Public Act 0418 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0547 Enrolled LRB095 08128 CMK 28293 b

Public Act 095-0418

AN ACT concerning State government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding Section 2310-367 as follows:

(20 ILCS 2310/2310-367 new)

Sec. 2310-367. Health Data Task Force; purpose; implementation plan.

(a) In accordance with the recommendations of the 2007 State Health Improvement Plan, it is the policy of the State that, to the extent possible and consistent with privacy and other laws, State public health data and health-related administrative data are to be used to understand and report on the scope of health problems, plan prevention programs, and evaluate program effectiveness at the State and community level. It is a priority to use data to address racial, ethnic, and other health disparities. This system is intended to support State and community level public health planning, and is not intended to supplant or replace data-use agreements between State agencies and academic researchers for more specific research needs.

(b) Within 30 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly, a Health Data Task Force shall be convened to create a system for public access to integrated health data. The Task Force shall consist of the following: the Director of Public Health or his or her designee; the Director of Healthcare and Family Services or his or her designee; the Secretary of Human Services or his or her designee; the Director of the Department on Aging or his or her designee; the Director of Children and Family Services or his or her designee; the State Superintendent of Education or his or her designee; and other State officials as deemed appropriate by the Governor.

The Task Force shall be advised by a public advisory group consisting of community health data users, minority health advocates, local public health departments, and private data suppliers such as hospitals and other health care providers. Each member of the Task Force shall appoint 3 members of the public advisory group. The public advisory group shall assist the Task Force in setting goals, articulating user needs, and setting priorities for action.

The Department of Public Health is primarily responsible for providing staff and administrative support to the Task Force. The other State agencies represented on the Task Force shall work cooperatively with the Department of Public Health to provide administrative support to the Task Force. The Department of Public Health shall have ongoing responsibility for monitoring the implementation of the plan and shall have ongoing responsibility to identify new or emerging data or technology needs.

The State agencies represented on the Task Force shall review their health data, data collection, and dissemination policies for opportunities to coordinate and integrate data and make data available within and outside State government in support of this State policy. To the extent possible, existing data infrastructure shall be used to create this system of public access to data. The Illinois Department of Health Care and Family Services data warehouse and the Illinois Department of Public Health IPLAN Data System may be the foundation of this system.

(c) The Task Force shall produce a plan with a phased and prioritized implementation timetable focusing on assuring access to improving the quality of data necessary to understand health disparities. The Task Force shall submit an initial report to the General Assembly no later that July 1, 2008, and shall make annual reports to the General Assembly on or before July 1 of each year through 2011 of the progress toward implementing the plan.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.