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CDC Selects GE Healthcare to Track H1N1, Seasonal Flu Data

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has selected GE Healthcare's electronic medical records network to monitor the spread of the H1N1 influenza and seasonal flu virus, Health Leaders reports. Under the agreement, GE Healthcare will leverage its Medical Quality Improvement Consortium (MQIC), an online repository of anonymous clinical data, to provide a real-time update on the status of flu activity every 24 hours. Participating physicians automatically contribute anonymous data to MQIC daily through GE's Centricity electronic medical record when they document information collected during patient visits to physician offices and clinics. Based on this data, the CDC can track clinical symptoms, such as fever, nausea and chills; prescription trends; and vaccination rates. The data also includes select patient demographic information, such as a patient age and whether they are pregnant. According to an internist at program participant Washington D.C.-based MedStar Health, "the data passed along by doctors is a clinically-accurate representation of H1N1-related symptoms and trends" that can be used to help "CDC researchers to track hotspots as the flu season evolves and quickly communicate that information to health care providers to improve awareness and response for better clinical outcomes" (Commins, Health Leaders, 10/29/09).

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