The Challenge
EMS and Acute Care Systems at the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) oversees trauma care coordination across 94 hospitals, where trauma center designation is mandated for any hospital with an emergency department.
As the agency looked to modernize its trauma registry system, longstanding challenges with its previous vendor brought critical concerns to the forefront. According to MSDH leaders, the previous registry system was no longer meeting operational needs. The team reported slow or inconsistent customer support, limited flexibility to configure forms to their needs, and constraints around data access and control.
“Customer service was a big challenge,” said Courtney Day, RN, Nurse Team Lead. “And the registry as a whole wasn’t functioning at the capacity we needed.” Additionally, the platform’s structure made it difficult for MSDH to efficiently support hospitals across the state or quickly run reports to inform decision-making. “It was really about getting data back in a timely manner,” Day explained.
When MSDH began to explore ImageTrend solutions, they emphasized the need for a trauma registry that would allow them to fully own and control their data, improve real-time reporting, and configure workflows to match Mississippi-specific requirements. They were also seeking a long-term partner to support innovation, quality improvement, and integration with EMS data systems.
The Solution
MSDH selected ImageTrend’s Patient Registry as its new trauma data platform, launching implementation across 92 participating facilities in September 2024. Despite the urgency, the department found early success thanks to strong collaboration, configurable tools, and real time visibility.
MSDH leveraged ImageTrend’s Patient Registry to:
Enable Real-Time Validation and Support: Coordinators can now access patient records immediately to help hospitals troubleshoot data entry issues, improving turnaround and reducing confusion.
Customize State-Specific Forms and Workflows: MSDH configured trauma registry forms to reflect Mississippi’s unique protocols, enabling more efficient data collection and reducing the need for external support.
Streamline EMS-Hospital Data Integration: Patient Registry’s compatibility with ImageTrend Elite™ EMS allows for automatic record crossover, improving data accuracy and continuity between prehospital and hospital care.
Build a Centralized Dashboard: MSDH created a statewide dashboard to track trends, monitor outcomes, and distribute performance reports to all trauma centers monthly or quarterly.
Support New Use Cases: Mississippi became the first state to request and implement a built-in Death Review form and tab within the registry, enhancing mortality tracking and performance improvement efforts.
Simplify Designation Visits: MSDH built a single report using ImageTrend’s Report Writer to help hospitals prepare for trauma designation visits, reducing prep time from three hours to less than 45 minutes.
“I can run a report today and tell my directors how many trauma cases have been entered statewide as of this afternoon.”
Courtney Day
RN, Nurse Team Lead | EMS and Acute Care Systems | Mississippi State Department of Health
The Outcome
Since adopting ImageTrend’s Patient Registry, MSDH has experienced transformative
improvements, including:
REAL-TIME REPORTING & DECISION-MAKING
Patient Registry gives MSDH the ability to run live trauma reports across the state, reducing reporting lag from months to minutes.
EARLY INTERVENTION & QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
Facilities no longer wait months for data feedback.
MSDH can flag anomalies, such as unexpected spikes in patient transfers, and immediately contact hospitals to investigate.
STREAMLINED DESIGNATION PREP
Hospitals have successfully used Patient Registry to complete trauma designation reviews with a single report, saving hours of prep work and improving user experience.
FIRST-IN-NATION INNOVATION
ImageTrend partnered with MSDH to create a dedicated Death Review tab, making Mississippi the first state to fully integrate mortality review directly into its trauma registry.
POSITIVE USER EXPERIENCE
Despite a fast-tracked rollout, MSDH reported strong support from ImageTrend staff. Coordinators praised real time assistance, responsiveness, and the ability to implement creative ideas quickly.
What’s Next?
MSDH plans to expand Patient Registry over time to include additional modules and strengthen EMS hospital data connections. The team also continues to explore additional capabilities within the system, many of which were unavailable through their previous vendor.
With ImageTrend’s configurable platform and responsive support, MSDH has turned its challenges into statewide opportunities for improvement. As more state health departments seek real-time visibility and performance improvement tools, Mississippi’s success highlights the value of a unified, flexible trauma registry.
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