Houston Methodist has successfully launched the eCR approach to electronic case reporting, making it the first in the country to do so. The health system conducted the pilot program in collaboration with the Houston Health Department and Epic.
Electronic case reporting enables a healthcare organization to automatically send case reports directly to public health agencies.
Designed by key stakeholders under the Digital Bridge collaborative, the eCR approach is being piloted at eight healthcare sites in the U.S. The CDC along with members of the Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists chose five conditions for the pilot sites to electronically report: chlamydia, gonorrhea, pertussis, salmonella and Zika.
"Digital Bridge partners have created an innovative approach that allows our hospital system to reduce the burden on our healthcare providers for meeting public health reporting requirements," said Roberta Schwartz, executive vice president and chief innovation officer at Houston Methodist Hospital.