1. The Omaha System in Minnesota: Innovations in Policy
Diane Thorson, M.S., R.N., P.H.N.
Director/CHS Administrator
Otter Tail County Public Health
Karen Martin, R.N., M.S.N., F.A.A.N.
Martin Assoicates
Karen Monsen, R.N., Ph.D., F.A.A.N.
Universityof Minnesota School of Nursing

2. No relationships to disclose
Presenter Disclosure
D. Thorson
The following personal financial relationships with commercial interests relevant to this presentation existed during the past 12 months:
No relationships to disclose

3. Policy – Outcomes Outcomes Policy Systems Environments
The conceptual framework underlying this presentation is that policy influences health outcomes.

4. EHR Mandate
Minnesota statutes mandated local health departments to have interoperable electronic health records (EHR) systems by January, 2015.

5. Health Information Exchange
In 2010, a Health Information Exchange (HIE) Work Group of the Minnesota State Community Health Services Advisory Committee was charged with recommending standardized methods for exchanging local public health data.

6. Process
HIE Work Group members studied other states’ interoperability efforts, examined local public health’s maternal and child health (MCH) business processes, and researched EHR and data exchange standards.
Conducted on-site business analysis sessions with local public health staff

7. Outputs
Data dictionary for person-centric services for Family/Targeted Home visiting programs
workflow processes
data exchange elements

8. Synthesis
Common exchanges and processes were then derived and vetted to provide a basis for recommending standards.

9. Recommendations

10. Recommendations

11. Lessons Learned
The Omaha System was used widely to document public health interventions and population health outcomes by Minnesota local public health agencies
Knowledge of the Omaha System among Minnesota policy makers had increased due to widespread dissemination of outcome reports from practice agencies.
State department of health staff, county commissioners, and local public health department directors valued the ability to describe public health interventions and population health outcomes.

12. Informatics Workgroup
Promotes training in utilization of the Omaha System
Advocating for use of Omaha System with personnel in the Office of the National Coordinator within the Continuity of Care Document Architecture
Advocating for use of Omaha System with the Standards and Interoperability Framework for reporting the work of public health practitioners.

13. On the horizon
Many future possibilities

14. Public Health & Human Services
Public Health Record
Omaha System
Human Services Record

15. What if we could encode all reporting benchmarks utilizing the Omaha System to capture the reporting?