Rimidi, a cloud-based software platform, announced the launch of its patient-reported outcomes survey app to help limit the spread of COVID-19 in healthcare settings. Currently, the app is in expedited beta testing by select U.S. health systems operating in the regions at the greatest risk of Coronavirus outbreak. Rimidi anticipates general availability of the app before the end of March 2020.

Atlanta, Georgia-based Rimidi is health technology startup in the Advanced Technology Development Center’s ATDC Signature portfolio of companies. COVID-19 stands for coronavirus disease 2019 and is caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2. It is part of a family of coronaviruses which can infect some people and animals.

“One of the greatest challenges in China and across other countries that faced early COVID-19 outbreaks has been hospital-based transmission,” said Rimidi founder Dr. Lucienne Ide. “With the app, we can help keep potentially infectious individuals from exposing other patients or staff in the healthcare system in waiting rooms, emergency rooms, or triage before they are identified and separated.”

Combatting Coronavirus Spread via Advanced EHR-integrated Technology

Along with their text message appointment reminder, patients are sent a brief COVID-19 screening survey inquiring about current symptoms and recent travel. Integrated within the electronic health record (EHR), patient responses are easily captured and analyzed by clinical teams. The survey respondents demonstrating potential risk of COVID-19 exposure, in accordance with the latest CDC guidelines, are immediately notified with the appropriate next steps of care and treatment options, while the healthcare system is confidentially made aware of the at-risk patient.

Ultimately, the simplicity and accessibility of Rimidi’s screening app will help minimize the spread and impact of COVID-19 in healthcare settings by reducing the number of undiagnosed patients interacting with patients seeking standard care. It will also limit exposure of healthcare staff to potentially infectious patients in settings that are not adequately prepared.

“The need for such a screening app was advocated for in a JAMA article following the Ebola outbreak in 2014,” Ide said. ” Today, the potential COVID-19 public health emergency reinforces the healthcare industry’s need for interoperability and stronger data-sharing rules to ease the flow of information, which enables rapid deployment of a single application across multiple EHR platforms.”

Rimidi remains in close coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and will incorporate new evidence and its evolving guidance into the screening app as it emerges. This may include ongoing remote monitoring and self-reporting by patients in quarantine, among other features.