This session will provide an overview of the ELR meaningful use stage 1 and the tools that could facilitate the implementation of ELR. This panel would also provide an opportunity to discuss about the challenges and successes associated with the implementation of ELR.

This session will provide an overview of Meaningful Use Stage 1 ELR and the tools that are available to support this initiative. Panelist from State and Local public health department would describe their experience in using the ELR Meaningful Use HL7 2.5.1 messaging and vocabulary standards.

The first panelist from CDC CSTE ELR Task Force will provide an overview of the Meaningful Use Stage 1 – ELR initiative and the tools that are available to support this initiative. This panelist would also describe in detail the efforts from CDC CSTE ELR Task Force such as HL7 2.5.1 messaging implementation guidance, development of Reportable Condition Mapping Table and CDC tools: CDC Vocabulary Server, PHIN Messaging Quality Framework  and PHIN Messaging System.

The second panelist from Southern Nevada Health District will discuss the local public health department’s perspective of Meaningful Use ELR initiative, the inherent challenges, and implementation of a portable, informatics-based, plug-and-play messaging framework.   The framework leverages open source components including 1) Mirth - data integration and transformation, 2) Apelon - ontology development and nomenclature resolution, 3) Drools - rules authoring, repository, and execution.

The third panelist from Minnesota Department of Health will discuss the state public health department’s perspective of Meaningful Use ELR initiative. Having recently transitioned from an old ELR system (LARS) to Rhapsody and our new disease surveillance system MEDSS. As part of this transition we have been implementing a way to receive HL7 2.5.1 messages into our disease surveillance system and have worked with our PHL to submit information using the new HL7 2.5.1 guide. We will describe our experience with using the new ELR HL7 2.5.1 guide to create the message; we will also describe our process of receiving the messages into our MEDSS system and what we are doing to assist our partners in meeting MU.