Request for Point of Contact at Health Care Facility

Appendix G: Point of Contact for Healthcare Facilities

Send message 1 week after OMB approval [Date TBD pending OMB approval]

From: The Keystone Center, project contractor

To: State Health Department Epidemiologists in Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Subject: Health Department Access to EHRs in Healthcare Facilities —Need your Response

Dear [Insert epidemiologists name],

We are writing today to request your help in Phase II of our evaluation: “State Health Department Access to Electronic Health Record Data During an Outbreak”. We want to thank you again for your participation in Phase I, and let you know that the information you shared has been valuable in guiding our understanding of the complexities of accessing electronic health records (EHRs) in healthcare facilities.

In Phase II of this effort, we wish to talk to healthcare facilities in your state about their perspective on providing EHR access to the health department during outbreaks. We need your help in identifying the best point of contact in the healthcare facilities you worked with during the fungal meningitis outbreak or another relevant event.

Here is a quick reminder about our project. Through a cooperative agreement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) are soliciting the views and best advice of key stakeholders in your state health departments’ access to and use of EHRs maintained by healthcare facilities. We are focusing primarily on states that were most impacted by the 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak, but are including states with experience responding to other healthcare-associated infection outbreaks, states that have addressed EHR access through legislation or other state policy, and states that have experience using EHR or are early adopters of health information exchanges.

If you could, please:

1. identify from the list below:

   1. 5 hospitals that you worked with most closely during the fungal meningitis outbreak, or other HAI outbreak (please identify outbreak);

   2. 5 clinics that you worked with most closely during the fungal meningitis outbreak, or other HAI outbreak (please identify outbreak); and

2. provide the name and contact information for the best point of contact for each healthcare facility you identify.

[Insert state specific list of healthcare facilities (hospitals and clinics) involved in the outbreak]

With this information, we will be contacting healthcare facility stakeholders, including infection preventionists, health informatics directors, and clinic directors. We will send an email to these individuals asking for their participation in a 30-minute phone interview. In addition to a study report, the insights from healthcare facility staff will be used to build a toolkit to help state health departments understand the perspectives and needs of the healthcare facilities related to EHR access. The toolkit will provide perceived barriers, recommendations to overcome those barriers, best practices that support EHR access, and practical tools such as templates, memorandums of understanding (MOUs), and policies. The toolkit will be distributed to health departments, healthcare facilities, and other stakeholders to support awareness and strengthen relationships between public health and clinical care. These activities will facilitate the quick and efficient identification of cases in future outbreaks and protect the health and safety of patients.

From phase I, our toolkit has been released and can be found on the web here [insert web address]. We have also attached a copy of the study report to this letter for your convenience [attach a copy of the report to email].

If you have any questions about this project or our request, please contact us at your earliest convenience.

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

[Insert Name and Contact information for The Keystone Center, project contractor]