Public health in a learning health system

The Institute of Medicine defines a Learning Health System as a system “in which progress in science, informatics and care culture align to generate new knowledge as an ongoing, natural by-product of the care experience, and seamlessly refine and deliver best practices for continuous improvement in health and health care.” The development of a national Learning Health System could mean important new capabilities for public health including increased capacity for disease surveillance, faster dissemination of effective healthcare interventions, increased data sharing between public health and clinical care systems and consumer empowerment through greater access to health information. In March 2013, a national conference was convened in Ann Arbor to explore the role of public health in a Learning Health System. This session will discuss the findings of the conference and explore topics such as the benefit of public health participation, legal and policy limitations, integration challenges and strategic next steps for public health in the development of a national Learning Health System.