An Informatics Framework to Support Surveillance System Interoperability in Minnesota

Introduction The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) needs to be able to collect, use, and share clinical, individual-level health data electronically in secure and standardized ways in order to optimize surveillance capabilities, support public health goals, and ensure proper follow-up and action to public health threats. MDH programs, public health departments, and health care providers across the state are facing increasing demands to receive and submit electronic health data through approaches that are secure, coordinated, and efficient; use appropriate data standards; meet state and federal privacy laws; and align with best practices. This framework builds upon existing informatics models and two past studies assessing health information exchange (HIE) conducted by the MDH Office of Health Information Technology (OHIT) to provide MDH surveillance systems with an outline of the key elements and considerations for transitioning to more secure, standards-based, electronic data exchange.