RelayHealth collaborating with CDC to provide H1N1 information

ATLANTA RelayHealth, a provider of healthcare connectivity services, is helping healthcare providers cope with the recent outbreak of influenza A (H1N1), and aiding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with monitoring of influenza antiviral prescribing activity nationwide via an authorized prescription data feed, the company announced Monday.

“Our hope is that the H1N1 threat continues to moderate,” stated Jim Bodenbender, RelayHealth’s SVP and general manager. “But whatever the threat level, our secure online interactive tools are available to assist physicians enrolled on the RelayHealth network to keep their patients informed of the latest credible health information at any time.” 

Already, physicians are using RelayHealth’s HIPAA-compliant interactive service to broadcast messages securely over the Internet to their patients about the symptoms of H1N1 influenza and what to do if those patients think they have the disease, RelayHealth reported. RelayHealth has also made available H1N1 flu educational content on its network, which doctors can transmit to their patients

And RelayHealth’s Pharmacy Solutions Group is contributing to the national effort to track and limit the spread of the H1N1 flu by providing the CDC with a HIPAA-compliant data feed of antiviral prescriptions filled by a cross-sectional sample from more than 35,000 major chains, regional chains and independent pharmacies throughout the U.S. that have allowed their information to be shared.

RelayHealth provides the CDC with this authorized data feed every four hours, the company stated. On average, RelayHealth sends 400,000 to 500,000 prescription records daily to the CDC.

According to RelayHealth, the agency uses this data to monitor influenza antiviral prescribing activity across the country and shares the data with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“Our ability to swiftly assemble the data on antiviral prescriptions for the CDC is playing a role in the nation’s emergency preparedness effort,” stated Jeff Felton, president of RelayHealth’s Pharmacy Solutions Group.