Dayton, Ohio

A web-based application used by hospitals in the Dayton area to determine emergency room and hospital bed availability was quickly implemented by the Florida Hospital Association (FHA) just in time for Hurricane Ivan, and is now ready for Jeanne and any other hurricanes that might hit the Sunshine State.

The Florida program, based on a solution already in use in the Dayton area by the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association (GDAHA), was developed by Dayton-based DONet, Inc.

“With a category four hurricane headed for the coast of Florida, we needed to implement an online bed tracking system in less than 48 hours,” according to the Florida Hospital Association. “Through the assistance of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association, we quickly provided the online tools needed to assist hospitals, emergency managers, NDMS and other response agencies. The system was simple to use and provided up-to-date information that assisted in the planning and response to Hurricane Ivan.”

The solution was implemented in approximately seven hours over the weekend of September 11-12, and is now available to 232 hospitals and 16 rehabilitation centers in the state of Florida.

The application has three basic components. Most relevant to Florida is the Bed Availability section which tracks how many beds are available at each hospital, and by what type of bed, such as surgical, psychological, or children’s. During a disaster such as a hurricane, each hospital can update its status every few minutes so that other hospitals and EMS (Emergency Medical Services) technicians have the most accurate, up-to-the-minute information.

A second component is the ER Routing and Diversion system. This section of the application tracks which hospitals’ emergency rooms are open and available to accept patients. Other hospitals and EMS technicians can instantly access this information over the Internet. If a particular hospital’s ER has reached capacity, EMS technicians can transport patients to another facility.

The Mass Casualty Incident section is the third component of this solution. In the event of a hurricane or other disaster, individual hospitals can post their availability to accept patients as to their condition, from “walking wounded” to critical. This feature would have applicability for any incident involving large numbers of injuries, including bus, plane or train crashes, natural disasters or terrorist attacks.

The solution’s design offers a number of benefits to users both in Florida and Dayton. Because the system is Internet-based — incorporating redundant server technology — it delivers high availability no matter the situation. The solution is structured to allow a central point of management so that updates can be handled by a single individual or small group. The clean, simple interface makes it easy for individual hospitals to update their information in a matter of moments, using password and user ID for security. And, as demonstrated by the Florida implementation, new facilities or entire organizations can be added very quickly, with little or no programming intervention required.

“DONet was very responsive in making sure this application was up and running in Florida before Ivan was expected to arrive,” says Lisa Rindler of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association. “They were more than willing to work over the weekend and were available at a moment’s notice.”

Established in 1995, DONet, Inc. provides a wide range of services, from simple email and website hosting to critical application design in a state-of-the-art data center. DONet’s data center and professionals serve thousands of corporate and governmental clients as well as home office workers and families in the region. In addition, DONet is the largest locally-owned Internet service provider (ISP) in the Dayton area, specializing in business-class ISP services from dial-up to high-speed fiber-optic connections.

The Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association (GDAHA) represents hospitals throughout the region through a variety of creative, innovative and value-added solutions.