Below are most commonly accessed and frequently requested resources that provide details and progress on the Digital Bridge initiative and its technical partners.
APHL Informatics Messaging Services (AIMS) Platform
Updated: May 31, 2018 | External resourceAIMS is a secure, cloud-based environment developed by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and hosted on Amazon Web Services. It facilitates health messaging by providing shared services to aid in the transport, validation, translation and routing of electronic data. Visit the AIMS site to learn more.
Visit siteDigital Bridge Executive Summary
Updated: February 25, 2020This one-pager summarizes the problem Digital Bridge aims to solve and its mission, goals and value proposition.
ViewFAQs
Updated: September 9, 2018A list of commonly asked questions and answers pertaining to Digital Bridge, its partners, eCR and site implementations.
ViewHow eCR Works Infographic
Published: August 7, 2017This infographic provides a high-level visual depiction on how electronic case reporting works, including steps from the initial patient encounter to feedback public health shares with health care, geared towards a general public health audience.
ViewJanuary 2018 Governance Body Meeting
Published: March 1, 2018Governance body members convened in Atlanta to continue working towards a common vision for exchanging information between public health and health care. Meeting highlights include discussions focused on action items to ensure successful eCR implementations, progress made in legal and regulatory activities and sustainability plans.
RCKMS Diagram
Published: August 7, 2017 | External resourceDeveloped by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), RCKMS is a real-time portal that provides comprehensive information on public health reporting requirements to clinicians and laboratories. Visit the RCKMS site to learn more.
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Below are informational resources about the Digital Bridge and tools that can be used to help facilitate communication about the initiative.
Digital Bridge Executive Summary
Updated: February 25, 2020This one-pager summarizes the problem Digital Bridge aims to solve and its mission, goals and value proposition.
VieweCR Executive Summary
Published: February 25, 2020This overview document shares high-level descriptions on electronic case reporting, the proposed technical approach Digital Bridge partners have designed, and current legal and regulatory plans on implementing eCR.
ViewFAQs
Updated: September 9, 2018A list of commonly asked questions and answers pertaining to Digital Bridge, its partners, eCR and site implementations.
ViewInformational Presentation
Updated: November 27, 2018For speaking engagements or educational purposes, this slide deck serves as an introductory presentation on the Digital Bridge collaborative.
ViewJanuary 2018 Governance Body Meeting
Published: March 1, 2018Governance body members convened in Atlanta to continue working towards a common vision for exchanging information between public health and health care. Meeting highlights include discussions focused on action items to ensure successful eCR implementations, progress made in legal and regulatory activities and sustainability plans.
Talking Points and Messages
Updated: October 1, 2017This document supports stakeholders in communicating about Digital Bridge by serving as a discussion guide with key points and messages.
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These resources provide explanations and sample diagrams that support the proposed electronic case reporting (eCR) approach developed by the Digital Bridge.
APHL Informatics Messaging Services (AIMS) Platform
Updated: May 31, 2018 | External resourceAIMS is a secure, cloud-based environment developed by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and hosted on Amazon Web Services. It facilitates health messaging by providing shared services to aid in the transport, validation, translation and routing of electronic data. Visit the AIMS site to learn more.
Visit siteAt-a-Glance Conceptual Architecture
Published: February 28, 2017This diagram outlines the proposed flow of information from the health care provider’s EHR system to the public health agency. This graphic is targeted towards a general public health audience interested in data exchange.
ViewBusiness Process Matrix
Published: January 19, 2017This chart describes the business process for electronic case reporting, from the objectives it seeks to achieve to its measurable outcomes.
VieweCR Process Diagram
Published: January 19, 2017This graphic shows the proposed technical process for how eCR works. It is targeted towards an informatics audience.
VieweCR Technical Specifications
Published: September 14, 2018Targeted towards audiences interested in leveraging the Digital Bridge technical infrastructure to accomplish electronic case reporting, this document provides additional implementation guidance on the data content, technical and security requirements needed to enable transmission of electronic initial case reports (eICR) to the AIMS platform.
