Main Library
Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, several innovative data tracking tools have been identified to support population-based public health and individual patient level care management. Some of these are less traditional ways to look at health data, and can usefully inform health planning and system of care design strategies. A curious question is, can we use these novel health data approaches to better inform the care management process? A brief review of some of the recent health tracking tools and approaches provides insights for new ways to think about care management throughout the current pandemic and beyond.
As we move from the full blown crisis of the pandemic to the next phases of resolution, novel data sources can help inform health care leaders. There is a range of health data tracking examples to better understand the evolving trends in the spread or decline of the virus. Perhaps the most widely accepted tracker of the pandemic are the maps provided by the Johns Hopkins Corona Virus Tracking Center. Focusing on clinical data tracking and individual level contract tracing, the Center provides actionable information to inform health policy. For up-to-date vaccination rates, the CDC has also developed useful analytic tools. For current care management activities, this data can inform trends in health risk and inform patient level assessments for health system engagement and health improvement activation.