Cincinnati, OH – June 10, 2017: Cordata Healthcare Innovations, a leader in specialty care coordination and patient engagement technology, and Interact for Health, a local foundation focused on building healthy communities, announced they will team together to better coordinate efforts to end the Greater Cincinnati region’s opioid epidemic. Specifically, Interact will use Cordata software as a system to link first responders, treatment professionals and patients, so they can more easily connect people to treatment and to monitor outcomes. Data collected by the Cordata platform will be used to assess and gain insight into the efficacy of Interact’s leading-edge efforts on the front lines of the opioid crisis.

“Cordata is happy to be assisting leaders, like Interact, in addressing the opioid crisis, with a meaningful assist for first responders and community resources in the fight against this terrible epidemic,” said Cordata’s founder and CEO, Gary Winzenread. “With our technology acting as a compass, patient-centric care coordination is proven to promote better clinical outcomes in many chronic diseases and complex specialties. We believe it will do the same in behavioral health and addiction treatment, given its ability to consider both clinical complexities and human factors in driving patients to effective treatments.”

Initially Quick Response Teams (QRTs) in Hamilton and Clermont County will pilot the program with plans to spread through the region. QRTs are part of a model of “pre-arrest diversion” where law enforcement, first responders and treatment professionals work together to provide a collaborative response to opioid users and their families following an overdose. The software will also collect key data across systems, providing valuable insight to how people access treatment in the region.

“Interact for Health is focused on building healthy communities, and believe building an infrastructure to turn the tide in the opioid epidemic is crucial to our success,” said Kelly Firesheets, Senior Program Officer for Interact. “This technology will support on-the-ground providers and make their jobs easier. Additionally, by collecting more data, we hope to one day be able to identify at-risk individuals, which will allow us to prevent future overdoses, instead of just responding to them.”

The United States faces an extremely high rate of opioid abuse, driven in part by the widespread practice of prescribing opioids to treat chronic pain. More than 80% of the world’s prescription opioids are taken in the US. In 2014 alone, there were 1.5 times more deaths from opioid overdoses than from motor vehicle accidents, according to Sg2 Health.

The new initiative with Interact is similar to work being done by other Cordata clients. In January, Reid Health Hospital System in Richmond, Indiana, adapted the Cordata platform for coordinating interventional and comprehensive pain management patients as part of its “Heroin is Here” program, which combats opioid abuse in eastern Indiana. This program is a natural extension of Reid’s use of Cordata to coordinate care for and engage patients within their musculoskeletal specialty.

About Cordata Healthcare Innovations
Cordata’s specialty care coordination platform helps healthcare organizations more effectively treat people with chronic specialty diseases and generate better clinical and business outcomes through effective patient management and retention along complex care paths. Physicians, nurse navigators, service-line directors and business executives at 100+ hospitals and health systems rely on Cordata for timely and actionable insights. Learn more at www.cordatahealth.com

About Interact for Health
Interact for Health builds healthy communities for all people. We are a catalyst for health and wellness by promoting healthy living through grants, education, research, policy and engagement. Interact for Health is an independent foundation that serves 20 counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Visit us at www.interactforhealth.org.