MINNEAPOLIS, January 9, 2008—A report by the Trust for America’s Health says that Minnesota is one of only twelve states that still lack a disease surveillance system compatible with the NEDSS system operated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the Minnesota Department of Health says compliance is just around the corner.

The reported shortcoming renders the state less able to respond to a sudden public health emergency such as pandemic flu or bioterrorism, according to the non-profit organization, said a report in Govhealth IT.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Department of Health disputes the characterization. "We are in the process of investing over $2 million to modernize the program, creating information exchanges and improving our reporting capabilities," Patricia Bloomgren, director of state's infectious disease program, told MMAOnline.net.

Asa Schmit, MEDSS Project Manager, believes the most important impact the new system will have on the health of Minnesotans will be “even faster and more complete responses to disease incidents and outbreaks because all the information will be in one place and it will be easier than ever to examine the data and draw conclusions.”

For over six months, teams MDH, local health departments and tribal health have been identifying needs and reviewing systems implemented in other states, with the goal of piloting the new system in early 2008. MDH will be issuing an RFP for the new system in the spring and the department expects to have a contract in hand by midsummer. MDH expects to be in compliance with TAH standards next year.

The TFAH report also noted that while states are making progress in preparing to handle an infectious disease outbreak or bioterrorism attack, there are critical areas, including the availability of biosurveillance systems, that need to be better addressed.

“Ready or Not? Protecting the Public’s Health from Disease, Disaster and Bioterrorism” is the fifth annual preparedness assessment by the TFAH organization. It provides state-by-state preparedness scores based on 10 key indicators, including the practice of emergency drills, bio-threat testing capabilities and workforce surge preparedness.

The 12 states without a NEDSS-compatible system include Minnesota, California, Connecticut, Arizona, and Alaska.

“Health departments cannot protect people from existing or emerging health threats, such as new disease outbreak, like a pandemic flu, or a bioterrorist attack, without correct and pertinent information,” the report’s authors say. “The lack of timely and comprehensive data can delay the identification of and response to serious and mass emergency health problems.”

The report noted that non-conforming states are making steady progress in developing systems that meet requirements for NEDSS compatibility, with the majority currently meeting two of three key criteria: an Internet browser-based system; electronic laboratory results (ELR) reporting; and an integrated data repository.

Also, noncompliance is on the wane. In 2004, 18 states were NEDSS-compatible. That number has since risen to 48.

Complete GovHealth IT story