Cleveland Clinic researchers developed a new model to predict Covid-19 risk that is now available through the Epic MyChart patient portal.
The Covid-19 pandemic is raging on in the U.S., with the number of total reported cases crossing 10 million Monday, according to a New York Times database. The pandemic is showing signs of accelerating, with daily average case counts reaching 111,175 last week, up 59% from the average two weeks prior, the Times reports. More than 238,000 people have died in the U.S. due to Covid-19.
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The new model combines EHR information with data provided by patients to calculate a risk score, which indicates the likelihood of the patient testing positive for Covid-19. Patients are asked to complete a short self-assessment in the online portal, which includes questions related to symptoms they may be experiencing and potential exposures to the disease.
Patients who receive a high-risk score are advised to take a Covid-19 test and are given information on how to connect with their physicians, Dr. Lara Jehi, chief research information officer at Cleveland Clinic, said in an email. The patient’s care team members are also notified automatically if they receive a high-risk score.
“We are excited to make this tool available to the 250 million patients around the world who have a record in Epic,” Jehi said in a news release. “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.”
After straining under the surge of Covid-19 cases in the early months of the pandemic, hospital resources are once again falling short of demand as cases spike dramatically across the country. Internal government documents show 24% of U.S. hospitals are using more than 80% of their intensive care unit capacity, NPR reported Oct. 30.
The model was developed and tested using retrospective data from 11,000 patients who underwent Covid-19 tests at Cleveland Clinic locations in Ohio and Florida. It is now available to Epic customers worldwide who are using the November 2019 release version of its software or later, which includes about 92% of customers, an Epic spokesperson said via email.
“Cleveland Clinic’s model helps their patients, and they are sharing it with health systems throughout the global Epic community,” Trevor Berceau, director of MyChart research and development at Epic, said in a news release.
Other healthcare providers have developed Covid-19 risk prediction models that can be integrated with Epic, but the availability of the Cleveland Clinic-developed model gives organizations the opportunity to use such a model if they don’t already have access to one.
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