WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Nationally recognized software created at Purdue University is now helping case managers in primary care and other settings connect Indiana residents with critically needed social services.
The software, called Bridges, is linked to Indiana 211, the state Department of Family and Human Services. Indiana 211 is a free phone and Internet service that connects Indiana residents with help and answers from thousands of health and humanitarian agencies and resources in their local communities. It uses statistical data to inform decision makers and governments across the country about current and trending social needs.
The complementary social assistance missions of Purdue and Indiana 211 software not only help people with basic needs like food, housing, and transportation, but also contribute to overall health. This is because these factors, known as social determinants of health, have a much greater effect on people’s health than medical care factors. In fact, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that socioeconomic factors account for 80% of a person’s health, while medical care accounts for the remaining 20%.
Bridges — which has been adopted or considered for use by at least one Indiana county health department, a law enforcement social worker group and a physical therapy program — continues to be developed by a team within Purdue’s Regenstrief Center for Health Care Engineering. The software was originally developed for the 2023 Health Resources and Services Administration federal competition. It placed second in a field of 134 competitors, demonstrating that it improves coordination of care between health centers and social service organizations — a key goal in HRSA’s goal of improving health care nationwide.
HRSA said Purdue’s software “streamlined the social service review and referral process” by:
- Encouraging better needs assessment questions.
- Providing cohesive referral instructions.
- Offer follow-up reminders to case managers.
- Closing the loop on social service recommendations and outcomes.
Purdue faculty who developed the winning software are Nicole Adams, clinical associate professor of nursing; Nan Kong, professor of biomedical engineering; and Baijian Yang, professor of computer technology.
According to Adams, the software manages to help primary care case managers find and refer patients who need social services, but—perhaps just as importantly—allows case managers to set follow-up reminders to check in with their clients to see if the service is was accessible and useful.
“Our software system also tracks where they’re referred and whether they’re getting the service they need,” Adams said. “Once we collect enough data, we can use machine learning to continuously improve service recommendations for individual customers. Using all this data, the system will continuously learn which services should be allocated first to achieve the greatest improvements and best health outcomes.”
Indiana 211 Director Tara Morse said she recognizes the importance of this partnership and the integration of the Indiana 211 resource database with the Bridges software. Healthcare providers using Bridges will not only be able to provide current resources from a database of 211 resources, but also connect patients to other resources that can positively impact their overall health.
“The Bridges Project is truly an extension of Indiana 211, supporting its mission to improve the quality of life for all Indiana residents,” Morse said. “We advance equity and connect Indiana people to health and human resources through highly skilled navigators, continued community collaboration, and a robust community database and technology innovation. Indiana 211 aims to be a ‘source of truth’ by providing the most accurate sources possible. The Bridges project provides additional access to these resources.”
Collaboration with Indiana 211 also benefits health care providers.
“When clinics initially set up Bridges, they will be able to pull all the social services information from 211 and not have to enter it manually,” Adams said. “Also, we will return data (without private personal data) to 211 from the clinics. This information includes new organizations or other service-related changes. This provides an army of 211 Bridges health care users across the state, constantly giving them updates on resources from boots on the ground.”
Using its $100,000 award from HRSA’s Collaborative 211 competition, Adams said the Bridges software team intends to expand its reach nationally by providing critical information that is out of reach today.
“If I want to look at how the social determinants of health affect the outcomes of people with diabetes, I can’t find the data to do that analysis,” Adams said. “Bridges will first collect this type of data across Indiana and then expand nationally. The software gives us the potential to create the first unique national dataset on the social determinants of health.”
Purdue researchers disclosed the software to the Purdue Innovates Technology Commercialization Office, which copyrighted it. For software licensing, contact Matt Halladay, Senior Business Development and Licensing Manager – Physical Sciences, [email protected], c/o 2023-ADAM-70129.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research institution that demonstrates excellence in large numbers. Ranked among the top 10 public universities and with two colleges among the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with unparalleled quality and scale. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue in a variety of modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person at the West Lafayette campus. Committed to accessibility and affordability, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition for 13 consecutive years. See how Purdue never stops in its relentless pursuit of its next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the new Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business. and Purdue Computes — at https://www.purdue. edu/president/strategic-initiatives.
Writer/Media Contact: Amy Raley, [email protected]
Sources: Nicole Adams, [email protected]; Tara Morse, [email protected]