CDC invests $4.5 million in disease tracking system

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded a team of Boston researchers a $4.5 million grant to develop a disease tracking system.
 
Researchers from Harvard Medical School, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Children's Hospital Boston and other healthcare organizations will develop medical record software for secure communication between physicians and public health officials, initially creating a system for asthma and sexually-transmitted diseases.

Researchers will use the three-year grant to create a system that checks patient records on physician office computers and collects information on diagnoses and lab results. The system will analyze the records of about 300,000 Harvard Vanguard patients. Despite the concerns of critics, grant recipients say patient privacy is their top priority.

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