Using public health informatics as a tool to strengthen health departments

Background: In 2006, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation launched Common Ground, a three-year, $15 million initiative to help health departments to better respond to health threats by improving their use of information systems. Fifteen Informatics Capacity (IC) grantees were funded to conduct business process analysis (BPA) and business process redesign (BPR) to support public health services. Sixteen Requirements Development (RD) grantees were funded to conduct business process analysis (BPA) and business process redesign (BPR) and define requirements for information systems.

Objective/Purpose: The objective is to evaluate Common Ground, and assess: 1) how the program goals were met; 2) success factors for analyzing and redesigning agency business processes and developing requirements for information systems; and 3) the potential for the Common Ground methodology to facilitate process improvement in other health departments.

Methods: This is the third year of a four-year, multi-method evaluation. Methods include grantee telephone interviews, focus groups, surveys, and site visits.

Results: Grantee projects focused on public health business processes within chronic disease management and emergency preparedness. The IC grantees reported that engaging in BPA and BPR helped to enhance communication within their agencies. The RD grantees collaborated with internal and external stakeholders to define requirements for information systems, though few had plans to adopt new systems at the end of the grant period. This process increased awareness among department staff on how they do their work, and enhanced communication between program and front line staff in different departments, and between program and information technology staff.

Discussion/Conclusions: Common Ground is a tool that can help health departments to improve their work, improving efficiencies and increasing inter-departmental communication. Given its focus on quality improvement, the Common Ground methodology may have implications for emerging issues such as agency accreditation.