Civitas Networks for Health has a new draft Health Data Utility (HDU) resource which is now open for public comment. This supplement builds upon the foundational Health Data Utility Framework, which addresses the needs of health data governance, interoperability, and value-based care within throughout the U.S.
The document is quite good (as is the original framework document), and it covers the multitude of issues surrounding health information exchange in the U.S. quite well. From a public health perspective, the document does a good job of addressing public health reporting, but it does leave one glaring ambiguity: As some HDUs are repositories of health data for a jurisdiction or region, there is potential for them to overlap with public health repositories (like Immunization Information Systems [IIS] or Disease Surveillance Systems [DSS]) that might also operate in the same area. While many HDUs are supported, and even directed, by state, tribal, local or territorial government agencies, the IIS and/or DSS programs/divisions may be less involved and their activities may be less in sync with the HDU plans and implementation. This is a consideration that should be addressed in all HDU planning.
In addition, there is one more observation worthy of consideration, though it is more of a nit: Some colleagues have pointed out that the use of the word “stakeholder” brings to some (particularly Indigenous populations) a pejorative meaning related to the actual use of stakes in the ground that were once used to appropriate land. As we strive to engage tribal organizations more, perhaps we should discourage the use of this term. The problem is that it is difficult to find a good alternative that conveys the same level of interest but not necessarily active engagement (some stakeholders are engaged, some are not). Partners?
Both of these documents would make a great addition to any health informatics reading list, especially for folks new to the field (see our work on training for the CDC Foundation’s Workforce Acceleration Initiative [WAI]).