Abstract

Abstract

National Electronic Disease Surveillance System

This supporting statement is for the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS). The reporting of these data has been ongoing since 1961 and is currently up for renewal. NEDSS is an initiative that promotes the use of data and information system standards to advance the development of efficient, integrated, and interoperable surveillance systems at federal, state and local levels. CDC continues to work with the local and state reporters and state and territorial epidemiologists to improve the timeliness and completeness of reporting. In collaboration with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), CDC has demonstrated the efficiency and effectiveness of electronic transmission of these morbidity and mortality data.

NEDSS Standards will be incorporated under\into the defined “NEDSS Umbrella” of systems, including the NEDSS Based System, the National Electronic Telecommunications System for Surveillance, the Weekly And Annual Morbidity And Mortality Reports (MMWR, OMB 0920-0007) and NEDSS compatible systems developed by State and Local Health Departments/partners for the receipt of public health information/data at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The NEDSS project will increasingly focus on the standards-based Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP)-approved, electronic message exchange between public health stakeholders.

To reiterate what was noted in the currently approved OMB No. 0920-0728, the transition from NNDSS (National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System) reporting using NETSS to NNDSS reporting via use of the NEDSS technical architecture and standards will occur state-by-state. CDC (in conjunction with State\Public Health Partners) planned that the NETSS (legacy) information system application will be phased-out state-by-state (state implementation process for NEDSS began in the fourth quarter of 2002). NETSS’ functionality will be replaced by the NEDSS functionality. We anticipate that states will transition from NETSS to NEDSS as the NETSS system is phased out over the next few years.

HL7 standard for Case Messages (Notification Messages To The CDC From Remote Systems)

NEDSS Messaging Guides use the HL7 version 2.5, a version supported by CDC, CSTE and the American Health Information Community (AHIC) to convey nationally reportable information for:

• Cases of notifiable conditions and on the investigation of such cases,

• Environmental investigations, and

• Case investigation laboratory report data. 

Message guide content(s) are posted on the CDC website after internal CDC Subject Matter Expert discussion with State and Local Public Health partners and in conjunction with the Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologist (CSTE). Examples of Case Notification Message Mapping Guides are provided in the following attachments:

1A. Lead Case Notification Message Mapping Guide 05172007.xls

1B. Lead Environmental Notification Message Mapping Guide 05172007.xls

1C. Lead Lab Report Notification Message Mapping Guide 05172007.xls

1D. TB Notification Message Mapping Guide 06052007.xls

1E. Varicella Notification Message Mapping Guide 06052007.xls

1F. Hepatitis Notification Message Mapping Guide.xls

Additional (new) guides are posted after guide content has been defined by the described CDC\ State\ CSTE review process.

Also attached is “Data Element Lists 071607.xls”(Attachment 2) which identifies specific data elements to be received by CDC for the following Program Areas (including summary data):

• An. Rabies (Animal Rabies)

• BMIRD (Bacterial Meningitis and Invasive Respiratory Diseases)

• FDD (Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases)

• Generic

• HEPATITIS

• Lead

• Lyme

• Measles,Mumps,Rubella

• Pertussis

• Summary

• Tetanus

• TB (Tuberculosis)

• Varicella

NEDSS Background/Strategic Realignment

NEDSS is an Internet-based infrastructure for public health surveillance data exchange that uses specific Public Health Information Network (PHIN) and NEDSS Data Standards. NEDSS also relies heavily on industry standards (including: standard vocabulary code sets such as LOINC, SNOMED, and HL7), policy-level agreements on data access, and the protection of confidentiality. NEDSS represents an ongoing close collaboration between the CDC and its public health partners.

NEDSS is not a single, monolithic application, but a system of interoperable subsystems, components and systems modules that include software applications developed and implemented by the CDC; those developed and implemented by State and Local health departments and those created by commercial services and vendors.

During FY 07, CDC’s NEDSS Project strategically realigned its funding and long range planning to better address changing information technology capabilities and to meet emerging needs in local, state, and national public health surveillance. These realigned resources will support expanded standards-based PHIN and AHIC-approved, electronic message exchange between public health stakeholders.

Current Status

When NEDSS began in 2001, no state had integrated public health surveillance systems as articulated in the NEDSS vision; today over 35 states have implemented surveillance systems based on this vision. Today NEDSS, along with the BT Cooperative Agreement, provides major financial support directly to state and local public health surveillance systems to develop or purchase integrated NEDSS-compatible applications.

Initially, CDC responded to requests from states seeking assistance to obtain NEDSS software solutions. Often these requests were based on local and state information technology (IT) resource constraints. The CDC NEDSS Base System (NBS) was designed and developed by CDC to meet those needs. Today, 16 states use the NBS; it is a mission-critical application for them (See Attachment 3, “NEDSS Deployment Status”, dated 6/4/2007). The NBS is an important component of the comprehensive NEDSS vision of a national integrated surveillance system, and CDC will continue to support those states relying on the NBS. Additionally, increased resources will be devoted to standards-based electronic messaging between stakeholders at multiple levels (providers, labs, local and state public health, and CDC). CDC has also provided additional support for the 41 NEDSS-compatible jurisdictions and 16 NBS States through cooperative agreement funding, the publication of NEDSS and PHIN policies and standards; the provision of tools that extend the current capabilities of partners, and training; technical support and consultation.

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