Association of Public Health Laboratories partners with Orlando Health, Florida Department of Health to launch system that enables faster test results sharing and enhances patient care

Orlando, FL (December 10, 2024) Orlando Health and Florida Department of Health are the first in the nation to use Detor, an Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) developed groundbreaking intermediary solution. Detor enables electronic test orders and results to be shared seamlessly between public health laboratories and healthcare providers.

Funded by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Detor links a hospital’s electronic health records system with a public health laboratory’s information management system. It allows test orders and results to be shared much more quickly, accurately and securely. Detor gets information into the hands of healthcare providers more easily so they can more efficiently care for their patients.

Orlando Health and Florida Department of Health Bureau of Public Health Laboratories will initially use Detor for newborn screening results at hospitals within the Orlando Health healthcare system. Nearly every baby born in the US is tested for serious and potentially terminal inherited disorders, and almost all newborn screening is conducted by public health laboratories. While newborn screening is a great starting point, Detor is not limited to any one test.

While Orlando Health and Florida Department of Health are the first organizations in the U.S. to use Detor, other jurisdictions are expected to launch the solution in 2025. Detor will also expand beyond newborn screenings to work with public health laboratories and their healthcare partners on the implementation of other high-volume testing such as tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis, influenza, COVID, Lyme disease and rabies.

“We are proud to see the successful implementation of Detor and clear benefits from the start. This system was truly built by public health to improve data quality and accuracy for public health laboratories and their clinical partners,” said Scott J. Becker, Chief Executive Officer, Association of Public Health Laboratories. “Our partnership with Orlando Health and the Florida Department of Health has been critical to not only the health of all Floridians, but also to the development of this invaluable solution. We are grateful for this relationship and see it as a model for public health and healthcare providers in the future.”

Detor is currently being used to share newborn screening results for patients at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, Orlando Health South Lake Hospital and Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital.

“Newborn screenings detect rare health conditions, which is vital information that needs to be communicated quickly and accurately with a baby’s healthcare team so treatment can begin soon,” said Eric Rose, senior director of enterprise quality & performance solutions for Orlando Health’s Information Technology/Clinical Engineering department. “Before Detor, test results were received as a paper document that was challenging to share with all providers involved with an infant’s care. This new digital format creates easy accessibility within Orlando Health’s electronic records system, which is available throughout the baby’s healthcare journey. We are grateful to be the first healthcare system in the U.S. to use this innovative resource that enhances the high-quality care provided to our patients and streamlines the workflow of our clinical team members.”

For more information, please visit https://aphl.org/detor

About APHL

The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) works to strengthen laboratory systems serving the public’s health in the US and globally. APHL’s member laboratories protect the public’s health by monitoring and detecting infectious and foodborne diseases, environmental contaminants, terrorist agents, genetic disorders in newborns and other diverse health threats. Learn more at www.aphl.org. Contact Michelle Forman at 240.485.2793 or [email protected]

About Orlando Health

Orlando Health is a private not-for-profit, integrated academic healthcare system with $12 billion of assets under management, that serves the southeastern United States – including Florida and Alabama – and Puerto Rico. With corporate offices in Orlando, Florida the system provides a complete continuum of care across a network of medical centers and institutes, community and specialty hospitals, physician practices, urgent care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, home healthcare, and long-term and behavioral health care services. Founded more than 100 years ago, Orlando Health’s mission is to improve the health and the quality of life of the individuals and communities we serve. The system provided nearly $1.7 billion in community impact in the form of community benefit programs and services, Medicare shortfalls, bad debt, community-building activities and capital investments in FY 23, the most recent period for which the information is available. For more information, visit orlandohealth.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter.)