Public Health Information Network

The Public Health Information Network (PHIN) is a US national initiative, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for advancing fully capable and interoperable information systems in public health organizations. The initiative involves establishing and implementing a framework for public health information systems.

PHIN is designed to do the following:

The five functional areas of PHIN:

PHIN attempts to provide the public health sector with continuous access to necessary health care information. Access to near real-time data attempts to improve community-based interventions that are implemented as a result of terrorism or disease outbreaks.

PHIN provides support and helps improve the outcomes of various public health programs including the following:

PHIN first received funding in 2004 through the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 25% and 30% of the $849 million of funding received through the Public Health Response and Preparedness Cooperative Agreement was to be used to focus on improving public health preparedness in all 50 states, 4 metropolitan areas and 8 US territories. In 2004 the initiative of the program was to "ensure that all public health partners have, or at least will have, access to a system or systems to accomplish established preparedness functions." In 2005, additional finances were available to states through the terrorism cooperative agreement. This agreement will support the development of current and new systems, in state health and public health departments, which will meet the PHIN standards and specifications.

In order to collect and assess information system requirements for PHIN, the CDC works with public health partners, some of which include:

With the assistance of these partners, PHIN can target the following functional areas regarding preparedness: