Dynamic Dashboards + Data Integration: Streamlining Michigan's COVID-19 Response

Challenge

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) was overwhelmed with managing COVID-19 case investigations. Case investigators were conducting investigations and contact tracing for thousands of patients each day. More specifically, case investigators were (1) attempting to contact individuals of positive or probable diagnosis; (2) then conducting comprehensive interviews; (3) and finally providing education on self-care, wellness, and isolation.

Moreover, case investigators were struggling to connect with hard-to-reach populations or populations where English was not their first language. When case investigators were not communicating with patients, they were inputting all relevant interview data into a slow and cumbersome legacy data system called Michigan Disease Surveillance System (MDSS).

Solution

In under 100 days, People.Health built a dynamic, interoperable patient engagement ecosystem working collaboratively with Michigan’s primary disease tracking system, MDSS. Our functional experts built a custom workflow and dashboard tools, enabled connectivity to different data systems, and standardized patient education materials. Our automated solution includes an electronic, secure, personalized message to all new COVID-19 patients containing (1) local health department communication including links to health safety tips and phone numbers for specific case questions; and (2) patient questionnaires to fill in current health data and close contact information. The message can be instantly translated into other languages.

Results

Optimized outcomes for investigation resources that were understaffed, stressed, and hampered by legacy technologies.