How OHTrac Works

 

• Following a mass casualty incident or disaster situation, an incident is created on the OHTrac website then a message is sent to agency users within the selected zip code radius of the incident.
• The emergency medical service team or fire department places a barcoded triage tag on all patients involved, allowing the patient tracking process to begin. As patients are assessed and triaged by first responders, the barcoded triage tag is used for documentation and tracking purposes. If capability exists on scene, the patients can be tracked to the incident during transport.  
• Once the patients arrive at the hospital, the hospital uses each patient’s triage tag number to update his / her arrival status in OHTrac.

“OHTrac is a unique database that aides in response and family reunification by streamlining important information during a disaster situation,” said Andrea Bishop, emergency preparedness project manager, The Center for Health Affairs. “Being part of its creation is incredibly rewarding.”

The Ohio Hospital Association was the lead agency in the coordination and implementation of this program in collaboration with a statewide committee comprised of representatives from The Center for Health Affairs’ Emergency Preparedness team, area hospitals and hospital coordinators as well as the Ohio Department of Health, Ohio’s Homeland Security Program, American Red Cross and Ohio’s Emergency Medical Services.

To learn more about the OHTrac patient tracking system, contact one of The Center for Health Affairs’ emergency preparedness experts.