GBI chief backs data-sharing push
A joint committee of state lawmakers is looking at ways technology can improve public services.
A presentation from GBI Director Vernon Keenan on the practical value of sharing data across state agencies is expected to top the agenda at the next meeting of the Joint Study Committee on Transparency & Open Access in Government.
Sen. Chuck Hufstetler and Rep. Katie Dempsey, both Rome Republicans, co- chair the committee aimed at establishing a centralized state records system. Dempsey said Thursday the agencies work well together but when one needs information from another, the process is often slow. Hufstetler, who sponsored the legislation creating the committee, has said new technology will allow for better analysis of problems and trends.
“We want to be able to get the whole picture, more efficiently and more cost- effectively,” Dempsey said.
The first session, held last week, focused on the interface systems the state already has, or is creating. But it was shut down early due to the impending storm.
Keenan made a brief statement of support, using as an example the GBI’s recent prioritization of crimes against at-risk adults — people over age 65 or those who are physically or mentally disabled.
“The fastest-growing population in Georgia is persons over 65,” he told the committee. “And in July of this year, the Bureau of Justice Statistics came out with a report that says persons with disabilities are 2½ times more likely to be victimized than persons without disabilities.”
Investigators gathering evidence of exploitation, neglect or abuse often must deal with a number of different agencies, Keenan said, and the system is even harder for local law enforcement to navigate.
He praised the new Georgia Gateway database for public health and social services agencies as a useful tool.
“Not only so we can go after the fraud aspect, but we can use that information to go after people abusing at- risk adults,” he said.
Testimony about Georgia Gateway, “the largest information technology project in state history,” also came from Robyn Crittenden, commissioner of the Department of Human Services.
Crittenden said implementation of the integrated system started in March and was finished Sept. 1. It includes state and federal data to verify people’s eligibility for services ranging from food stamps and temporary assistance to Medicare- related programs such as Peachcare for Kids and ABD benefits for aged, blind and disabled people.
“This reduces redundant information-gathering and relieves the burden on customers who, in the past, have been forced to provide the same information multiple times,” she said.
The bulk of the funding for the system, $ 222 million of the $ 250 million, was provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Crittenden said.
Privacy an issue
Committee members also heard from Steve Nichols, the state’s chief technology officer, about how the Georgia Technology Author- ity facilitates data-sharing among state agencies, local governments and federal entities.
“But this committee is looking at big-picture analytics,” he said. “We’re more focused on transactions like ‘does this Social Security number really belong to this person.’”
Nichols said privacy is going to be a major issue as the committee moves forward. Federal regulations and state laws protecting personal information will have to be taken into account when building a comprehensive plan.
Confidentiality was one of the considerations Hufstetler mentioned at the start of the session. There are programs available to “de- identify” people when running analytics, he noted.
Dr. Cherie Drenzek, the state epidemiologist, also spoke of collecting aggregate information that doesn’t identify specific people.
The Department of Public Health gets daily electronic reports from hospitals, physicians and other healthcare providers as the foundation of its disease surveillance and community health monitoring responsibilities.
Drenzek told of a program that collects “chief complaint” data from hospital emergency rooms. Last summer it turned up a cluster of overdoses that ultimately revealed the presence of deadly counterfeit Percocet on the street.
“We could see the red flag on June 5, a large increase in ER visits in Macon,” Drenzek told the committee. “We were able to map it out and investigate commonalities.”
Dempsey said Thursday that the first session was “just the beginning of the discovery process.” She expects to hear more from Keenan, and from the departments of labor, corrections and education.
“Then we’ll be moving to look at some of the successful data integration programs in other states … and then we’ll suggest ways to implement it here,” she said.