title: Local public health departments: enablers of health information exchange.
abstract: Local public health departments, or LPHDs, are responsible for assessing and assuring the health of the communities they serve. This paper describes how LPHDs can take a leadership role to facilitate health information exchange within their jurisdictions. Their public status regulated by federal and state laws distinguishes LPHDs from all other healthcare providers and enables them to assume the role of a neutral party and coordinator of HIE initiatives. The authors recommend an incremental approach to data exchange based on the priorities of the care providers in a local community, utilizing existing public health infrastructure as a foundation for an HIE. This approach mitigates the risk and results in a series of short-term successes that build confidence and ensure ongoing community involvement and support. Health information exchange projects in Imperial and San Joaquin counties as well as their future plans and lessons learned are reviewed as examples of this model in practice.
authors.affiliation: San Joaquin County Public Health Services, Stockton, Calif., USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hodgkin
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Johann
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leitner
mesh_terms: D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D009111:Local Government; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D011635:Public Health Administration; D014481:United States