We’re pleased to share “Fostering Governance and Information Partnerships for Chronic Disease Surveillance: The Multi-State EHR-Based Network for Disease Surveillance,” published in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice (online Oct. 5, 2023).

The article presents practical guidance for implementing governance for data sharing based on the experience of MENDS — a data modernization pilot project that facilitates partnerships between data contributors (health information exchanges, other data aggregators) and data users (state and local health departments) and employs methods to develop timely estimates of chronic disease risk and prevalence.

Through regular governance committee meetings, supported with legal agreements and robust governing documents, MENDS defined clear and transparent policies and procedures detailing how clinical data would be shared and used for chronic disease surveillance.

Co-created by MENDS partners, including Public Health Informatics Institute, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD), and partner sites, the two-tiered governance framework is a flexible design that can be expanded to support public health surveillance on other topics.

Visit MENDS for additional information, including a governance document that goes into more detail on principles, policies, and processes.