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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Yvonne Claudio, MS, Executive Director, National Association for Public Health Information Technology, One Research Court, Suite 450, Rockville, MD 20850, 301-216-3825, yclaudio@naphit.org, James M. White, Information Systems Director, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, 1101 Market Street, 10th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, and Dan Dugas, City of Austin Community Care Services, Austin-Travis County Health and Human Services Department, 15 Waller Street, Austin, TX 70702.

In April 2004, a White House Executive Order established the Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology with the mandate “to provide leadership for the development and nationwide implementation of an interoperable health information technology infrastructure...” and assure the “widespread deployment of health information technology within 10 years...” Implicit to that mandate was a goal to have an electronic medical record (EMR) for most Americans within the decade.

This presentation--organized by the National Association for Public Health Information Technology (NAPHIT), a nonprofit professional organization that represents the Chief Information Officers in health departments across the country--will share with the public health community the relevance of electronic medical records technology to public health departments. The presentation reveals the potential such adoption has for establishing partnerships in the community and creating/testing the interoperability of information systems to meet both clinical care and public health functions.

The session will highlight the activities of a few health departments that have embarked upon the adoption of EMR. An overview will be given of the role HDs play as a major stakeholder in such initiatives, the partnerships developed to lead and implement the projects, the strategies driving their activities, and the challenges and opportunities health department IT leadership face as they undertake EMR projects and HIT initiatives in general. Lessons learned and resources will be shared during the session.

Learning Objectives:

• • Understand the relevance of EMR solutions for health departments; and applicability of the software across a HD.
• • Recognize the community partnerships and networks that are being established to plan and implement EMR projects.
• • Learn from the activities and strategies of those HDs who are early adopters of EMR.
• • Identify the key challenges and opportunities involved in planning/implementing EMR projects

Keywords: Health Information Systems, Community-Based Health Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation