PHIN Communities of Practice

Community of Practice Program (CoPP)

Program FAQs

The following are frequently asked questions about the PHIN Communities of Practice and Communities of Practice Program. If you have a question that is not addressed here, please send it to phin@cdc.gov.

Overall CoP Approach

Why is there a focus on CoPs now?

How is the PHIN CoP approach different from the current PHIN? How do the CoP efforts relate to PHIN as a community? Operationally - what does this mean?

What is the difference between CoPs, user groups, and regional health information organizations (RHIOs)?

I have been functioning within a user group which is successful, but not called a CoP. Why should my group become a CoP?

Technical Impact

My group is technically advanced, but I don't think I can spare resources to teach another organization how to do the same. However, if I do, what's in it for my agency?

How will participation in a community help one in meeting the PHIN 2.0 Requirements?

Funding

What type of money and/or resources will be provided to current or new CoPs?

Evaluation

I don't want to participate in an evaluation that only benefits CDC and not me or my CoP? How does it benefit me?

Governance

If there are two CoPs in one domain, will you encourage them to combine?

Are there any external (outside of CDC) user groups or CoPs linked to PHIN? If so, will these be supported by the NCPHI CoP Program?

Q: Why is there a focus on CoPs now?
Communities of Practice (CoPs) leverage the processes of social learning and shared practices that emerge and evolve when people with a common goal interact and strive to achieve their goals together. CoPs are working to bring the PHIN community together and strengthen this alliance as members collaborate, share, and focus on issues prioritized by the community.

Our goal is to provide CDC and the public health community with opportunities for: (1) knowledge sharing on topics relevant to PHIN (2) creating awareness of current issues, and (3) fostering collaborative environments for interoperable public health informatics projects.

The CoP approach is as follows:

• supports open, collaborative relationships that PHIN Partners have requested and that benefits CDC, state and local health departments, and other PHIN Partners
• involves Partners in each stage of the software development processes, which increases adoption and sustainability of applications
• is an advancing methodology, reaching a level of maturity that makes it a valuable approach for public health
• is consistent with the national movement that enables all community members an opportunity to participate in making decisions that affect their community
• is an innovative way to get work done!

Q: How is the PHIN CoP approach different from the current PHIN? How do the CoP efforts relate to PHIN as a community? Operationally - what does this mean?

Currently, CDC has borne the primary responsibility for the development of PHIN. The CoP approach will transform PHIN into a collaborative community, where CDC is no longer primarily responsible, but is one equal partner with the other members of PHIN, with decisions and work responsibility equitably shared. This approach will give CDC’s traditional partners the opportunity to have input into areas that affect their work, including the software development lifecycle.

At the 2008 PHIN Conference, a proposed structure for PHIN CoPs was presented to the PHIN Community, and a PHIN CoP Governance Working Group is reviewing the proposal. After the PHIN Communities of Practice Council (PHIN CoPC) convenes in early 2009, this proposed structure will be edited according to the decisions made by the PHIN CoPC and the PHIN Community. The operational implications of CoPs will therefore depend upon the decisions made by the Communites’ representatives on the Council.
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Q: What is the difference between CoPs, user groups, and regional health information organizations (RHIOs)?
RHIOs join regional organizations and networks, whereas PHIN CoPs join individuals across the nation representing organizations with expertise in one functional or technical area (e.g., Vocabulary and Messaging Standards) who work to advance that area. RHIO members are specifically invited, and membership is limited. PHIN CoP membership is nationwide and open to anyone interested in the CoP’s domain area.

In regards to user groups, CoP decisions are made collaboratively by all the members, and communication between CDC and other partners is bidirectional. User group decisions are generally made by CDC and then communicated to the members.
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Q: I have been functioning within a user group which is successful, but not called a CoP. Why should my group become a CoP?
The CoP approach works well for certain groups, but not for others. Not all user groups or working groups should function as a CoP. A CoP forms around a particular area of expertise (i.e., Enterprise Architecture), where interested, experienced, and often expert individuals come together to learn, share and collaborate to develop agreed-upon, reusable best practices in the area. To determine if your user group or working group should consider adopting the CoP approach, use the "Could it be a CoP?" resource in the CoP Resource Kit.
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Q: My group is technically advanced, but I don't think I can spare resources to teach another organization how to do the same. However, if I do, what's in it for my agency?
Participation in a CoP is a give and take process; one may offer expertise in a particular area while receiving benefits from others’ experiences. Everyone benefits from experiences and opinions of colleagues that may approach a problem differently and that bring varying degrees of expertise to the community. The amount of time and resources it takes to participate in a CoP varies depending on the desired level of engagement. The PHIN community can benefit from lessons learned or documented knowledge products shared, as well as direct involvement from individuals. In addition, organizations may gain national exposure and recognition among peers for successful implementation of processes and information systems that directly support / advance public health activities.
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Q: How will participation in a community help one in meeting the PHIN 2.0 Requirements?
Many Departments of Health (DoH) experience similar challenges, such as achieving effective and efficient system implementation or gaining stakeholder buy-in. Partner feedback indicates there is a considerable local benefit in sharing lessons learned, best / promising practices, and “pitfalls” experienced. Since few DoHs experience wholly dissimilar results and challenges, the PHIN community advances, as a whole, by sharing information.
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Q: What type of money and/or resources will be provided to current or new CoPs?
Core CDC/NCPHI funding will support the Communities of Practice Program, providing leadership and resources to facilitate, communicate, educate, train, and support all PHIN CoPs. Special Projects funding is being requested to enhance this core support. Special projects will include a web portal for communication and collaboration, and expansion of the CoP Resource Kit. CoPs who have funding needs for a project specific to PHIN may be able to request funding through the PHIN CoP Council.
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Q: I don't want to participate in an evaluation that only benefits CDC and not me or my CoP? How does it benefit me?
The use of CoPs is a new way of doing business for PHIN that will be conducted by the CDC Communities of Practice Program. Evaluation is one way to help CDC and PHIN understand the value, processes, and outcomes associated with their investment in the CoPs and the Program supporting them.

In addition, evaluation will also help members evaluate their efforts as well. For example, CoPs are expected to improve how members learn new information, meet new collaborators, and come up with new ways of looking at problems. Evaluation provides a means to assess what is working, what is not, and how to improve.

Information gained from an evaluation will also help others address similar issues in the future, and should inform how CoPs contribute to the improvement of PHIN. Community members are the most important part of the evaluation process; their participation and feedback is critical.
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Q: If there are two CoPs in one domain, will you encourage them to combine?
One benefit of CoPs is to reduce redundancies within PHIN. By encouraging existing groups, who do similar work, to combine efforts, the PHIN Community will more efficiently make use of time and resources. This also encourages innovation and collaboration by members.
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Q: Are there any external (outside of CDC) user groups or CoPs linked to PHIN? If so, will these be supported by the NCPHI CoP Program?
There are CoPs in public health that operate outside of PHIN. The NCPHI CoP Program has examined and will continue to monitor these CoPs and leverage any best practices. At some point, collaboration with CoPs outside of PHIN CoP is possible. CDC/NCPHI will only provide support to CoPs that align with PHIN and work to strengthen the Network.
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