Wisconsin piloting patient tracking system for mass casualty event

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is conducting a statewide pilot of a Web-based patient tracking system.

The goal of the system is to aid in reunification of survivors in the case of a mass casualty incident. Emergency medical technicians place an armband on the patient that contains his or her gender and approximate age.

The system is being piloted as part of WI-Trac, a resource tracking, alerting, and communication system used by hospitals and other public health officials during emergencies, including the 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak.