In a recent op-ed for Healthcare IT News, Eddie Ades writes about the need for significant changes in the way public health data is collected and communicated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That goal "will require a technical and operational transformation" of the agency, said Ades, executive advisor at Booz Allen Hamilton and former associate director at the CDC.

"The goal is simple: learn from the mistakes of the past and ensure that future health threats are addressed in a swift and coordinated manner," he writes. "Assessing and devising a response to emerging public health threats requires a clear view into data from federal, state and local sources."

We spoke recently with Ades to get his perspective on the changes that need to be made at the CDC, and how he envisions its future data exchange capabilities.

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Talking points:

• The CDC's biggest strengths.

• Its biggest challenges, especially with regard to data – and how the pandemic put a spotlight on those limitations.

• Efforts underway at the agency to refocus on interoperability and data exchange.

• Other priorities that could help rebuild public trust in the CDC.

• In a "race against the clock" for CDC data modernization, what has to happen to ensure the country is prepared for the next pandemic.

More about this episode:

In the era of public health threats, CDC modernization is a race against the clock
ONC, CDC want to fix the fragmented public health system COVID-19 exposed
Leidos partners with Accenture to deliver CDC cloud modernization
Federal agencies offer updates on TEFCA, interoperability milestones
Hospitals to resume sending COVID-19 data to CDC
White House to hospitals: Bypass CDC, report COVID-19 data directly to HHS
CDC official on hospital pandemic surveillance: 'Minimize manual processes'