Abstract
The PHIN syndromic surveillance messaging guide was published for eligible hospitals to submit Emergency Department Admit Discharge Transfer messages data to public health agencies as one of public health objectives released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Meaningful Use stage 1 final rules. New York is working with certified EHR vendors and hospitals to evaluate the readiness, timeliness, availability of data elements, and accuracy of data contents from hospitals submitting ED data for MU. The learning experience in implementing syndromic surveillance for MU will help EHR vendors and public health preparing for Stage 2.