The issue of public health not being a central focus in the current plan for HIT was brought up at multiple points during the 2010 Health Information Technology: Creating Jobs, Reducing Costs, and Improving Quality National Conference, hosted by Governor Deval L. Patrick. Representatives from various state public health departments made strong efforts to ask questions about the apparent absence of public health in HIT adoption. Unfortunately, public health has received little attention in the discussion of HIT, which is interesting considering it plays such a vital role in improving population health. Public health is seen as a way to employ the element of prevention, which is a focal point in the adoption of HIT.

United States Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin was a guest speaker at the conference and she voiced her personal support for public health incorporation. She agreed that measurements must expand beyond health departments since there are other factors affecting people's health (i.e. water, weather, outbreaks, etc.). Benjamin believes that including these factors would lead to tremendous benefits and she would like to see more discussion around it. She also spoke about how HIT should be more about becoming aware of where disparities are and "filling in those gaps." For example, there could be a way that communities are able to monitor diseases and areas where more vaccinations are needed. Dr. Benjamin also noted that health officials are trying to move the current system from one of "sick care" to one of "wellness and prevention," which she said will require an entire shift of thought. Further, she said that HIT is more about taking care of people not only when they are sick, but when they are well. She also noted the benefits of HIT reducing costs.

One of the final sessions was centered on public health's place in HIT. The discussion was led by John Auerbach, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. There was talk concerning public health's vision, what it will look like in the next five to ten years, and if there will be any movement towards monitoring health trends and real time surveillance. Whether or not measurements will extend to incorporate chronic diseases and geographic and demographic trends were also discussed. By incorporating these types of measurements, health officials will be able to quickly disseminate alerts and epidemiology information so that people can be on the alert.

Moreover, it was noted that public health would be a great way to simplify administrative functions so that clinicians can duplicate information. Auerbach described this as an "ease of reporting when certain diagnoses exist" and said that facilities should have them synchronized by having a variety of sources cross-referenced. By doing this, the element of prevention can truly be seen and enhance overall population health. Another important aspect of prevention is ensuring that information gathered is timely and accurate; otherwise the purpose would be defeated. The need for contingency in public health and HIT, along with the need to articulate its business case, was also discussed. In order for public health to effectively prevent diseases, data must be sufficient and accurate. Further, getting public health connected to HIT is imperative to fully exercise the idea of preventative care.