IT infrastructure sought for public health system

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By Cara Garretson

(IDG) -- Government officials, IT executives, and health industry members addressed shortcomings and suggested improvements for the nation's public-health information-sharing networks at a U.S. House of Representatives' hearing held Friday to examine bioterrorism response procedures.

Members of a House subcommittee and witnesses reviewed the findings of a March study done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which outlined problems with timely information sharing among federal, state and local governments in responding to a health crisis, and made recommendations for improvement. The hearing was held by the Committee on Government Reform's Subcommittee on Technology and Procurement Policy.

During his opening statement, Subcommittee Chairman Tom Davis, a Republican from Virginia, pointed out existing weaknesses to public health information sharing systems.

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"Both basic IT infrastructure and communications protocols must be clarified and improved in order to achieve the efficient system necessary to effectively respond to an emergency," Davis said. "This is borne out by CDC's estimate that currently only 68.1 percent of U.S. counties have high-speed Internet access and can receive a broadcast message. Moreover, only 13 states have high-speed Internet connections with all their counties."

In support of the CDC recommendations, an executive with Electronic Data Systems Corp (EDS) called for the creation of a data network that would link health care professionals with public agencies at all levels of government, so that alerts could be quickly disseminated and information shared when threats to public health are detected.

"Our doctors and nurses should not have to rely on CNN or word of mouth for critical public health information," said Charles Saunders, president of EDS' Health Care Global Industry Group, in his statement to the subcommittee.

Specifically, Saunders recommended building a Web-based system for collecting and distributing information about disease outbreaks and other medical events, connecting all levels of government with doctors, hospitals, and labs; a global knowledge management system about hazardous materials and about how to treat people who come into contact with them; and a Web-based system that tracks and inventories health care resources and materials for use in mass-casualty situations.

Saunders recommended that "common-sense business practices" should be applied to running the network, and stressed the need for more education to help health care workers deal with health risks.

Another executive at the hearing agreed that when in the midst of public health threats, such as the string of anthrax attacks that followed the Sept. 11 terrorist acts, quick access to information is vital.

"As has been observed many times, our first line of defense in preparing for bioterror is our ability to communicate and coordinate -- our information and communication systems lie at the very heart of our response," said Rock Regan, president of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) and CIO of the state of Connecticut, in his statement.

Regan also supported the CDC recommendation to enhance information exchange by creating a nationwide data network that would let health professionals access and distribute public health information and alerts, as well as assist in detection. The CDC says that in order for this goal to be met by 2010, all health care offices would need high-speed Internet access and standard protocols for data collection, transport, reporting, and information exchange that connects with federal, state, and local governments and also protects privacy, according to Regan.

That would require a significant investment that states and local governments can't bear alone, Regan warned. "NASCIO in encouraged by the consideration in the coming days in both the House and the Senate of legislation that would provide funding for state and local preparedness," he said.