Overview

During this online event, representatives from EHI’s Public Health Modernization (PHM) Task Force, as well as the industries top Public Health experts shared their knowledge and experience and discussed the path forward toward a public health system that is innovative and inclusive for all patients.

Background: It’s not news inside the healthcare industry that our public health systems are outdated and fragmented. The national emergency did not cause barriers to health access, it only illuminated the challenges that were already there. The lessons the COVID-19 pandemic has forcefully taught industry leaders cannot be forgotten. Local, state and federal policy-makers must act swiftly to implement the solutions and best practices discovered; should we wait too long to modernize the system and properly fund public health activities, and another crisis hits, it could be too late.

Understanding the gravity of this situation, EHI formed the PHM Task Force in early 2022. Public Health experts from EHI’s vast and varied membership came together to share their experiences. The Task Force met bi-monthly, tirelessly collaborating – culminating in the report, "Creating a Modern Public Health System," which contains recommendations to encourage and direct policymakers, and community leaders, to build and sustain a modern public health system.

Speakers:

• Moderator: Amanda Patanow, Managing Partner, Coda Creative, LLC
• Craig Behm, Maryland Executive Director, CRISP
• Dr. Phylicia McCalla, Director of Operations, Association of American Medical Colleges, Center for Health Justice
• Brad Walters, Director, Federal Government Relations, Marshfield Clinic Health System

In early 2022, Executives for Health Innovation (EHI) formed a Public Health Modernization Task Force in which EHI members with public health expertise came together to form policy recommendations to help build and sustain a modern public health system.

Report Overview The many barriers and delays faced by the nation as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in early 2020 should serve as lessons learned; if we wait to modernize and adequately fund public health activities until there is another crisis, it will be too late. Policymakers must act swiftly to enact meaningful reforms to ensure we are better prepared for the next public health threat. While there are many problems with the current system to be explored, the Task Force report focuses on areas related to technology and data, given EHI’s focus on digital health and innovation. Through this lens, we focused on two main problem areas that help define the needed changes: fragmented and outdated systems.

Overview
A key goal of a modern public health system should be to advance health equity. In the fourth webinar in EHI’s Public Health Modernization Series, experts discussed how public health efforts should align to promote health equity, the importance of ensuring public health data is reflective of populations served, and how social determinants of health (SDOH) data impact public health.

Speakers

• Elizabeth Cope, PhD, MPH, Senior Director, Health Systems Improvement and Public and Population Health, AcademyHealth
• Tannaz Rasouli, MPH, Sr. Director of Public Policy and Strategic Outreach, Association of American Medical Colleges
• Lashell Thomas, MPH, FACHE, PMP®, Senior Project Manager, Aetna/CVS Health Medicaid

Overview
The third webinar in EHI’s Public Health Modernization Series, experts discussed how innovative technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing are currently being used in public health, the potential for future uses, and steps stakeholders can take to advance innovation in public health.

Featured Speakers:

• Betsy Baker, MPH, PMP, Business Development Manager, Amazon Web Services, State and Local Government
• John Frownfelter, MD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer, Jvion
   

OVERVIEW
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a number of issues in our health care system, not least of which was patient data privacy. On a normal day, questions around which rules apply to which data, at what time, and to what extent are difficult to answer – and it is only more complex in the midst of a global pandemic, when access to timely data is critical.

The second event in EHI's Public Health Modernization series, a panel of experts discussed current privacy requirements related to public health data, how this impacts our public health system, and potential steps to address the issues that arose during the pandemic.

Featured Speakers:

• Chuck Curran, Principal, Charles D. Curran Consulting LLC
• Madeline Gitomer, Senior Associate, Hogan Lovells
• Alice Leiter, Vice President & Senior Counsel, Executives for Health Innovation (EHI)
• William Marella, Vice President, Value Based Care and Data Analytics, HealthShare Exchange (HSX)