Data Exchange with Public Health
The collaboration between the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (NE DHHS) and practitioners/healthcare organizations in exchanging healthcare data is critical for enhancing the health and wellness of Nebraska residents. This partnership not only facilitates the sharing of vital health information but also promotes interoperability, which is essential for efficient and effective healthcare delivery.
Practitioners and healthcare organizations participating in CMS programs like the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Promoting Interoperability Performance Category and eligible hospitals/CAHs in the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program (PIP) benefit from DHHS's support and resources. These programs incentivize the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes and better population health management.
Additionally, DHHS's involvement in Reportable Conditions Reporting and other Public Health Registries ensures timely and accurate reporting of public health data. This information is crucial for disease surveillance, outbreak detection, and epidemiological research, thereby safeguarding the health of communities.
By partnering with providers and organizations, Nebraska DHHS fosters a collaborative approach to healthcare data exchange, reporting, and interoperability. This collaborative effort ultimately contributes to the advancement of healthcare delivery, enhances patient care coordination, and promotes better health outcomes for Nebraska residents.
Specific Programs
Steps for Participation
As an eligible healthcare entity or provider, you have options for how Public Health Data Exchange is configured with the NE DHHS. The following is a breakdown of your options.
Direct Connection with the State:
Establishing a direct connection with the state involves setting up a system where your healthcare entity directly communicates and exchanges data with Nebraska's public health department. This can involve integrating your electronic health records (EHR) system or other data management systems with the state's designated platforms or interfaces. A direct connection is established between the facility's EHR and the registry at NE DHHS. When required, the data is then sent on to the required federal agency, ie. CDC. Working with NE DHHS will insure Promoting Interoperability requirements are met and can be validated through a letter of attestation.
Third-Party Participation:
Alternatively, you can choose to participate through a third-party intermediary. This could be a specialized health information exchange (HIE) organization or a healthcare IT vendor that facilitates data exchange between healthcare entities and public health departments. These third parties may give you less direct control over the data exchange process and potentially add technical complexities when compared to establishing a direct connection with the state. A contract with the third-party will be necessary prior to registering with NE DHHS.
It is important to carefully evaluate the options and choose the approach that best aligns with your needs and priorities.
Establish Connections
If your facility has never exchanged data with the state
OR your facility wants to initiate exchange of additional types of public health registry data: Complete this registration form. You can preview the form to insure you have all of the needed information. Registration with Nebraska is required one time for each registry, not annually.
The registration will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.
If you are submitting registration on behalf of multiple practices or organizations that share an EHR, there is a spreadsheet embedded within the registration form with the required information. If information needs to be updated after the form is submitted, ie. contact information or EHR vendor, the form can be accessed through the same link at a later time.
Next Steps
DHHS will contact you to discuss next steps.
The chart below is an overview of the process. View additional details about the process and expectations in the 
Nebraska Registries Connection Guide.
Ongoing Maintenance and Updates
Organizations and practices that exchange public health data with NE DHHS must keep information up-to-date. Update information related to your contacts, EHR, connections, etc.
Eligible Provider or Healthcare Organization Public Data Exchange Chart
View the accessible PDF chartRegistration Form
Public Health Data Reporting Measures
Resources
2025
2024
2023
General questions may be directed to the following.