Call for Public Comments – Digital Bridge’s Public Health API White Paper

The Digital Bridge Collaborative Body approved the Public Health API White Paper as version 1.0 at this past January’s annual meeting. A second public comment period is now open and runs through June 30, 2021. The Digital Bridge API White Paper workgroup is open to all comments, and specifically seeks feedback on how APIs operate within existing systems, an expansion of the FHIR section, and the healthcare/provider perspective.

As we move to more interactive, real-time, and digital public health reporting, Application Programming Interfaces (API) technologies have become prevalent and critical. In 2020, Digital Bridge chartered a workgroup to develop a white paper that aims to serve as a reference for public health professionals as they look to develop and implement their organization’s public health API strategy. The following white paper includes an introductory overview of APIs in general and as they apply to public health, a summary of recent health policy developments related to API, basic technical and API concepts and building blocks, public health use cases, policy and privacy issues, strategies and steps needed to implement a public health API strategy, and a listing of tools and resources available to support implementation of an API strategy. The paper is intended primarily for public health professionals in local, state, and federal agencies, industry groups, and professional associations, and targets groups implementing or developing API Infrastructure capabilities. It is not intended to serve as a roadmap for implementation of an API platform or program. The second iteration of the document, which will incorporate public comments, will be version 2.0.

To send comments, download the Word draft, input comments directly in the document, and send to Neha Agrawal at Neha.Agrawal@iphionline.org. Comments will be synthesized, incorporated into the document as appropriate, and shared with the Collaborative Body at its July 2021 meeting. Please share with your colleagues, contacts, and via your organization’s social media channels as appropriate. Feel free to use the above language in your solicitation for comments. We look forward to hearing from you!