The United States health system is undergoing a critical transformation in financing, service delivery, and access to care. One of the key elements of this transformation are unprecedented efforts at the local and state levels to electronically capture and exchange data to improve health care and population health, and reduce costs.

Health information technology tools such as electronic health records (EHRs) capture clinical data that can be used at the point of care, shared among providers and public health to facilitate care coordination, analyzed to support public health goals, including resource allocation, prioritization, and planning.

Despite these tremendous benefits and a nationwide commitment to the use and sharing of electronic health information, health information exchange can be a challenging reality for state and local public health—leading public health partners to focus on identifying ways to reduce or eliminate real or perceived barriers to information sharing and improve access to and use of electronic health information on the state and local levels. 

A recent webinar, co-sponsored by CDC’s Public Health Law Program and the Network for Public Health Law, focused on the importance of data sharing for public health purposes. Panelists addressed public health information exchange, and highlight efforts under way to improve the ability of state and local public health agencies to access and use electronic health information.

Click to listen and watch a recording of the webinar. View/download the slides.