MSDH
“ The mission of our agency is to protect and advance the health , welfare and safety of everyone in Mississippi ,” Kane elaborates . “ We cover a wide range of areas , including disease surveillance , environmental health , injury prevention , childcare licensing , immunisations , reproductive health and licensing for various healthcarerelated professions . We also play a role in emergency management , especially during hurricanes and handle aspects of public health education .”
This dual role as both a public health agency and healthcare provider in certain counties adds complexity to the MSDH ’ s operations and , by extension , its technological needs . It ’ s a challenge that Kane and his team are eager to tackle .
“ If I had my way , in the next three years we ’ d reach a point where every citizen of Mississippi could access all their healthcare data through an app ”
KANE TOMLIN CIO , MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
From compliance to a holistic approach Since joining the department in 2022 , Kane has overseen a shift in focus from compliance to a more holistic approach to information technology and security .
“ When I started , we were very compliance-focused and successful in that regard ,” he notes . “ We passed our Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ( HIPAA ) and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act ( FERPA ) assessments and had a heavy information technology focus . But compliance is just the first step on the information security roadmap .”
The next phase involves reducing the pain points that security compliance can create in operational processes .
“ It ’ s about continuous improvement and making sure that security doesn ’ t create unnecessary friction ,” he says . “ Now , we ’ re moving towards being seamlessly compliant – reducing the pain points while maintaining security .”
This approach has broader implications for IT within the agency . The MSDH is now working on systematising institutional knowledge , improving training and modernising processes to better serve both the agency and the citizens of Mississippi .
Kane ’ s vision for the future is ambitious : “ If I had my way , in the next three years we ’ d reach a point where every citizen of Mississippi could access all their healthcare data through an app . It ’ s a bit of a pipedream , but it ’ s the direction I ’ m excited to see us moving in .”