What is PHDS?
The MT Public Health Data System (PHDS) is an Internet-based application designed to integrate various data systems supporting the public health programs that are carried out at the local level in partnership with the Public Health & Safety Division of the Department of Public Health and Human Services.
The PHDS is part of a multi-phased project that places it's first emphasis on providing local integration of systems to provide a favorable impact on service delivery to public health clients as soon as possible. The development of a comprehensive, robust Public Health Data System (PHDS) for use in Montana's local city-county public health departments will be based on a centralized client case management and tracking capability.
The PHDS has been developed with the capacity to include other programs as needed. When a new public health program is added to the system, The Public Health Informatics Section will:
- Assess the current functionality of any standalone system the public health program is currently using in order to:
- Make recommendations regarding critical functionality that should be preserved;
- Assess the business processes supported by the current system;
- Make recommendations for improvements to the program's business process that may be available through the use of new tecnhology;
- Identify potential problems associated with moving to a new system in order to mitigate the risks associated with change.
- Permit the public health program to take advantage of the "portable" user-friendly interfaces available in the Internet (i.e., "Web") environment;
- Support confidentiality and HIPAA standards; and
- Add expanded capabilities and take advantage of the improved security associated with a centralized environment.
Programs Served by PHDS
Currently, over fifteen separate data systems contain information relating to many of the same clients who are served by one or more of those programs. Long-range plans call for many public health programs to be served by a suite of applications under the PHIN (Public Health Information Network) architecture. PHDS is a first step toward developing a unified information systems infrastructure. As technologies improve, PHDS will itself be modified to move toward new application architectures.
Current public health programs using PHDS include:
- Immunization
- Partnership to Strengthen Families
- Women & Men's Health (i.e., "Family Planning")
- MIAMI
- Follow Me
- MCH Preventive Health Block Grant
