NYC Emergency Patient Search Portal (NYCEPS)
The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, in collaboration with Healthix, designed the NYC Emergency Patient Search (NYCEPS) Portal to assist the public in city- and state-wide emergencies. After a mass casualty incident, a key concern is locating and assuring the safety of loved ones who may have been affected and cannot be easily reached or located. NYCEPS queries real-time patient data through Healthix, particularly information from encounters at acute care hospitals and nursing homes – all with the intention of facilitating family reunification. NYCEPS staff can help search for a missing person who may have been treated at a New York City hospital, thereby giving families one place to call to inquire about a family member. This potentially reduces the overwhelming number of phone calls to individual healthcare facilities which are already overburdened in times of crisis.
