How Prepared are Local Health Departments for Informatics and Health Reform? Findings from the NACCHO Informatics Needs Assessment Study

A central component of health reform efforts is the large-scale investment of resources into health information technology (HIT), in particular through the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. Entities looks to receive federal funds for HIT must demonstrate meaningful use of electronic health records, which includes the bidirectional exchange of information with public health.

But how ready are local health departments (LHDs) to receive and send this information? In order to ascertain the state of public health informatics in LHDs, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) conducted an informatics needs assessment from November 2009 through to March 2010. The needs assessment consisted of two components: a quantitative survey that covered a wide variety of informatics-related topics, and a series of focus groups.

Building on questions from previous surveys, including the Profile study, NACCHO sampled about a quarter of the 2800 LHDs (n=724) throughout the country, stratified for population served by that LHD. Respondents used a web-based survey tool to enter their answers. A response rate of approximately 33% was achieved, with higher rates among LHDs that serve larger populations. Focus groups were conducted with representatives from local, state and federal health agencies at public health conferences.

The needs assessment covered a wide number of topics relevant to public health informatics. This presentation will focus on findings related to the exchange of information and preparations for receiving federal assistance. It will also look at the implications for the success of health reform efforts.