Collaboration Through EHR

In the article, Strengthening Public Health and Privacy Collaboration through Public Health Records, it discusses how EHR’s (electronic health records) are a more likely facilitator for a more effective association between public health departments and primary care providers in maintaining a healthy community. Health risks in the community continue their shift from contagious diseases to chronic illnesses. Public health departments are increasing their focus on conditions such as diabetes and obesity as well as severe threats that continue from traditional public health concerns, such as disease outbreaks (Calman, 2012, 13). Primary care providers and health centers who provide care for lower income families are on the front lines in treating
EHRs facilitate clinical alerts educated by public health objectives that direct primary care physicians in real time in their diagnosis and treatment. Syndromic surveillance, the practice of monitoring encounters for symptoms that may signify infectious diseases and other conditions of public health concerns, can be facilitated by the use of EHRs through automated data reporting to public health departments. As health departments reevaluate their public health programs, the use of EHRs to aid this program in primary care settings should be reflected. PCPs and EHR vendors, in turn, will need to configure their EHR systems and practice workflows to align with public health priorities as these agendas include increased involvement of primary care providers in addressing public health concerns (Calman,
EHRs can form he hub of information exchange as primary care providers document illness that can be uploaded to public health departments to monitor disease and inform point of care decisions about treatment through provision of relevant public health information. Public health departments can use accumulated EHR data, as well as other sources of data to prioritize community interventions and public health messages as well as recommendations for primary care screenings and treatment. Individuals and communities make daily decisions about their health and lifestyles that are reported to their primary care providers and to public health departments through providers resourcefully organizing their priorities to ensure that patients and communities receive dependable health messages. Data from one point on the hub can inform action on another point, creating a community health information ecosystem that adopts organization of data and health advancement activities (Calman, 2012,