HLN Consulting Names Lilly Kan First Chief Executive Officer
Big news at HLN Consulting: Lilly Kan is our first Chief Executive Officer and will start full-time on January 1, 2027. Read more about Lilly and the leadership transition.
Read more >Planning
CDC releases 2026 Public Health Data Strategy (PHDS)
BY Aasa Dahlberg Schmit ON Public Health | CDC | DM | Electronic Case Reporting (eCR) | FHIR | Planning | Project Management | Syndromic Surveillance | TEFCA
The CDC has just released its 2026 Public Health Data Strategy (PHDS) annual update, providing guidelines for data modernization across the U.S. For public health organizations navigating DMI projects, these updates offer important guidance on upcoming technical requirements and federal priorities for data modernization. Read our summary of what’s changing.
Read more >HLN Submits comments to Health Data, Technology and Interoperability: ASTP/ONC Deregulatory Actions to Unleash Prosperity (HTI-5 Proposed rule)
BY Aasa Dahlberg Schmit and Noam Arzt ON HIE & Interoperability | ASTP/ONC | DM | EHR/PHR | Federal Rulemaking | FHIR | Meaningful Use | Planning | Public Health
In December 2025, the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP) released the draft HTI-5 proposed rule. HLN conducted a detailed review with particular attention to its implications for public health and submitted formal comments outlining key considerations for the public health community.
Read more >Modernizing Public Health Data: Best Practices for Cloud Strategies and Management
BY Michael J. Suralik ON Public Health | Cloud Computing | DM | Events | Planning | Project Management | Technology
As public health systems modernize, many agencies are transitioning from on-premise servers to cloud platforms that offer scalability, automation, and cost efficiency. In this blog, Mike Suralik outlines key strategies for cloud migration—covering FinOps, automation, and real-world lessons that help agencies improve agility, manage costs, and build resilient data systems for the future.
Read more >The Data Modernization View from St. Louis: PHIG ARC 2025
BY Marcey Propp and Ken Hughes ON Immunization Information System (IIS) | ASTP/ONC | CDC | Disease Surveillance Systems (DSS) | DM | Electronic Case Reporting (eCR) | Events | HIE & Interoperability | Planning | Public Health | Technology | TEFCA
At the PHIG ARC held in St. Louis, HLN Consulting presented data modernization work in Sedgwick County, KS, along with findings from site visits in VA, MN, and RI. With 500+ attendees, the meeting showcased how states, locals, territories, and tribes advanced modernization and workforce initiatives—reinforcing the urgent need to strengthen systems like IIS to meet public health challenges.
Read more >Learning by Doing: Building My First AI Framework
BY Lux Phatak ON Public Health | AI | Planning | Technology
A simple SEO task exposed AI’s limits—and its unexpected strengths. With a clear framework and iterative prompts, I turned unpredictable results into consistent outcomes.
Read more >CMS Releases HTI-4 Final Rule
BY Noam Arzt ON Federal Rulemaking | ASTP/ONC | CDC | COVID-19 | EHR/PHR | FHIR | HIE & Interoperability | Meaningful Use | Planning | Public Health
CMS recently released its HTI-4 final rule covering hospital payment systems and health technology standards. While not focused on public health, several things in the 2,000+ page rule stand out – including the absence of any public health system certification and a new bonus Promoting Interoperability measure using TEFCA.
Read more >HLN Offers U.S. Public Health Data Ecosystem Training as a new TRAIN Course Provider
BY Liz Abbott ON Public Health | DM | Planning | Technology
The HLN-developed, U.S. Public Health Data Ecosystem training is now available on TRAIN.org as part of a collaboration with the Public Health Foundation to become a TRAIN course provider.
Read more >Data Governance, building trust in Public Health Data
BY Aasa Dahlberg Schmit and Carolyn Mckinney ON Public Health | Data Governance | DM | Planning | Project Management
Public Health Data Modernization aims to replace siloed systems to improve data quality, interoperability and decision-making. Strong data governance ensures accuracy, security, and trust across the data lifecycle.
Read more >HLN Attends the Sequoia Project Annual Meeting
BY Kate McMahon ON EHR/PHR | ASTP/ONC | DM | Electronic Case Reporting (eCR) | Events | HIE & Interoperability | Planning | TEFCA
HLN attended the Sequoia Project Annual Meeting in Nashville on December 11th, 2024, where healthcare systems and IT professionals discussed advancements in data interoperability, national models like TECFA, and strategies for broad adoption and usability of these frameworks.
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