During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals in Oregon were dedicated to making a difference in saving patient lives and supporting health care providers to alleviate burnout. With a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, they launched the Oregon Capacity System. The response was overwhelming—within mere weeks, nearly every hospital in Oregon had embraced the system to collaborate on data sharing for patient care.
As the pandemic evolved, so did HCS. While it was initially focused on tracking critical COVID-related data such as bed availability across all hospital units and ventilator supply, the system expanded to track a wide range of data points including personal protective equipment, behavioral health, post-acute care bed capacity, and avoidable patient days. Fast forward to today, and the Oregon Capacity System has become an indispensable tool for hospitals across the state, offering a path towards a more resilient and responsive health care system in Oregon.