Agile Implementation of Innovative End to End Technical Solutions for Respiratory Testing in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Area of Science:

• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Health Informatics
• Public Health Surveillance

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic demanded rapid, large-scale diagnostic testing.
• Existing healthcare systems faced challenges in scaling testing operations efficiently.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of an efficient, scalable end-to-end COVID-19 testing and reporting workflow.
• To leverage informatics infrastructure and digital tools to enhance testing processes.

Main Methods:

• Implemented a combination of consumer-driven workflows and a consistent Electronic Medical Record (EMR) user interface for ordering and data collection.
• Developed an EMR-independent entry point for affiliated providers.
• Utilized automation for screening, registration, patient identification, curbside specimen management, and prioritization logic.

Main Results:

• Successfully supported over 1,000,000 COVID-19 tests with more than 200 prioritization logic adjustments.
• Enabled patient-driven screening, data collection, and ordering at a rate of up to 9 patients per minute.
• Reduced curbside specimen collection time from over 39 minutes to under 17 minutes per patient.
• Facilitated direct consumer communication via texting and standards-based reporting to public health agencies.

Conclusions:

• An agile, informatics-driven approach significantly improved the efficiency and scalability of large-scale COVID-19 testing.
• Integration of consumer-facing digital tools and automation streamlined patient management and data reporting.
• The developed workflow demonstrated adaptability and resilience in response to evolving pandemic needs.