What You Need to Know:
– To limit the spread of COVID-19 in healthcare settings, Rimidi has developed a Coronavirus (COVID-19) screening application for health systems to identify at-risk patients and direct them to appropriate locations.
– The EHR-integrated app is one of the first designed specifically to flag patients with possible Coronavirus symptoms, enabling health systems to mitigate the spread and optimize treatment.
Rimidi, a cloud-based software platform, today announced the launch of its patient-reported outcomes survey app to help limit the spread of COVID-19 in healthcare settings. Ultimately, the simplicity and accessibility of the screening app will help minimize the spread and impact of COVID-19 in healthcare settings by reducing the number of undiagnosed patients interacting with patients seeking standard care.
“One of the greatest challenges in China and across other countries that faced early COVID-19 outbreaks has been hospital-based transmission,” said Lucienne Ide, MD, Ph.D., founder of Rimidi. “With the app, we can help keep potentially infectious individuals from exposing other patients or staff in the healthcare system in waiting rooms, emergency rooms, or triage before they are identified and separated.”
Combatting Coronavirus Spread via Advanced EHR-integrated Technology
Along with their text message appointment reminder, patients are sent a brief COVID-19 screening survey inquiring about current symptoms and recent travel. Integrated within the electronic health record (EHR), patient responses are easily captured and analyzed by clinical teams. The survey respondents demonstrating the potential risk of COVID-19 exposure, in accordance with the latest CDC guidelines, are immediately notified with the appropriate next steps of care and treatment options, while the healthcare system is confidentially made aware of the at-risk patient.
Ultimately, the simplicity and accessibility of Rimidi’s screening app will help minimize the spread and impact of COVID-19 in healthcare settings by reducing the number of undiagnosed patients interacting with patients seeking standard care. It will also limit the exposure of healthcare staff to potentially infectious patients in settings that are not adequately prepared.
Rimidi remains in close coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and will incorporate new evidence and its evolving guidance into the screening app as it emerges. This may include ongoing remote monitoring and self-reporting by patients in quarantine, among other features
COVID-19 Screening App Availability
Currently, the app is in expedited beta testing by select U.S. health systems operating in the regions at the greatest risk of a Coronavirus outbreak. Rimidi anticipates the general availability of the app before the end of March 2020.
Dr. Ide added, “The need for such a screening app was advocated for in a JAMA article following the Ebola outbreak in 2014. Today, the potential COVID-19 public health emergency reinforces the healthcare industry’s need for interoperability and stronger data-sharing rules to ease the flow of information, which enables rapid deployment of a single application across multiple EHR platforms.”
