Purpose
ELC's Health Information Systems (HIS) program supports the maintenance, operation, and modernization of public health information systems, staff, and infrastructure. Modern health information systems are essential for detecting outbreaks, tracking disease trends, and protecting communities.
Colorado: Replacing a 30-Year-Old System
In 2021, Colorado's disease tracking system was nearly 30 years old and a patchwork of 16 separate systems designed for routine reporting. It was designed to handle about 1,000 lab tests daily, but during the pandemic, the system processed an average of 44,800 lab tests per day and peaked at over 110,000 tests in a single day. Though Colorado navigated this challenging period, staff recognized the urgent need for modernization to improve the efficiency of the state's disease surveillance efforts.
With ELC funding, Colorado combined these separate systems into one platform that launched in March 2025. The new system automatically receives lab reports through electronic case reporting. Colorado can now detect cases faster, staff spend less time on manual data entry, and data sharing with local health departments, hospitals, and tribal communities has improved—helping Colorado respond to health threats more effectively.
Tennessee: Speeding Up Outbreak Detection
When a potential outbreak emerges, staff must quickly review incoming case reports and identify patterns. In Tennessee, this work was slowed by an outdated system that couldn't keep pace with the growing amount and complexity of disease data. Supported by ELC funding, Tennessee developed a cloud-based tool that automatically highlights key patterns, reduces duplicate data entry, and makes connections between cases easier to spot.
Staff now spend much less time on manual data review—what previously took several days can now be completed in hours. This means faster identification of outbreaks and quicker actions to prevent further spread. The cloud-based system can also handle surges in disease reporting without crashing, which is critical during emergencies.
Texas: Bridging Old and New Technology
In Texas, many laboratories still send test results by fax. Each faxed report requires staff to manually enter the information into the state's disease tracking system. This is time-consuming, creates errors, and delays data from reaching staff who need it. With ELC support, Texas implemented an electronic faxing solution. The system automatically receives faxed lab reports, scans them to pull out the data, converts it into a standard electronic format, and securely sends it to the national disease tracking system.
Texas now processes more than 1,000 laboratory faxes each month. The staff workload has been cut in half, freeing up public health professionals to focus on disease investigation rather than data entry. Data accuracy has improved, and diseases are now being captured in the tracking system faster.
Wisconsin: Using Advanced Lab Testing to Stop an Outbreak
In fall 2022, a Wisconsin hospital reported an unusual cluster of Mycobacterium mucogenicum infections. The Wisconsin health department and state laboratory quickly stepped in to help answer some key questions: Were these cases connected to each other, suggesting an ongoing outbreak? Or were they unrelated, isolated infections?
The laboratory provided a definitive answer within days using whole genome sequencing—a method that examines a germ's complete genetic code to determine whether cases are related. This rapid response was possible because of earlier ELC investments that allowed the lab to build modern systems that automate testing steps and analyze genetic data efficiently. The analysis confirmed the infections formed a single outbreak at the hospital. Armed with this information, the hospital implemented targeted infection control measures, and the outbreak was quickly contained—protecting patients and healthcare workers.
Building Resilient Public Health Infrastructure Through Strategic Data Systems
During public health emergencies, decision-makers need immediate access to laboratory data from across the country. But creating new data systems during a crisis takes months or years—time that communities don't have when facing a rapidly spreading disease. Since 2005, CDC and the Association of Public Health Laboratories have built the groundwork for modern laboratory data sharing through AIMS—a secure platform connecting state health departments, laboratories, and federal agencies. When public health emergency struck in 2020, CDC scaled this existing system to collect real-time laboratory data nationwide.
Decision-makers gained immediate access to testing volumes, positivity rates, and demographic trends—enabling targeted response within weeks instead of months. The system now powers multiple CDC initiatives including immunization tracking, provider enrollment, and disease surveillance systems. Strategic investment in data infrastructure during preparedness delivers significant value during crises.