The current COVID-19 situation is creating challenges for everyone, but especially for FQHCs that care for so many patients already identified as higher risk due to chronic conditions and/or challenging environments.

In response to the situation, Azara has created a few new tools to help you (a) identify those patients at higher risk for complications with COVID-19 and (b) manage those patients that have been tested for COVID-19.
Check out these two new registries:

Infectious Disease – COVID-19 Risk of Complication 
Use this registry to identify patients of all ages who are considered at elevated risk for COVID-19 as defined by the CDC – individuals with a diagnosis of heart disease, lung disease or diabetes. This registry includes each patient's age, most recent date and diagnosis code for any of these chronic conditions, and finally their next upcoming appointment and most recent encounter (including telehealth).

Infectious Disease – COVID-19 Testing
Use this registry to evaluate and monitor patients of all ages who have been tested for COVID-19. The registry includes each patient's age, most recent testing dates and results, coded symptoms recognized by the CDC, next upcoming appointment and most recent encounter (including telehealth).

Please contact Azara Support if you have any laboratory mapping concerns.
Other considerations that may assist you to manage the COVID-19 situation:

Patient Care

  • Registry Set Up
  • Copy either registry to add additional inclusion criteria and/or add/delete columns based on available data elements in Registry Administration.
  • Patient Risk – If your center has the Azara Risk Stratification Module, the risk score is available to use on the registry. (Note: Patient Risk is an add on module, if you are interested, contact Azara Support).
     
  • Patient Care
  • Use the registry to identify patients at risk who have an upcoming appointment so that you can potentially make arrangements for them to avoid waiting rooms and unnecessary exposure.
  • Outreach to patients at risk to identify needs such as prescription refills. 
  • Filter by Patient Diagnosis, Patient Risk, or any of the other filters found on Azara registries to assist in identification of vulnerable populations.

Operations

  • Telehealth – We anticipate that many of you may expand your telehealth capacity. If you are using visit types and not billing for all services, go to the Mapping Administration to make sure you have identified the encounter types affiliated with visits as Telehealth Y/N. 

  • Patient Interactions – Use the Patient Interaction Measure, group by Telehealth to monitor increased utilization of telehealth visits. 

  • Custom Registry for Telehealth – Create a custom registry using ‘telehealth encounter’ as an inclusion criteria to track patients with a telehealth visit.
We hope these tools will make it easier for you to:

  1. Identify and manage your populations at risk for and/or tested for COVID-19.
  2. Inform decisions and assess the impact of COVID-19 on your patients and center operations.

Azara will be continuing to evaluate tools to assist you and inform you as they become available.
If you have found a unique way you are using DRVS to help manage response to the COVID-19 pandemic—
we want to hear from you!
Additional Resources:
Attend the Webinar

Coronavirus Disease - Using DRVS
March 24, 2020 at 1:00PM ET

This webinar will provide an overview of new DRVS tools, along with live Q&A, to help manage patient care in these unprecedented times.

Read the Blog
Thank You to Our Health Centers

The world is facing a troubling time as COVID-19, a novel coronavirus, spreads around the globe. We are facing many challenges across the United States: social distancing, isolating at home, learning how to work at home with our kids simultaneously demanding our attention, and trying to find toilet paper. > READ MORE
Questions? Contact support@azarahealthcare.com