Our Strategic Priorities / Our Work on Data Modernization / Current Work
Examples of our current data modernization work
Public Health Data Modernization Preconference Forum at HIMSS26
Join us at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s 2026 conference (HIMSS26) to advance shared progress on modernizing data and systems for the communities we serve. If you are attending the 2026 HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition, March 9 to 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada, please also join us for the Public Health Data Modernization Preconference Forum on March 9 from 8:00am to 4:30pm PT. The Public Health Data Modernization Preconference Forum is a full-day, add-on program that brings together public health, healthcare, payers and market suppliers to explore the priorities and challenges shaping public health data modernization. At HIMSS26 thousands of global health leaders will connect for education, innovation and collaboration. When you register for HIMSS26, add the Public Health Data Modernization Forum to your registration.
Lights, Camera, Action: The Future of Public Health National Summit Series
An initial national series on the future of public health in collaboration with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and Big Cities Health Coalition to advance recommendations for a modernized U.S. public health system. To date the series has included four virtual convenings, leveraging recommendations from the Bipartisan Policy Center's Public Health Forward.
Data Modernization Initiative Working Groups
Assuring that the CDC's public health data and systems planning is informed by the needs and realities of the interested parties.
Developing successful solutions requires a thorough understanding of the problems and their contexts. Through the Data Modernization Initiative Working Groups, the CDC Foundation is engaging public health agencies, health care organizations, IT vendors and other organizations in discussions and planning to address public health information and data management challenges.
Data Modernization Initiative Shared Services
Developing an environment where the best tools and practices can be easily replicated by every public health agency.
While public health agencies have similar goals, they often "re-invent the wheel" rather than borrowing solutions from each other. The Data Modernization Initiative Shared Services initiative works with public health agencies to develop an infrastructure to share tools across public health agencies, making it easier for agencies to integrate others’ solutions into their existing systems.
FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources)
FHIR is a standard for health care data exchange. Its integration of application programming interfaces (APIs) makes it more flexible than prior standards. Its promotion through national health IT policy and incentives will result in its wide availability. The CDC Foundation’s FHIR projects include:
- Helios: Helios is an alliance of Government, Private Sector, and Philanthropic partners developing the resources and technical support to ensure FHIR addresses public health needs, and promoting implementation of FHIR by public health agencies.
- Bulk FHIR/Cumulus: Cumulus uses the Bulk FHIR API to summarized information from health care organizations’ electronic health records. The CDC Foundation is supporting five Cumulus pilot sites.
Health Data and Innovation Series
Accelerating public health data modernization through public private partnerships
The CDC Foundation’s Health Data and Innovation Series is identifying effective pathways to modernize public health information systems and use across the public health data ecosystem. The CDC Foundation in partnership with CDC has hosted an organized platform of discourse (e.g. listening sessions, summits, workgroups) to convene multi-sector partners, gather wide-ranging perspectives, identify promising pathways and stimulate partnerships to address needs across the spectrum of those who contribute to or use the information. The series has convened distinguished representatives from the public and private sectors to consider catalytic opportunities to drive innovation in health information systems. The series broadens the experience, perspectives and resources brought to bear on solving public health's data modernization challenges.
Data Modernization Initiative for Medicolegal Death Investigation
Collaborating to create reusable approaches that will reduce data entry and exchange efforts.
The Medicolegal Death Investigation FHIR® Implementation Collaborative (MDI FIC) is a collaborative learning environment where MDI offices, data sharing partners, vendors, and FHIR® subject matter experts come together to design, build and test technical strategies to modernize MDI data practices and work towards standards-based interoperable data exchange.