Skip to main content

Advancing Informatics Policy and Practice: A State Perspective

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Public Health Informatics and Information Systems

Part of the book series: Health Informatics ((HI))

  • 3386 Accesses

Abstract

Modern public health practice at a state health department is complex, evolving to meet both long-standing and emerging needs, dependent upon collaboration with an increasing number of partners, and deeply reliant on timely, high quality information. This requires modern information systems that are interoperable, standards-based, user-centered and flexible, while meeting high standards for confidentiality and security. Unfortunately, most health department information systems are built upon aging underlying technologies that are increasingly expensive and technically challenging to enhance and maintain. Having a bold vision, defining a roadmap for building information capabilities, training the workforce in informatics, and modernizing information systems are among the major informatics challenges in state health departments today. The informatics-savvy health department framework is a useful tool to help state health departments achieve such information-related goals. This chapter describes the informatics-savvy framework and illustrates how it can be used to support a state health department to more effectively meet its public health mission and goals.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Public Health Informatics Institute. The informatics-savvy health department. https://www.phii.org/informatics-savvy-toolkit-homepage/informatics-savvy-toolkit-homepage/informatics-savvy-toolkit. Accessed 7 Aug 2019.

  2. ASTHO: Profile of state and territorial public health. 2019. http://www.astho.org/Profile/. Accessed 2 Jul 2019.

  3. ASTHO. Leading public health practice through health informatics and technology. (2018). http://www.astho.org/generickey/GenericKeyDetails.aspx?contentid=20399&folderid=5156&catid=7217. Accessed 2 Jul 2019.

  4. Minnesota Department of Health. Advancing health equity report. https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/equity/reports/ahe_leg_report_020114.pdf. Accessed 3 Sept 2019.

  5. State of Minnesota. Community Health Services Act. (1976). https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/1976/0/Session+Law/Chapter/9/pdf/. Accessed 29 Jul 2019.

  6. Public Health Informatics Institute. https://informaticsacademy.org/. Accessed May 29 2019.

  7. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Promoting interoperability. (2019). https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/index.html?redirect=/EHrIncentivePrograms/. Accessed 2 Jul 2019.

  8. Public Health Informatics Institute. Key considerations for establishing a PHI program. (2019). https://phii.org/sites/default/files/resource/pdfs/Key-considerations-for-establishing-PH-informatics-program-PHII.pdf. Accessed 2 Jul 2019.

  9. ASTHO Data analytics and public health informatics. (2019). http://www.astho.org/Programs/Informatics/. Accessed 2 Jul 2019.

  10. Washington State Department of Health. Chief informatics officer. (2019). https://www.doh.wa.gov/AboutUs/ProgramsandServices/OfficeoftheStateHealthOfficer Accessed 17 Jul 2019.

  11. Utah Department of Health: Public Health Informatics. (2019). https://health.utah.gov/center-for-health-data-and-informatics. Accessed 2 Jul 2019.

  12. Public Health Informatics Institute. Workforce Position Classifications and Descriptions (2014). https://phii.org/informatics-jobs. Accessed 02 July 2019.

  13. Public Health Informatics Institute. Public health informatics profile toolkit. (2017). https://phii.org/PHI-Toolkit/introduction. Accessed 2 July 2019.

  14. Public Health Informatics Institute: The Informatics-savvy Health Department (2017) Self-assessment tools. https://phii.org/info-savvy/self-assessment-tools. Accessed 2 Jul 2019.

  15. The Public Health Informatics Institute. The Informatics-Savvy Health Department self-assessment tool. https://phii.org/resources/view/9612/informatics-savvy-health-department-self-assessment-tool. Accessed 11 Jul 2019.

  16. Minnesota Department of Health. Minnesota e-health assessments. (2019). https://www.health.state.mn.us/facilities/ehealth/assessment/index.html. Accessed 2 Jul 2019.

  17. Public Health Informatics Institute. Developing a strategic informatics roadmap. (2019). https://phii.org/resources/view/9614/developing-strategic-informatics-roadmap. Accessed 29 Jul 2019.

