TB Notes Newsletter
No. 1, 2007
Public Health Information Network Conference Held September 2006
The 4th annual Public Health Information Network (PHIN) Conference
was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia,
September 25–27, 2006. The theme of the conference was “PHIN: Fostering Partnerships
for a Health-e Tomorrow.” The conferences brought together public health and
information technology professionals from around the United States, as
well as some international guests, to network and share their experiences with
implementing PHIN. The conference was filled with many interesting presentations
on subjects such as the
- NEDSS Base System (NBS),
- NEDSS PAM Platform (NPP),
- Application Service Provider (ASP),
- Electronic Lab Reports (ELR),
- PHIN
MS,
- Message Subscription System (MSS),
- Outbreak
Management System (OMS), and other topics of interest.
Representatives of
several private companies were on hand displaying various systems that were
designed to improve the efficiency of public health systems. There were also
periodic demonstrations of the NPP, NBS, and OMS. The poster session of abstracts
from CDC, contractors, and local and state health departments and others was
well attended.
Impressive electronic laboratory reporting systems were presented at the conference.
These systems should facilitate the rapid identification of TB cases and result
in reduced exposure to infectious TB cases. This is important for prompt investigation
and follow-up, as well as for the early detection of outbreaks. There were also
presentations from two states on Integrated Surveillance Systems from the state
level. Our international guests from Canada
and Ireland
also presented on Integrated Surveillance Systems. Scott Danos, acting Deputy
Director, Division of Integrated Surveillance Systems and Services, announced
at the conference that the NBS will eventually be phased out and become a part
of the NPP. That was new and interesting news to most of the attendees present.
Overall, the PHIN conference was well attended and very informative.
—Reported by Bruce Bradley
Div of TB Elimination |
