Improving Care Coordination with Real-Time Patient Encounter Notifications

2022 NACo Achievement Award Winner

San Bernardino County, Calif., CA

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About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

Cases of congenital syphilis (CS) have risen steadily in the last 5 years as cases of syphilis continue to increase nationally. CS is preventable with routine care, though not often afforded to pregnant patients with high levels of vulnerability. Coordinating care for pregnant patients can be difficult due to upstream issues and risk factors, including lack of access to medical care, homelessness, and methamphetamine use. Manifest MedEx (MX) Notify sends real-time admission/discharge/transfer (ADT) notifications when a patient is admitted to and discharged from a healthcare facility, enhancing care coordination efforts of the public health team. Emergency department (ED) use has been increasing over the past few years and has become a source for primary care for patients who lack access to outpatient care. MX Notify saves valuable time in communicable disease control efforts, allowing public health teams and providers to request and receive patient health information much faster than traditional methods of calling providers and waiting for information to be e-mailed or faxed. With real-time notifications, RN Case Managers can intervene quickly to coordinate treatment for infants and pregnant people diagnosed with STDs to reduce adverse health outcomes and risk of transmission, ultimately preventing further spread of disease and debilitation.