Summary of CDC’s Data Modernization Strategy (2023-2025)
This document outlines the CDC’s strategy for modernizing public health data systems, focusing on early threat detection and real-time monitoring. The core goal is to improve the speed and efficiency of public health response by leveraging data from healthcare systems and expanding data sharing capabilities. This ultimately aims to minimize the burden on healthcare partners during outbreaks and investigations.
Key Achievements (2023-2024):
* Increased Electronic Case Reporting (eCR) Adoption: significant progress made in getting healthcare providers to electronically submit case reports.
* Expanded Electronic Lab Reporting: 90% of CDC labs now electronically share data with health departments, accelerating facts dissemination.
* Routinized Real-Time Reporting: 78% of US hospital EDs provide data to the CDC within 24 hours via the National Syndromic Surveillance Program, enabling monitoring of various health threats.
* Improved Rural Data Access: eCR implementation increased in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) from ~300 to 380.
* Respiratory Virus Data Channel: Launched a publicly accessible tool providing up-to-date data on COVID-19, flu, and RSV, receiving over 4 million visits.
Future Direction (2024-2025):
The updated strategy focuses on three key pillars:
* Accelerating eCR Adoption: Continued focus on increasing eCR implementation, particularly in CAHs.
* Connecting Public Health to Health IT: Utilizing frameworks like TEFCA to facilitate faster data sharing between healthcare systems and public health agencies.
* Expanding Core Data sources: Strengthening data exchange and improving integration/visualization of data from sources like wastewater, hospitalization rates, and hospital bed capacity.
* Prioritizing Health Equity: Increasing reporting on social determinants of health data to address health disparities.
In essence, the CDC is working to build a more connected, responsive, and equitable public health data ecosystem. This involves leveraging technology, fostering collaboration, and prioritizing data that can inform effective public health action.
