Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, Forté Incorporated and BREMSS announce that project work has begun to integrate the Forté-developed LifeTrac system with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama EPI (Emergency Patient Information) system. 
Integration of EPI with LifeTrac will allow emergency medical personnel in the field faster access to important medical information. The integration will also allow LifeTrac to deliver this same information to a hospital emergency department before the patient arrives.
LifeTrac is a multi-hospital computer network that locally connects fourteen emergency departments in the six county metro-Birmingham region. The system helps route critical trauma and stroke patients to the most appropriate and immediately available emergency department. The system also monitors for undetected biological and chemical events.
The local LifeTrac system's operations are overseen by the Birmingham Regional Emergency Medical Services System. In operation here since 1996, LifeTrac has already assisted over 20,000 trauma patients.
EPI is a free service for Alabamians provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama. EPI allows individuals to store emergency contact and medical information online and make it available to rescuers in emergencies. Enrollment is open to the general public in Alabama, regardless of their insurance carrier.