What We Do
As part of CDC Moving Forward, we're forming a new Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology. Stay tuned to this website for updates.
Vision
A modern public health data ecosystem that is response-ready and leveraged to protect and improve health.
Mission
Deliver strategic informatics leadership and advisement to advance the nation’s evolving public health data needs.
PHIO Goals
- Provide strategic public health informatics leadership.
- Foster collaboration and coordination to influence public health data modernization initiatives.
- Inform the development of public health and health information technology (IT) policies and standards.
- Ensure implementation of informatics solutions are interoperable and standards based.
- Lead public health data and informatics preparedness and response.
- Lead IT and data governance.
PHIO FOCUS AREAS
Data and Informatics Preparedness and Response
PHIO’s data and informatics preparedness and response activities center around providing preparedness frameworks and surveillance solutions, leading emergency response data analysis, and strengthening access to real world health care data.
Partnership and Advisory Services
PHIO’s partnership and advisory services improve data quality and exchange and promote public health data modernization. In collaboration with partners, PHIO expands data collection and analysis to enhance health equity, advises on implementing and evaluating IT and data modernization strategies, and informs healthcare data exchange policies and practices.
Informatics and Technology Innovation
PHIO’s informatics and technology innovation activities support the development of prototypes and pilot of informatic solutions to improve automated data entry, expand predictive analytic capacity, and streamline data exchange. In collaboration with partners, PHIO also expands CDC’s access to novel data sources to improve surveillance and data-driven strategies.
PHIO’s data and informatics preparedness and response activities include:
- Providing preparedness frameworks and surveillance solutions.
- Leading emergency response data analysis.
- Strengthening access to real-world health care data.
Here are some examples of our work.
Coordination of Data and Informatics Preparedness
PHIO coordinates with agency-wide partners to strengthen access to actionable data and plan for analytic capacity to respond to public health emergencies.
Outbreak Preparedness
We collaborate with CDC and other federal partners to address gaps and increase coordination and accelerate data exchange.
Emergency Response Leadership
Our team provides critical leadership on data access, analytic strategies, and information technology infrastructure to strengthen CDC’s data-driven public health action.
COVID-19 Seroprevalence
PHIO partners with CDC programs and external laboratories to broaden the understanding of the burden of SARS-CoV-2 and to provide cutting-edge data to inform state and national action and policy.
PHIO’s partnership and advisory services improve data quality and exchange and promote public health data modernization. In collaboration with partners PHIO:
- Expands data collection and analysis to enhance health equity,
- Advises on implementing and evaluating IT and data modernization strategies, and
- Informs healthcare data exchange policies and practices.
Here are some examples of our work.
Health Equity
PHIO works with internal and external partners to ensure surveillance data are timely and complete to inform health equity strategies and action.
HL7® FHIR®
Our team partners and leads initiatives to increase the adoption of Health Level 7 International (HL7®) Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®) throughout CDC and improve data exchange across healthcare and public health information systems. Learn more about HL7® FHIR®.
Privacy Preserving Record Linkage (PPRL)
PHIO leads the examination of PPRL strategies to securely link individual health records across data systems without disclosing personally identifiable information and analyze health outcomes over time and health care systems.
Data Modernization Strategic Planning
We advise internal and external partners on strategies to modernize public health data systems to better monitor and address health conditions and diseases. PHIO’s activities include guidance on improving and integrating existing systems.
PHIO’s informatics and technology innovation activities:
- Support the development of prototypes and pilot of informatic solutions to improve automated data entry,
- Expand predictive analytic capacity, and
- Streamline data exchange.
Here are some examples of our work.
Standard Data Elements
Our office co-leads CDC’s Data Standards Management and Harmonization Workgroup to increase the visibility and implementation of data standards.
System Interoperability and Data Exchange
PHIO works across CDC and other federal partners to advance interoperability of public health systems and improve rapid and effective data exchange that guides action. We are designing and piloting strategies to create a reliable and adaptable method for exchanging electronic health records, such as MedMorph.
Adapting Clinical Guidelines
We advise on strategies to improve the accessibility and efficiency of clinical providers’ evidence-based guidelines. Learn more about adapting clinical guidelines for the digital age.
Technical and Architecture Solutions
PHIO develops prototypes and advises CDC programs on information technology strategies that efficiently foster cutting-edge capabilities to advance public health.
