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 resource

    AIMS 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 site
  • Digital Bridge Executive Summary

    Updated: February 25, 2020

    This one-pager summarizes the problem Digital Bridge aims to solve and its mission, goals and value proposition.

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  • FAQs

    Updated: September 9, 2018

    A list of commonly asked questions and answers pertaining to Digital Bridge, its partners, eCR and site implementations.

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  • How eCR Works Infographic

    Published: August 7, 2017

    This 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.

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  • January 2018 Governance Body Meeting

    Published: March 1, 2018

    Governance 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.

    MinutesPresentation Day 1 | Presentation Day 2

  • RCKMS Diagram

    Published: August 7, 2017 | External resource

    Developed 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, 2020

    This one-pager summarizes the problem Digital Bridge aims to solve and its mission, goals and value proposition.

    View
  • eCR Executive Summary

    Published: February 25, 2020

    This 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.

    View
  • FAQs

    Updated: September 9, 2018

    A list of commonly asked questions and answers pertaining to Digital Bridge, its partners, eCR and site implementations.

    View
  • Informational Presentation

    Updated: November 27, 2018

    For speaking engagements or educational purposes, this slide deck serves as an introductory presentation on the Digital Bridge collaborative.

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  • January 2018 Governance Body Meeting

    Published: March 1, 2018

    Governance 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.

    MinutesPresentation Day 1 | Presentation Day 2

  • Talking Points and Messages

    Updated: October 1, 2017

    This 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 resource

    AIMS 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 site
  • At-a-Glance Conceptual Architecture

    Published: February 28, 2017

    This 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.

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  • Business Process Matrix

    Published: January 19, 2017

    This chart describes the business process for electronic case reporting, from the objectives it seeks to achieve to its measurable outcomes.

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  • eCR Process Diagram

    Published: January 19, 2017

    This graphic shows the proposed technical process for how eCR works. It is targeted towards an informatics audience.

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  • eCR Technical Specifications

    Published: September 14, 2018

    Targeted 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.

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  • eICR CDA Validator

    Published: August 7, 2017 | External resource

    A list of free technical tools provided by Lantana Consulting Group, including a CDA stylesheet, validator, quick start guide, and more.

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  • HL7 CDA® R2 Implementation Guide

    Published: August 7, 2017

    The 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.

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  • NIST CDA Validator

    Published: September 15, 2017 | External resource

    In 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.

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  • RCKMS Diagram

    Published: August 7, 2017

    This diagram outlines the different components of RCKMS, including the decision support intermediary and the authoring tool, and how it works.

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  • Reportable Condition Knowledge Management System (RCKMS)

    Published: August 7, 2017 | External resource

    Developed 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 site
  • Reportable Conditions Trigger Code Table

    Published: October 3, 2018 | External resource

    Patient 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.

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  • Technical Architecture Diagram Narrative

    Published: January 19, 2017

    Developed 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, 2017

    The 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.

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  • Draft Recommendations for Agreement

    Published: February 24, 2017

    This 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.

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  • Initial Implementation Site Questions

    Published: February 16, 2017

    The 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.

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  • May 2017 Greenhouse Meeting Summary

    Published: May 1, 2017

    Topics 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.

    Download Slides | Download Notes

  • Multisite Evaluation Plan

    Published: January 3, 2018

    This 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.

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  • ONC Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) Comment Letter:

    Published: February 21, 2018

    Together, 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.

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  • Preliminary Legal and Regulatory Recommendation

    Published: February 24, 2017

    This 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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