The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced its plans to use technology from cloud-based healthcare software provider PointClickCare to cull insights from COVID-19 and other public health threats. According to the company, the agency will use the firm’s Lighthouse data initiative to gain insights intended to improve the government’s response to the pandemic and other threats to public health.
As part of the collaboration contract, PointClickCare is responsible for providing the CDC de-identified patient data for residents of long-term and post-acute care facilities. The information reportedly data will be employed to address public health priorities, empowering the CDC to analyze disease patterns, progression, and health outcomes; evaluate clinical guidelines uptake, treatments, and interventions; and conduct public health surveillance.
Jason Menges, vice president of national accounts for PointClickCare, said data is an important tool for protecting public health and elevating care.
“In today’s increasingly digitally connected world, representative, quality, and timely data are among the most valuable resources for any organization and are exactly what government agencies and research and development teams in both the public and private sector are analyzing to improve care,” Menges said. “Through this collaboration, CDC will have access to scarcely available data sets that, through analysis, can uncover unique insights into the health of older adults and those who are at greater risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19.”
According to PointClickCare, the Lighthouse data initiative is intended to gain insights that specifically represent older adults, a patient population at higher risk than most for severe illness, as well as supporting research with expanded drug discovery and development capabilities. PointClickCare reportedly offers access to information of 5m patients across the country.
“We’re proud to announce this partnership with CDC and for the opportunity to share our data for the greater good,” said Jeff Wessinger, vice president and general manager of life sciences with PointClickCare. “CDC’s mission to save lives and protect America from safety, health, and security threats aligns with our goals and values as a company, which are to help improve outcomes for aging and underserved areas of healthcare.”
