3208.0: Monday, November 13, 2000 - 5:10 PM

Abstract #4402

New York State Health Integrated Child Health Information System: Providing NYS with a powerful tool for improving the health of children

Ivan J. Gotham, PhD and Debra L. Sottolano. Bureau of Healthcom Network Systems Management, Information Systems and Health Statistics Group, New York State Department of Health, C-148 Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12237-0021, (518) 473-1809, ijg01@health.state.ny.us

The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) developed an information infrastructure for use by State and local health departments and health care providers through its cooperative agreements with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Information Network for Public Health Officials (INPHO) project. Development of the Integrated Child Health Information System (ICHIS) was accomplished by leveraging existing infrastructure and partnerships with local health and healthcare providers. The ICHIS includes data from existing core NYSDOH population-based data systems such as birth, immunization, and lead registries and information from other core event and encounter data systems: managed care encounter data, hospital discharge records, death records, electronic clinical laboratory reporting (blood lead and reportable diseases), electronic disease reporting (e.g. vaccine preventable diseases). ICHIS is delivered to users through secure Intranets: the NYS Health Information Network (HIN) and the Health Provider Network (HPN). ICHIS provides information in the form of reports and statistical queries based on linked child health records that previously have been unavailable to public health officials and other healthcare providers. Such information provides decision support for the development of health policies and helps provide new and improved measures of child health program effectiveness/ performance. Examples of queries available include access to care and health service usage; health outcomes related to circumstances of birth; profiles of hospitalizations and encounters due to vaccine preventable diseases and respiratory disease such as asthma; outcomes related to several types of parenting profiles (demographic, behavioral, and SES indicators).

Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will be able to (1) describe the information county health departments need for developing and administering effective child health programs in their community, (2) recognize the difficulties in integrating disparate information systems and matching records, (3) identify solutions to overcome these difficulties, and (4) apply strategies and technologies used in developing this system

Keywords: Information Technology, Infrastructure

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

The 128th Annual Meeting of APHA