regenstrief Institute, Dr. Embí is the Leonard Betley Professor of Medicine and associate dean for informatics and health services research at IU School of Medicine, associate director of informatics with Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute and vice president for Learning Health Systems with Indiana University Health.
Media Contacts:
John Erickson
Regenstrief Institute
prteam@regenstrief.org
(317) 643-2313
Laura Orcutt
Indiana Health Information Exchange
lorcutt@www.ihie.org
(317) 441-7151