— OZ Systems, a leading provider of public health information systems and interoperable exchange, has successfully partnered with Oregon’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program as part of an invitation-only EHDI Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) pilot project.
The project is a first for a state EHDI program to capture information directly from a hospital’s electronic health record (EHR) system using Structured Data Capture (SDC). OZ Systems provided the structured forms for the hospital EHR to populate with available patient information, while also allowing hospital staff to add additional screening details. The form is returned to OZ Systems to be translated into a standards-based document and transmitted directly to the state health department registry.
The Oregon EHDI team was able to receive a valid CDA Newborn Hearing Screening Outcome Report and parse the data into their EHDI Information System (EHDI-IS); a web-based data system that collects a complete profile of each newborn’s hearing health and enables efficient follow-up activities for infants needing additional care. The system benefits hospitals and newborn nurseries by leveraging forms technology which promotes streamlined reporting, reduces opportunities for error, improves clinician ability to communicate with public health and addresses newborn hearing issues in a timely way. Structured data capture allows the State of Oregon’s Maternal and Child Health division to serve its mission with less burden on providers.
“This is one more step toward a world where hospitals and providers can easily and accurately report information to public health using technology with embedded data standards,” says Dr. Ken Pool, COO for OZ Systems and chair of the Office of the National Coordinator’s committee on SDC. “We hope structured data capture will soon be used by every healthcare facility for reportable data and conditions – from vital registrations and infectious disease to newborn hearing screening. Our partnership with Oregon EHDI has been a great step forward – and we look forward to continuing to help lead the way on structured data capture and standard-based messaging.”
OZ Systems has also demonstrated SDC for vital events registration with Utah and Minnesota, and for communicable disease reporting with New York State and has several other pilot projects with SDC components in progress.
About OZ Systems
By developing and implementing the world’s smartest information technology platforms, OZ Systems bridges the information gap and helps children and families thrive through improved data accountability, performance measurement, quality, certification, and electronic reporting for public health and early childhood education.