What You Should Know: 

– The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is taking a leap forward in digital health transformation by partnering with Guidehouse and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) to assess the current state of its public health data infrastructure. 

– This strategic initiative, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), marks the first time the HIMSS Digital Health Indicator (DHI) will be used on a U.S. state public health department.

What is the DHI and How Will it be Used?

The DHI is a standardized tool designed to measure an organization’s digital health maturity across four key dimensions:

• Governance and Workforce: This assesses factors like leadership commitment, workforce skills, and data ownership policies.
• Interoperability: This evaluates the ability of different healthcare information systems to communicate and share data seamlessly.
• Predictive Analytics: This measures the capacity to analyze data to predict future health trends and identify potential outbreaks or public health risks.
• Person-Enabled Health: This assesses how well the DHSS empowers individuals to manage their own health information and participate actively in their care.

Benefits of the Assessment

By leveraging the DHI, the project aims to achieve several key goals:

• Identify Strengths and Opportunities: The assessment will pinpoint areas where the DHSS excels in public health data management and highlight areas where improvements can be made.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: The DHI will provide Missouri with the information needed to make informed decisions about resource allocation and the development of new data-driven public health initiatives.
• Improved Efficiency: Streamlining data collection and management processes can lead to greater efficiency within the DHSS, allowing them to dedicate more resources to public health programs.
• Enhanced Public Health Outcomes: Ultimately, the goal of this initiative is to improve the health of Missourians by strengthening the state’s public health data infrastructure.

Collaboration and Transparency

Guidehouse, a consulting firm specializing in strategy and managed services, will be leading the project implementation. They will work closely with DHSS leadership and stakeholders across the state to ensure a comprehensive assessment that reflects the needs of all involved parties. HIMSS, the developer of the DHI, will conduct the analysis and provide a final report with recommendations for improvement.

Nationwide Impact

The findings from this project are expected to be valuable not only for Missouri but also for other state and local public health departments across the country. By demonstrating the effectiveness of the DHI in a public health setting, this initiative can serve as a model for other jurisdictions looking to improve their digital health capabilities.

“This first-of-its-kind project with Guidehouse and the Missouri Public Health team is well-positioned to establish Missouri’s leadership in digital transformation across state public health systems,” said Dr. Anne Snowdon, chief scientific research officer at HIMSS. “The HIMSS team is honored to work with these leaders to advance digital maturity in public health agencies that has the potential to achieve an agile, data-driven, and high performing public health system to support and strengthen the health of every Missouri citizen.”