According to the CDC ™s Office of Program Grant Officials, the CDC selected GE Healthcare for the database ™s built-in reporting capabilities. The resulting information helps the CDC better understand the characteristics of H1N1 outbreaks and determine who is at most risk for developing complications from the virus. Traditionally, this data is collected using insurance claims data, a process with a significant lag time.

Using MQIC, the GE Centricity EMR ™s H1N1 surveillance reports communicate clinical findings at an early point of detection as many patients with milder flu symptoms will visit their primary care provider, instead of a hospital, said Dr. Peter Basch, Internist with MedStar Health, Washington, DC and program participant. The data passed along by doctors is a clinically-accurate representation of H1N1-related symptoms and trends, which enables CDC researchers to track hotspots as the flu season evolves and quickly communicate that information to healthcare providers to improve awareness and response for better clinical outcomes.

Source: GE Healthcare