The Public Health Informatics Initiative is a component of the Medicaid Health Information Technology Project.

Our work includes:

• Pursuing strategies that enable Oregon providers to meet Public Health meaningful use objectives that require electronic data submission with minimal burden. Strategies include offering techinical guidance, ensuring  external partners are able to provide technical assistance, and identifying opportunities to improve Public Health systems related to meaningful use.
• Identifying data exchange needs and opportunities, focusing on interfaces between Oregon Public Heath Division (OPHD) and external data systems (e.g., providers' electronic health record systems and Oregon's Immunization Information System). Our plan will detail the purpose, strategy, requirements and design specifications to facilitate the bi-directional exchange of health information between health care providers and OPHD.

Where possible, our work will leverage Health Information Exchange Core Services, being implemented by the Oregon Health Authority. These core services, a private and secure e-mail network for health care, allow providers to exchange health information across organizational and geographic boundaries. Oregon's messaging services will be implemented using the Direct Project - a simple, secure, scalable, standards-based transport mechanism that enables users to send encrypted health information directly to known, trusted recipients over the Internet.