At a glance
PHDS Overview
The PHDS provides our partners and the public with information on what is being done and progress being made:
- To address gaps in public health data.
- To reduce the complexity of data exchange.
- To help the nation promote health equity.
- To provide timely and actionable data.
- To improve health outcomes for all.
The plan consists of milestones for 2024 and 2025 for each of the four public health data goals. Progress in meeting the milestones is monitored throughout the year and the milestones are updated annually.
- Goal 1: Strengthen the core of public health data.
- Goal 2: Accelerate access to analytic and automated solutions to support public health investigations and advance health equity.
- Goal 3: Visualize and share insights to inform public health action.
- Goal 4: Advance more open and interoperable public health data.
These ambitious milestones:
- Define near-term goals, outcomes and measures of success.
- Ensure the public health ecosystem is response-ready.
- Deliver faster, more complete and more secure exchange of data.
The PHDS supports CDC in building long-term accountability for critical core data sources. This includes sources such as case, laboratory, emergency department visits, vital statistics, immunization, healthcare capacity and wastewater data.
Enhancement of these data sources and technologies advances public health core capabilities at all levels of government. It also strengthens public health digital infrastructure and situational awareness in support of the American Pandemic Preparedness Plan. And it improves risk awareness and threat detection in alignment with Goal 1 of the National Biodefense Strategy.
These are the data and technology goals of the PHDS to advance core public health missions to equitably improve health outcomes:
- Address the imperative of the CDC Moving Forward effort.
- Deliver information and guidance in near real-time.
- Deliver information and guidance in near real-time.
- Align data modernization across public health and partners.
- Measure success through concrete and measurable two-year milestones.
- Measure success through concrete and measurable two-year milestones.
- Become more response-ready.
- Build on lessons learned from recent public health threats.
- Build on lessons learned from recent public health threats.
- Create accountability for public health data within OPHDST.
- Lead the execution of public health data efforts.
- Lead the execution of public health data efforts.
Changes for 2024
Building Upon 2023 Successes and Partner Feedback
Goals
2023 PHDS milestones focused on…
Additional focus areas for 2024 PHDS include…
1: Strengthen the core of public health data.
Strengthening exchange and improving availability of case, laboratory, emergency department visits and vital statistics data.
Strengthening exchange of additional core data sources such as wastewater, hospitalization and hospital bed capacity.
2: Accelerate access to analytic and automated solutions.
Accelerating access to technologies that reduce data reporting and preparation burden such as for healthcare providers in rural communities.
Accelerating access to technologies that support disease surveillance, such as for state, tribal, local and territorial (STLT) public health departments. Additionally including actionable health equity-focused efforts such as increasing reporting on additional social determinants of health-related data elements, could support data sovereignty for tribal nations and Tribal Epidemiology Centers.
3: Visualize insights to inform public health action.
Making visualizations and insights available to the general public, CDC programs and STLT public health departments such as those created for the 2023-2024 respiratory threat season.
Developing and increasing use of more granular data, such as county-level, and integrated visualizations across case, mortality and emergency department data.
4: Advance more open and interoperable public health data.
Advancing more seamless data exchange between health care and public health such as between laboratories and state public health agencies.
Developing and supporting the implementation of common standards for healthcare and public health data through partnerships with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and other agencies.
The 2024 Public Health Data Strategy supplements other CDC Data Modernization initiative efforts to address workforce development topics. Learn more about efforts to enhance the training skills and performance of public health workers:
Collaborating with Public Health Partners
Funding and technical assistance:
- Increase efficiency of data exchange through:
- Federal investments in intermediaries.
- Federal investments in intermediaries.
- Support efforts to modernize systems and data infrastructure through:
- Funding such as Public Health Infrastructure Grants.
- Funding such as Public Health Infrastructure Grants.
- Hands-on support for new initiatives and technologies through:
- Implementation Centers.
- Implementation Centers.
Communications and engagement:
- Document impact at all levels of public health through:
- Setting and tracking impact metrics.
- Setting and tracking impact metrics.
- Provide opportunities for partners to engage through:
- Regular forums such as DMI Consortium and Industry Days.
- Regular forums such as DMI Consortium and Industry Days.
- Share capabilities and benefits with partners through:
- Demonstrations of CDC-supported tools/technology.
- Demonstrations of CDC-supported tools/technology.
Capability building:
- Highlight successful data modernization efforts through:
- Playbooks and implementation guidance.
- Playbooks and implementation guidance.
- Provide training opportunities through:
- Building data and technology-related skills.
- Building data and technology-related skills.
- Ensure efforts meet partner needs through:
- Human-centered design.
- Human-centered design.
PHDS Milestones are Tracked and Revised Annually
The PHDS is not a document that is put into a binder and left on the shelf. Progress in meeting the milestones is monitored throughout the year and the milestones are updated annually to:
- Meet the evolving needs of the public health ecosystem.
- Emphasize accountability and learn from ongoing execution.
- Ensure continued progress through collaboration with public health partners.
- Engage public health partners across the ecosystem early and often.
The first PHDS was released in 2023. See the progress made in meeting the 2023 milestones.
Learn More About the PHDS
PHDS Milestones for 2024 and 2025
- PHDS 2023 Milestones and Their Status
- Data for Respiratory Threat Season
- Reducing Data Reporting Burden
- Expanded Sharing of Laboratory Data
- Maternal and Infant Health-Related Data
Public Health Ecosystem, Data Goals, Sources and Modernization
Disclaimer
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a federal agency subject to applicable federal laws. As such, with respect to data provided to or shared with CDC, CDC will protect the privacy and confidentiality of the data consistent, where applicable, with federal laws, including the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Content is descriptive only and is not meant to constitute legal, clinical or policy advice.