Connecting for Health - Connecting All Health Decision-Makers

	Connecting for Health has begun a program exploration on how the Common Framework can support the nation's goals of improving the health of entire populations. These population health objectives are realized through information-driven analysis and decision-making in at least three domains: Bolstering research capabilities and enabling clinical practice to fully participate in and make use of scientific evidence. Increasing the effectiveness of our public health system. Empowering consumers and professionals with information about cost, quality, and outcomes. Each of these domains requires authorized users to access information housed among many fragmented data sources -- which is difficult to do in today's environment. Accelerating the availability of electronic information creates new opportunities. For example, it would help build the public knowledgebase on new treatments, or help protect the public from pandemics or bio-terror. However, these opportunities raise policy and privacy issues that must be addressed up-front. We have begun to look at both the strategic, policy, and implementation issues for achieving population health objectives in a networked health information environment. Our early exploration includes: Better Decisions for Many, Not More Data for the Few Carol Diamond's presentation at the Institute of Medicine promotes 21st Century thinking for population data challenges. View presentation (PDF, 1.3MB) Future vision scenarios An illustrated vision for how health professionals, consumers, and others can be connected to timely health information. View scenarios (Flash 8 required) Read document (PDF, 44K) Connecting for Health Responds to Government on Quality Data Stewardship Collaborative response to the AHRQ/AQA Request for Information Regarding a National Health Data Stewardship Entity. Read response (PDF, 140K) The Connecting for Health First Principles These principles articulate a set of operating assumptions we will bring to our work on network design to support health decision-making. Read document (PDF, 50K)		See a Connecting for Health illustrated vision (requires Flash 8) of networked information supporting better decisions in health and health care.