athenahealth Partners with Homeland Security to Track Patients During a Major Public Health Emergency
On November 15, 2006 athenahealth participated in its first emergency medical response table top exercise with Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. The exercise, supported by the Department of Homeland Security's Northern New England Metropolitan Medical Response System, simulated a bioterrorism mass casualty event involving a large numbers of patients. The exercise tested the hospital's ability to provide surge capacity during large scale events and to effectively distribute additional patients to alternative care facilities in surrounding communities. athenaNet was used to track patient care information for approximately 50 volunteer patients at different medical treatment facilities throughout the community and document the clinical encounters. Because of athenaNet's ability to capture and share patient information across healthcare facilities, it is an invaluable tool to public health practitioners in a major public health emergency affecting large numbers of patients.