The CDC’s DHQP
(Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion) has leveraged their
expertise with partners such as TheraDoc to develop this
project, which is a research and development component of the
National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). The ultimate goal is
to advance the nation’s ability to survey antimicrobial use in
hospitals and reduce the proliferation of
antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. An intermediary goal is to
define industry-standard message specifications that all
healthcare information systems can use to report relevant data.
Gary A. Noskin, M.D., medical director, healthcare epidemiology
and quality, at Northwestern Memorial, stated, “By streamlining
daily reporting processes and maximizing the use of clinical
data, TheraDoc exemplifies the type of help the CDC needs to
create a robust system for monitoring antimicrobial use.” He
added, “The CDC can effectively and more-quickly combat this
growing threat to public health through timelier surveillance
and earlier identification of emerging resistance.”
Northwestern Memorial and University of Utah implemented the
TheraDoc Expert System Platform® (ESP), Infection Control
Assistant® and Antibiotic Assistant® to enhance infection
control and improve the quality and safety of patient care. Now,
the ESP is serving as a standards-based public reporting system
that daily transmits secure clinical data to a federal public
health agency.
Matthew Samore, M.D., chief, division of clinical epidemiology
at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System and University of
Utah, said, “TheraDoc’s technology is the next generation of
infection surveillance systems, and enables public reporting at
minimal additional cost.” He further explained, “The AUR reports
represent a huge step forward, and will become increasingly
powerful as more and more hospitals participate.”
Messaging and vocabulary standards are essential to the
successful transmission of AUR reports, as are the
interoperability standards promoted by the Public Health
Information Network (PHIN). In partnership with the CDC and
other healthcare consultants, TheraDoc has contributed its
knowledge as well as HL7 and clinical informatics experience to
the development and implementation of cutting-edge standards
such as those utilized in the AUR eSurveillance project.
Strictly adhering to data exchange, messaging and vocabulary
standards by design, TheraDoc technology enables
interoperability and connectivity within healthcare IT systems
while automating the timely collection and delivery of accurate
clinical data. This commitment to standards allows the
technology to significantly increase any user’s ability to
compile and analyze clinical data – whether at the CDC, in a
hospital, or at a state and federal public health agency.
Stan Pestotnik, president and CEO of TheraDoc, explained,
“Applying standards to enable the transmission of data that is
easily understood by IT systems and clinical personnel is truly
groundbreaking.” He stated further,“ Our software not only
delivers important and timely information to public health
agencies, it also standardizes data and presents it within a
single view. This saves time and allows people to quickly
interpret, analyze and utilize the data.”
The University of Utah Hospital was the first to use
standards-based TheraDoc technology to participate in the CDC’s
pilot program. As the beta-testing site for this project, it has
successfully transmitted ADT, microbiology and pharmacy data for
two years. In August 2006, Northwestern Memorial Hospital began
using TheraDoc technology to transmit the same AUR data to the
CDC.
As this program is more broadly implemented, AUR reports from
multiple hospitals across the country will enable nationwide
surveillance of antimicrobial use and resistance and,
ultimately, earlier interventions by the CDC on behalf of the
American public. In particular, the national AUR eSurveillance
project will enable the following:
- Detecting antimicrobial
resistant pathogens
- Monitoring nationwide
antibiotic usage
- Investigating the
relationship between antimicrobial drug use and emerging
resistance
The AUR project demonstrates
TheraDoc’s commitment to public reporting standards and
requirements. The CDC, TheraDoc, HL7 and other partners are also
applying similar technologies to address the needs of mandatory
public reporting of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). To
date, 14 states have mandated public reporting of HAIs, with 25
additional states considering similar legislation. An increasing
number of hospitals are efficiently meeting HAI reporting
requirements with TheraDoc technology, which also enables
real-time infection surveillance, confirmation and intervention.
Through these and other projects, TheraDoc demonstrates its
leadership in developing and supporting standards-based
solutions that improve the quality and safety of patient care.
About TheraDoc, Inc.
TheraDoc is a clinical informatics company dedicated to
improving the quality, efficiency and safety of patient care
through enhanced clinical decision making. It provides
innovative, best-in-class solutions that improve clinical and
financial outcomes at a range of provider and payer
organizations, including some of the most-respected healthcare
institutions in the country. With clinical transparency,
TheraDoc’s technologies seamlessly place mission-critical
knowledge at the clinician’s fingertips, helping them to
confidently manage multiple processes of care across multiple
conditions and diseases. The company’s strict adherence to
medical informatics standards enables connectivity and
interoperability with any hospital’s disparate health
information systems.
Founded in 1999, TheraDoc designs, develops and supports a suite
of clinical decisions support technologies utilizing inference
engines that enable its real-time solutions. TheraDoc’s founders
and core medical informatics team are internationally recognized
for their pioneering and continuing work in medical expert
systems. Their experience in clinical decision support design
and development spans two decades. On the Net: www.theradoc.com. |
