5214.0: Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 4:30 PM

Abstract #27174

Children’s Information Tennessee (CIT): Building the system

Richard C Urbano, PhD1, Everett R Shannon2, and Derek Chapman, PhD1. (1) Bureau of Policy Planning and Assessment, Tennessee Department of Health, 425 5th Ave North, Nashville, TN 37247, 615.741.5001, rurbano@mail.state.tn.us, (2) Bureau of Policy Planning and Assessment, Tennessee Dept of Health, 425 5th Ave North, Nashville, TN 37247

Children’s Information Tennessee (CIT) is a multi-department initiative linking demographic and program participation information on children with special healthcare needs in a central database system managed by the Department of Health. The departments of Health, Children’s Services, Human Services, and Education and TennCare have entered into a formal agreement to provide information on their clients to the Health Department managed CIT system. CIT provides the information infrastructure for two initiatives: care coordination and research.

The infrastructure built to support CIT includes a backend Oracle database, procedures for loading data from participating entities, Web access to CIT for administrators and case managers, and security.

The logical data structure for the Oracle database includes child and parent demographics, identification numbers capture, program participation, case manager information, parental permissions to release information and access security. Data are transfer from extract files, loaded into temporary Oracle tables, clean and then linked to existing data and appended to the appropriate database tables. Visual Interdev and Active Server Pages were used to create a Web interface requiring minimal client side resources. With appropriate permissions and access CIT users may query, update and add records. Security of the CIT Web and Database servers is central to the implementation of CIT. The CIT computers are housed in a room with card access. Users access CIT via SSL connections. Login name, password and certificates are used to identify and authenticate users. Access to client information is controlled by the user’s role and parental permission to release information.

Learning Objectives: Session participants will be able to: 1. Describe the primary component of the CIT logical data model. 2. Articulate the key features of the CIT security model. 3. Describe the role of parental permissions in controlling access to CIT data

Keywords: Children With Special Needs, Internet

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Tennessee Department of Health
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employee, Tennessee Dept of Health

The 129th Annual Meeting of APHA