2023 Data Modernization Initiative Workshop

The Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII), in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will host the third annual Data Modernization Workshop on September 12-14, 2023. In recent years, public health has incorporated innovative approaches and identified key lessons learned for moving towards data that are efficient and timely to positively impact population health. Convening at events like this is essential to accelerate data modernization into action. This three-day virtual event strives to enhance jurisdictions’ technical skills and ability to form equity-centered connections that progress modernization ideas and aspirations among people and across systems. 

Altarum’s Craig Newman will participate on a panel, led by Helios, titled “The Helios Accelerator – Expanding Public Health Data Sharing Through FHIR.” The Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard is a modern approach to exchanging healthcare-related data. Building off the existing foundation of FHIR-based interoperability, the Helios FHIR Accelerator is exploring ways that State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial (STLT) Health Departments can apply existing approaches to new public health use cases. This panel will include participants from all the Helios Priority Areas and will focus on how FHIR-based approaches are backed by regulation and certification. Specific topics will include the exchange of population-level public health data, the application of FHIR-based query/response approaches, and the reporting of sentinel indicator data to assess the state of the local healthcare system. The discussion will focus on our experience gained through Helios pilot testing and will offer tangible ways that public health agencies can get involved and benefit from the use of FHIR. To provide a variety of viewpoints, the panel includes experts from public health programs, data-focused associations, and health IT vendors.

For nearly two decades, Altarum has gained a deep understanding of the complexities of incorporating patient information from multiple sources while helping public health programs integrate data, developing FHIR solutions, collaborating with major EHR vendors, partnering with state, tribal, local, and territorial organizations, and working closely with interoperability standards organizations. Through our leadership of the HL7 Helios FHIR Accelerator for Public Health, we continue to raise the profile of standards-based interoperability in public health.