VieweICR CDA Validator
Published: August 7, 2017 | External resourceA list of free technical tools provided by Lantana Consulting Group, including a CDA stylesheet, validator, quick start guide, and more.
Visit siteHL7 CDA® R2 Implementation Guide
Published: August 7, 2017The purpose of this implementation guide is to help specify a standard for electronic submission of eICRs using HL7 Version 3 Clinical Document Architecture (CDA), Release 2 format, allowing providers to electronically communicate the specific data needed to jurisdictional public health agencies in CDA format.
Visit siteNIST CDA Validator
Published: September 15, 2017 | External resourceIn collaboration with partners, NIST has developed a series of testing tools to support health care information system vendors and users promote and adopt standards-based interoperability (source). Using the CDA validator NIST created, APHL built an online eICR validator.
Visit siteRCKMS Diagram
Published: August 7, 2017This diagram outlines the different components of RCKMS, including the decision support intermediary and the authoring tool, and how it works.
ViewReportable Condition Knowledge Management System (RCKMS)
Published: August 7, 2017 | External resourceDeveloped by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), RCKMS is a real-time portal that provides comprehensive information on public health reporting requirements to clinicians and laboratories. Visit the RCKMS site to learn more.
Visit siteReportable Conditions Trigger Code Table
Published: October 3, 2018 | External resourcePatient data is filtered and checked against information in RCTC tables to determine whether the case is reportable to a public health jurisdiction. This resource provides drafts of the latest RCTC release and change logs.
Visit siteTechnical Architecture Diagram Narrative
Published: January 19, 2017Developed by the Digital Bridge technical architecture workgroup, this diagram outlines tasks, inputs and outputs on how patient data is transported from the initial encounter to its processing via AIMS and RCKMS.
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These documents support the long-term strategy and legal approaches for Digital Bridge.
Digital Bridge and eCR Sustainability Plan:
Published: February 16, 2017The preliminary sustainability plan provides a compilation and summary of the work completed by the sustainability workgroup since its inception in November 2016, including the value proposition for eCR, sample business models, additional questions that need to be addressed post initial site implementations and next steps.
ViewDraft Recommendations for Agreement
Published: February 24, 2017This template provides draft legal agreement content for discussion and planning purposes to support the use of the decision support intermediary. It includes references to regulatory issues specific to some state laws and regulations for public health case reporting.
ViewInitial Implementation Site Questions
Published: February 16, 2017The Digital Bridge sustainability workgroup provided a list of questions to implementation sites to gain an understanding of costs, resources and onboarding needs to support eCR implementations. The results from this questionnaire will be used to inform long-term sustainability needs.
ViewMay 2017 Greenhouse Meeting Summary
Published: May 1, 2017Topics of discussion from this May 2017 strategy meeting included milestones achieved in the past year, the Digital Bridge return on investment (ROI) model, potential future use cases, and action items and targets through the end of 2018.
Multisite Evaluation Plan
Published: January 3, 2018This document describes the plan for evaluating the Digital Bridge eCR pilot implementations and reflects input from various stakeholders–including the Digital Bridge governance body, evaluation committee, implementation sites, and other organizations participating in the Digital Bridge effort. This multi-site evaluation plan is designed to accommodate the evaluation of implementations that vary in strategy yet are consistent in concept.
ViewONC Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) Comment Letter:
Published: February 21, 2018Together, Digital Bridge collaborators drafted a response to the ONC’s proposed Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement on the advancement of a nationwide interoperable health care system. TEFCA outlines a common set of principles and minimum terms and conditions for trusted exchange.
ViewPreliminary Legal and Regulatory Recommendation
Published: February 24, 2017This slide deck outlines recommendations for the short-term vs. long-term approach for a legal framework for eCR that complies with privacy and confidentiality practices.
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