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Improving the Value Proposition of Surveillance Tools: Innovative Uses for VA ESSENCE

Description

VA began using ESSENCE as a public health surveillance tool in 2005. The system offered alerting capability for pre-defined syndromes and querying capability for outpatient ICD-9 diagnosis codes. Herein, we highlight examples of how we have invested in upgrades to analytic capabilities and expanded data sources available to ESSENCE in order to augment the overall utility of this system within VA.

Objective

To describe VA’s experience developing innovative and alternative uses of a surveillance system and improve the overall value proposition of this tool for the agency.

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