Qualtrics Introduces Contact Tracing Solution to Help State and Local Governments Control the Spread of COVID-19

The new solution automates an otherwise complicated and time-consuming manual process, allowing health officials to trace the spread of the virus more quickly so they can protect the health and safety of their communities

The City of Houston, fourth most populous city in the US, is leveraging the Qualtrics solution to monitor infected individuals and contain the spread of COVID-19

SALT LAKE CITY and SEATTLE, June 22, 2020/PRNewswire/ — Qualtrics, the leader in customer experience and creator of the experience management (XM) category, today announced they are releasing a contact tracing solution that streamlines and automates the contact tracing process. The solution provides health departments the ability to contact individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 and anonymously notify those they have been in contact with that they may have been exposed to the virus.

Through an opt-in platform, health departments and local governments responsible for monitoring coronavirus transmission use the solution to contact individuals who have tested positive or are at high risk of contracting COVID-19. People can confidentially share locations they have visited and individuals with whom they have come into contact. Built on the XM Platform™ the solution automatically notifies impacted individuals and instructs them on next steps so they can take the appropriate safety measures while maintaining individual confidentiality. All data from the contact tracing process is controlled solely by authorized government agencies. The solution does not employ automatic location tracking technology.

Governments around the world are turning to Qualtrics to support their communities’ needs as they work to manage the spread of the COVID-19 virus. One example is the City of Houston, the fourth most populous city in the US which is home to more than 2.3 million people. The Houston Health Department is using Qualtrics to supplement the otherwise time-consuming process of obtaining contact information and reaching out personally to individuals who may have been exposed to COVID-19. Through daily contact with infected individuals, the Houston Health Department is able to monitor symptoms, give guidance to those who have been exposed, and help prevent future outbreaks in the city.

“Contact tracing is a vital part of containing the spread of disease, preventing broader spread in our community,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “Supplementing our traditional contact tracing efforts through Qualtrics gives our health department more resources to reach out to people who were potentially exposed to COVID-19, helping protect countless Houstonians.”

How Qualtrics’ contact tracing solution works:

• Those who have tested positive for COVID-19 are contacted electronically by their local health department through the Qualtrics XM Platform™  
• A personal email/SMS from the health department requests a list of contacts and locations they have recently visited and who may have been exposed to the virus
• Confidential email/SMS is sent to those contacts indicating potential exposure; a COVID-19 test is scheduled through the platform for each potentially exposed individual
• If at any time contacts shows signs of infection or tests positive, the process is repeated with their contact list and locations

Examples of how companies can use Qualtrics’ contact tracing: 

• Government officials receive real-time updates on how contact tracing is being executed and the impact the program has on infection rates
• Health officials identify the locations where an infected individual has traveled and get a summary of high-risk locations and individuals
• Infected patients anonymously provide information on who they may have had close contact with and locations they have recently visited
• Call center contact tracers are able to call infected individuals to conduct an interview over the phone, either as an initial outreach or as a follow-up to infected individuals not responding to digital communications

All solutions are built on the Qualtrics XM Platform, which maintains the highest security certifications including ISO 27001 and FedRAMP. Qualtrics is also HITRUST certified, which means its technology platform provides customers the tools they need to manage HIPAA compliance.

For more information about contact tracing, please visit: www.qualtrics.com/back-to-business-communities.

About Qualtrics

Qualtrics, the leader in customer experience and creator of the Experience Management (XM) category, is changing the way organizations manage and improve the four core experiences of business––customer, employee, product, and brand. Over 11,000 organizations around the world are using Qualtrics to listen, understand, and take action on experience data (X-data™)––the beliefs, emotions, and intentions that tell you why things are happening, and what to do about it. The Qualtrics XM Platform™ is a system of action that helps businesses attract customers who stay longer and buy more, engage employees who build a positive culture, develop breakthrough products people love, and build a brand people are passionate about. To learn more, please visit qualtrics.com.

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