Audacious Inquiry and The Sequoia Project Announce National Partnership to Support States in Disaster Response Through the Patient Unified Lookup System for Emergencies (PULSE)

BALTIMORE, Oct. 31, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Audacious Inquiry (Ai), an industry leader in connected care, and The Sequoia Project, Inc a non-profit dedicated to solving health IT interoperability for the public good, announced a teaming agreement to support the PULSE initiative and to leverage their combined expertise in support of displaced populations needing medical treatment and ongoing care as part of disaster response efforts.

Ai first developed the PULSE concept under contract with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) in April 2014. In March 2016, the California Emergency Management Services Authority (CalEMSA) contracted with Ai to develop and operate PULSE. PULSE was subsequently activated for use during the California wildfires in October 2017, with the support of The Sequoia Project. The non-profit works to advance the breadth of PULSE by leveraging national networks and by convening a national advisory council of experts.

Through this agreement, Ai and The Sequoia Project will continue to work closely together to expand PULSE to other regions. Ai remains focused on product development, state and regional partnerships, implementation and roll-out, and ongoing operations. Sequoia will help coordinate PULSE connectivity to other health information networks, provide program support and support education and outreach. Sequoia also facilitates the PULSE Advisory Council made up of subject matter experts in disaster preparedness and response, emergency medical services, and health information exchange, who will advise on PULSE's coordinated, national roll-out.

"Using our health IT expertise to support disaster relief is aligned with our core mission to solve interoperability challenges for the public good," said The Sequoia Project's Chief Information Officer Debbie Condrey. "We've seen first-hand how PULSE can provide meaningful, even lifesaving, support at times of crisis and we're determined to bring this vital tool to every community in America. The national networks and Advisory Council experts will provide critical support for local response planning."

Scott Afzal, President of Audacious Inquiry, added, "Ultimately, PULSE can be made available in any geographic area. By forming this agreement, Audacious Inquiry and The Sequoia Project are demonstrating our commitment to ensuring that qualified healthcare professionals and emergency responders have rapid and secure access to health records as they care for displaced populations during and after disasters."

About Audacious Inquiry
Audacious Inquiry (Ai) is an industry-shaping health information technology and policy company that provides bold solutions for connected healthcare. Nationally recognized for its work to facilitate health data interoperability, Ai is a trusted partner to CMS, ONC, state Hospital Associations and Medicaid agencies across the country. The company delivers a cloud-based software as a service platform that is the catalyst for secure and smart health information exchange among physicians, hospitals, health plans, ACOs, MCOs, and public health agencies across 12 US states. Ai is raising the bar for how health data is shared, managed, and protected. 

About The Sequoia Project

The Sequoia Project is a non-profit, 501c3, public-private collaborative chartered to advance implementation of secure, interoperable nationwide health information exchange. The Sequoia Project focuses on solving real-world interoperability challenges and brings together public and private stakeholders in forums like the Interoperability Matters cooperative to overcome barriers. Sequoia also supports multiple, independently governed interoperability initiatives, such as the RSNA Image Sharing Validation Program and the Patient Unified Lookup Service for Emergencies (PULSE), a system used by disaster healthcare volunteers to treat individuals injured or displaced by disasters.  Sequoia previously supported the successful launch and growth of the eHealth Exchange health information network; and Carequality, which operationalized a national-level, interoperability framework to interconnect health information networks. Both eHealth Exchange and Carequality transitioned to operate under their own corporate structure and governance in October 2018.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Audacious Inquiry