Data interoperability at the federal level requires cross-sector collaboration

During a panel discussion at Digital Frontiers in Public Health, panelists discussed how the public and private sectors can work together to share data and improve public health. David Brailer, current executive vice president and chief health officer at Cigna, served as the first national coordinator for health information technology in 2004. He and his team said their four top priorities were to improve the quality of clinical decision-making, advance public health, speed up consumer self-care and self-empowerment, and advance clinical research and science at the bedside. The use of EHRs has significantly improved clinical decision-making, according to Brailer, who spoke at the event on Tuesday that was jointly organised by the Ellison Institute and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. However, she noted that consumer empowerment isn't quite where it needs to be. Even while there is a strong investment community focused on consumer digital solutions, there has been little progress in the public health sector and clinical research is still not tied to patient care.