HIMSS shared early results of a multi-year campaign to build a 21st century public health information superhighway. Data: Elemental to Health aims to drive federal investment over the next decade through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in order to transform today’s public health data systems into a state-of-the-art, secure and fully interoperable system.
Systems currently in use by public health agencies at all levels of government rely on obsolete data collection methods, leading to delayed detection and response to public health threats of all types, including measles, influenza, opioid overdoses, Zika and more.
To address this issue, HIMSS, along with the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) and the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS) formed a coalition and launched Data: Elemental to Health in spring 2019.
The campaign is seeking $1 billion in congressional funding over the next decade to modernize public health data/IT systems and develop a skilled workforce. In just six months, the campaign has achieved a number of early results, including:
- House appropriations bill includes $100 million in fiscal 2020 for public health data systems and workforce modernization at CDC, state/local health departments
- House LIFT America Act authorizes $100 million per year for five years for systems and people
- Senate Saving Lives Through Better Data Act authorizes $100 million per year for five years for systems and people
- Senate Lower Health Care Costs Act authorizes “such sums as may be necessary” over five years to modernize data systems
The coalition is driving support for the campaign in a number of ways, including convening dozens of entities representing public health professionals, patients and consumers, healthcare providers, and IT developers; cultivating lawmakers to lead the charge; making the case to congressional and administration staff; appearing before the House appropriations subcommittee; hosting Hill briefings on the need to modernize; and organizing a Day of Digital Action.
HIMSS Immunization Integration Program
A collaborative effort supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the IIP seeks to empower organizations to better facilitate the flow of immunization data and improve U.S. immunization rates, which are linked to better health outcomes, reduced healthcare costs, and higher clinician productivity.