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GAO-22-106175 1 (2022-09-22)

handle is hein.gao/gaonqn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: The Big Picture Longstanding challenges in the federal government's management of public health data undermine the nation's ability to quickly respond to public health emergencies like COVID-19 and monkeypox. These challenges include the lack of: common data standards-requirements for public health entitles to collect certain data elements, such as patient characteristics (e.g., name, sex, and race) and clinical information (e.g., diagnosis and test results) in a specific way; interoperability-the ability of data collection systems to exchange information with and process information from other systems; and public health IT infrastructure-the computer software, hardware, networks, and policies that enable public health entities to report and retrieve data and information. Over 15 years ago, federal law mandated that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) establish a national public health situational awareness network with a standardized data format. This network was intended to provide secure, near real-time information to facilitate early detection of and rapid response to infectious diseases. However, the federal government still lacks this needed network and has not yet overcome the challenges identified in previous GAO reviews. Having near real-time access to these data could significantly improve our nation's preparedness for public health emergencies and potentially save lives. Without the network, federal, state, and local health departments, hospitals, and laboratories are left without the ability to easily share health information in real-time to respond effectively to diseases. Illustration of a National Public Health Situational Awareness Network State, Territorial, Tribal Health Departments Community Health Centers sI Federal Agencies Local Health Departments Laboratoies O) O HOs Poison Control Centers Source: GAO analysis of Department of Health and Human Services data; images: PureSolution/stock.adobe.com. I GAO-22-106175 What GAO's Work Shows GAO's prior work identified three broad challenges to public health data management and recommended actions for improvement. 1. Common Data Standards To ensure that information can be consistently reported, compared, and analyzed across jurisdictions, public health entities need a standardized data format. Due to the lack of common data standards, information reported by states about GAO-22-106175 Public Health Data Management spitals

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