  18. Minnesota Department of Health. E-health vision statement. 2017. https://www.health.state.mn.us/facilities/ehealth/vision/index.html. Accessed 3 Sept 2019

  19. Public Health Informatics Institute. Applied public health informatics competency framework. https://phii.org/resources/view/9462/applied-public-health-informatics-competency-model. Accessed 6 Aug 2019.

  20. Wholey DR, LaVenture M, Rajamani S, Kreiger R, Hedberg C, Kenyon C. Developing workforce capacity in public health informatics: Core competencies and curriculum design. Front Public Health. 2018;6:124. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00124.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. DeBeaumont Foundation. Public health workforce interest and needs survey report. 2017. https://www.debeaumont.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/PH-WINS-2017.pdf. Accessed 9 Sept 2019.

  22. Public Health Informatics Institute. Informatics workforce position classifications and descriptions. https://phii.org/informatics-jobs. Accessed 22 Jul 2019.

  23. Public Health Informatics Institute. Informatics academy courses. https://informaticsacademy.org/. Accessed 29 May 2019.

  24. CDC. Public health informatics 101. https://www.cdc.gov/publichealth101/informatics.html. Accessed 29 May 2019.

  25. American Medical Informatics Association. Public health informatics. https://www.amia.org/applications-informatics/public-health-informatics. Accessed 6 Aug 2019.

  26. Braunstein ML, LaVenture M, Baker EL. Public health informatics incubators: accelerating innovation through creative partnerships between informatics experts and public health agencies. J Public Health Manage Pract. 2018;24(3):286–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. McFarlane TD, Dixon BE, Grannis SJ, Gibson PJ. Public health informatics in local and state health agencies: an update from the public health workforce interests and needs survey. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2019;25(Suppl 2):S67–77. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000000918.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Dixon BE, McFarlane TD, Dearth S, Grannis SJ, Gibson PJ. Characterizing informatics roles and needs of public health workers: results from the public health workforce interests and needs survey. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2015;21(Suppl 6):S130–S40. https://doi.org/10.1097/phh.0000000000000304.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Public Health Informatics Institute. IIS training hub. https://phii.org/iishub. Accessed 6 Aug 2019.

  30. Public Health Informatics Institute. Guiding principles for information system projects. https://phii.org/guiding-principles. Accessed 22 Aug 2019.

  31. Brand B, LaVenture M, Baker EL. Developing an informatics-savvy health department: from discrete projects to a coordinating program. Part III: ensuring well-designed and effectively-used information systems. J Public Health Manage Pract. 2018;24(6):181–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Minnesota Department of Health. Minnesota e-health privacy and security resources. https://www.health.state.mn.us/facilities/ehealth/privacy/index.html. Accessed 2 Sept 2019.

  33. Minnesota Department of Health. Minnesota e-birth records project: assessing readiness for e-birth records standards. (2014). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/evital/13-Minnesota-E-Birth-Records.pdf. Accessed 22 Aug 2019.

  34. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Define standards, health level seven (HL7) introduction to HL7 standards, and ONC. (2015). Connecting health and care for the nation. A shared nationwide interoperability roadmap. https://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/nationwide-interoperability-roadmap-version-1.0.pdf. Accessed 2 Sept 2019.

  35. Minnesota Department of Health. OHIT Minnesota e-health standards guidance. https://www.health.state.mn.us/facilities/ehealth/standards/index.html. Accessed 21 Aug 2019.

  36. CDC. Public health surveillance—preparing for the future. https://www.cdc.gov/surveillance/pdfs/Surveillance-Series-Bookleth.pdf. Accessed 15 Jul 2019.

Download references

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to acknowledge the staff at the Minnesota Department of Health, especially Kari Guida and Karen Soderberg, and at the Public Health Informatics Institute, especially Debra Bara and Jim Jellison, for their many contributions to the work described in this chapter.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martin LaVenture .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

LaVenture, M., Brand, W., Fritz, J. (2020). Advancing Informatics Policy and Practice: A State Perspective. In: Magnuson, J., Dixon, B. (eds) Public Health Informatics and Information Systems . Health Informatics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41215-9_23

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41215-9_23

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-41214-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-41215-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics