Epic customers worldwide now have access to a validated COVID-19 risk prediction model developed this year by the Cleveland Clinic. Available through the MyChart patient portal, the tool can calculate patients' estimated risk of contracting the virus based on a self-assessment combined with other demographic data.

WHY IT MATTERS
The tool, built using de-identified retrospective clinical data from more than 11,000 Cleveland Clinic patients in Ohio and Florida, is designed to help manage limited healthcare resources by enabling patients to make more informed decisions about when to seek care.

After patients complete a self-assessment in the MyChart portal – listing symptoms and giving detail about potential exposure to COVID-19 – the algorithm combines that information with demographic data already in the EHR to arrive at a risk score. If the score is high, patients are told they should be tested, and their care team is alerted.

Dr. Lara Jehi, chief research information officer at Cleveland Clinic, calls it the "first validated prediction model that can forecast an individual's risk for testing positive with COVID-19 and then simplified this tool while retaining exceptional accuracy for easy adoption." 

THE LARGER TREND
Dr. Jehi was hired for the newly-created role of CRIO at Cleveland Clinic in January, tasked with innovating its network infrastructure and digital deployments and optimizing its IT to enable more innovative clinical research.

She's helped develop many algorithms for clinical decision support that are being used and expanded at providers around the world. Epic has also worked with other organizations to develop COVID-19 clinical decision support models and distribute them to its customers.

In collaboration with University of Minnesota, Epic recently validated an AI tool that can assess chest X-rays for potential cases of COVID-19. Developed in collaboration with M Health Fairview and first deployed at its dozen hospitals, it was also made available through Epic to other providers.

ON THE RECORD
"With MyChart, patients can now determine the likelihood that they have COVID-19 using a trustworthy, clinically validated calculator," said Trevor Berceau, director of MyChart R&D at Epic. "These risk scores are shared automatically with healthcare providers, who can then follow up with patients as needed. Cleveland Clinic's model helps their patients, and they are sharing it with health systems throughout the global Epic community."

"We are excited to make this tool available to the 250 million patients around the world who have a record in Epic, said Jehi. The ability to accurately predict which patients are likely to test positive will be paramount in effectively managing a patient's care as well as allocating our resources."

Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN
Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS publication.