Information Technology: Federal Agencies Face Challenges in Implementing Initiatives to Improve Public Health Infrastructure

HHS has taken steps to improve the development and implementation of major public health IT initiatives. The department is aligning public health initiatives with its national strategy for health IT, the federal health architecture, and ongoing health IT initiatives, and has improved its efforts to coordinate with state and local public health agencies. As part of its strategy, HHS established a population health workgroup to bring together federal, state, and private sector entities to develop IT solutions for public health emergencies and other areas of concern. The workgroup is considering ongoing public health IT initiatives, such as components of the Centers' for Disease Control and Prevention CDC) Public Health Information Network (PHIN), as it develops requirements for public health IT solutions. The workgroup includes representatives from many of HHS's divisions, the departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense and other federal agencies, and state and local public health agencies. HHS also awarded contracts for security and privacy solutions relevant to the implementation of federal, state, and local health and public health IT and for addressing variations between the various federal and state laws and regulations. The outcomes of these contracts have resulted in initial steps to address and resolve these variations and to coordinate solutions. Additionally, the CDC has taken steps to more effectively consider input from state and local public health entities in its design and development of a major component of PHIN, a biosurveillance initiative called BioSense. HHS's inclusion of public health strategies within its overall strategy for health IT, the inclusion of state and local entities in it contracts to develop specific solutions for variations in federal, state, and local practices, and increased involvement of state and local public health entities in system design and development has increased the level of coordination between federal, state, and local public health IT initiative and could help improve the development and implementation of major public health IT initiatives.

HHS implemented this recommendation by taking steps to improve the exchange of clinical and public health data. Specifically, HHS awarded a contract for standards harmonization across the public and private health care sectors to a panel made up of public and private members. HHS charged the panel to select standards that satisfy requirements for improving the exchange of both clinical and public health data. To date, the panel has identified about 90 industry-accepted standards and is developing implementation guidance for data and communications standards to support interoperability throughout the health care industry, including the exchange of public health information. The implementation of the standards by the health care industry is encouraged by another HHS initiative which defined initial criteria and processes for certifying that certain electronic health information products meet these standards.

HHS, through its Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, awarded a contract for standards harmonization between the public and private health care sectors, including public health. In July 2006 the contractors selected 90 data and communications standards to address requirements defined by the American Health Information Community, which HHS Secretary Leavitt chairs. The requirements include