Electronic Health Reporter

Health organizations worldwide must gather, share and track significant patient data to help increase vigilance as the mosquito-borne Zika virus spreads to the U.S. from South America. As patients move about through health systems in the U.S., hospital transfer centers are uniquely positioned to capture and be the conduit for key information to be shared and software from Central Logic is being updated so these health systems can respond quickly, accurately and appropriately.

“Asking the correct questions in a clinical setting, then sharing and tracking critical patient data is key to stemming an epidemic,” said Darin Vercillo, co-founder and chief medical officer at Central Logic, the healthcare industry’s leading provider of innovative transfer center technology solutions. “Like we did with Ebola and H1N1, we quickly developed and have already deployed new Zika-focused protocols to Central Logic Transfer Center’s clients.”

More than 430 hospitals around the U.S. now use Central Logic solutions.

As the first U.S. cases of Zika appeared in early February in Florida and Texas, Central Logic was simultaneously preparing new protocols to be sent to its clients so referring and accepting providers had appropriate screening questions consistent with World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. Because Central Logic’s solutions are flexible and customizable, the company offers invaluable support so health providers can capture patient data and, based upon the response, determine appropriate next steps for the patient whether they are admitted to a facility or not. Central Logic solutions are completely HIPAA compliant and offer data visibility and system interconnectivity.

“We developed our health IT solutions with the ability to turn on a dime precisely for this reason,” Vercillo said. “When disease clusters and new infectious threats appear the industry must be agile. Regardless of a patient’s diagnosis and planned management, it’s crucial that data be captured, easily shared among systems, and leveraged to improve the situation. Immediate and accurate visibility is paramount.”

The Zika virus was first spotted in May 2015 in Brazil and is spread to people through mosquito bites. The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. While uncommon, severe cases of the disease require hospitalization and health systems must be properly prepared.

Vercillo led the Central Logic team as they updated protocols for software updates during the Ebola crisis in 2014 and the H1N1 flu virus (swine flu) pandemic in 2009. As with these prior worldwide crises, the company’s application provides tools that can help clinically track the Zika virus and provide alerts. Additionally, the Central Logic application can be altered on the spot to immediately include any additional CDC guidelines that evolve. The Central Logic update allows hospitals to record and take appropriate action in real time if:

• The patent has traveled to a known area containing the Zika virus
• The patient has a rash
• The patient has a fever
• The patient has joint pain
• The patient has conjunctivitis
• The patient is pregnant

These reportable alerts and clinical screening protocols are real-time and visible throughout the system, providing critical transitional care information for the patient and for the community.

# # #

About Central Logic: As the industry’s leading provider of innovative transfer center and on-call scheduling technology, Central Logic’s team works collaboratively with more than 430 hospitals and thousands of healthcare customers or relationships – including physicians, administrators, and healthcare staff – to design and implement patient flow software solutions that increase admissions and streamline capacity. Founded in 2005, the company helps hospitals and systems measurably increase the number of patient admissions and patient transfer volumes while maximizing hospital staffing, resources, operational efficiency and care coordination.