Orlando Health Eases Public Health Lab Test Ordering

Orlando Health and the Florida Department of Health are the first in the nation to use Detor, an Association of Public Health Laboratories-developed  solution that enables electronic test orders and results to be shared seamlessly between public health laboratories and healthcare providers.

Funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Detor links a hospital’s EHR 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. 

Orlando Health and the 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 U.S. 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 the 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.

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, in a statement. “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.”