Case Service Design (CSD)

Key points

  • Case Service Design (CSD) is a collaboration across public health to design and implement human-centered solutions for case data exchange among state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) jurisdictions; CDC; and associated partners.
  • Solutions from CSD will help public health professionals get the data they need to inform public health action.
Group of people collaborating around a whiteboard

Designing solutions

A multidisciplinary team of experts in public health, design, product, and technology is taking a holistic view of case data exchange across the entire public health ecosystem. The team will design human-centered solutions for case data exchange comprehensively, from the point of care to public health action.

Solutions from CSD will enable public health professionals, healthcare providers, and the public easier access to the right public health data for the right public health action at the right time. 

This work will define the future state for case data exchange and inform the evolution of the Public Health Data Strategy.

Putting people first

CDC will engage co-creators from across public health to align on a common vision and future state for case data exchange. CDC will do this through:

  • Internal interviews with program practitioners
  • External interviews with jurisdiction practitioners
  • Focus groups with health systems and providers
  • Ongoing feedback from national public health partners and federal partners
  • A series of in-person workshops where select public health professionals within each group will design the future state together.

CSD's vision expands on modernization efforts and focuses on critical components to advance data for public health action to equitably protect health, safety, and security.

Collecting insights to inform solutions 

Site Visits

The CSD team conducted 25 site visits to state, tribal, and local health departments between March and October 2024. CDC is visiting more health departments in 2025, with a focus on understanding the needs of tribal health authorities.

CSD Summit

In August 2024, CDC convened a summit of over 100 epidemiologists and data scientists from 25 state, local, and tribal jurisdictions, 11 public health partner organizations, and seven CDC centers, institutes, and offices. National partners included the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, National Association of County and City Health Officials, Association of Public Health Laboratories, and the Big Cities Health Coalition.

During the sessions, participants listened to each other's stories, made new connections, and generated ideas. Each session progressively built on insights and ideas from individuals' experiences to create a shared vision of an ideal future for case-based surveillance.

Participants used CSD sessions to create a shared vision of an ideal future for case-based surveillance.
Participants used CSD sessions to create a shared vision of an ideal future for case-based surveillance.

Day 1 focused on participants sharing their stories and working together to iterate on ideas that address long-standing challenges and leverage untapped opportunities.

Day 2 focused on using the insights and ideas from day 1 to define what the future should look like and prioritize workstreams.

The CSD team is now working to package and share insights from the summit sessions, including:

  • Validated needs and pain points.
  • Future state stories for case surveillance across all levels of public health
  • Bank of ideas and opportunities to power the future state.
  • Articulation of what must be true to make the future real.
  • What we should do now, next, and later.

Case service design deliverables

To ensure alignment, effective implementation, and continuous improvement, CDC will deliver:

  • Future state experience
  • Strategic roadmap
  • Service blueprints
  • Product briefs

For more information, contact the CSD team at caseservicedesign@cdc.gov.