Adoption of Public Health Readiness Guidelines for Meaningful Use

Introduction The Syndromic Surveillance Consortium of Southeast Texas (SSCSeT) consists of 13 stakeholders who represent 19 counties or jurisdictions in the Texas Gulf Coast region and receives health data from over 100 providers. The Houston Health Department (HHD) maintains and operates the syndromic surveillance system for the Gulf Coast region since 2007. In preparation for Meaningful Use (MU) the HHD has adapted and implemented guidance and recommendations from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and others. HHDs goal is to make it possible for providers meet MU specification by facilitating the transmission of health related data for syndromic surveillance. The timing of the transition into MU overlaps with the change in syndromic surveillance systems.