New Partnership Helps Physicians in LA County Access Local Public Health Guidance Through AI Platform

A physician examining a patient (Photo – Amanda Mills)

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) has announced a collaboration with OpenEvidence, an AI-powered clinical decision support platform, to help physicians quickly access official county public health resources while searching for clinical information.

By News Desk

Under the partnership, physicians in Los Angeles County who use OpenEvidence to search for select public health topics will receive LA-specific messages from the Department of Public Health. These messages will direct clinicians to local resources and health alerts related to reportable diseases, outbreaks, and other time-sensitive public health concerns.

“Physicians often need local public health guidance at the same moment they are working through a clinical challenge,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “This collaboration helps bring LA County resources closer to that decision point.”

Ferrer said searches involving conditions such as measles, tuberculosis, and other reportable diseases should provide more than general medical information by connecting clinicians with the appropriate local public health guidance, reporting requirements, and resources.

OpenEvidence Chief Medical Officer Travis Zack, MD, PhD, said the partnership is designed to make public health information more accessible at the point where physicians need it most.

“Local health departments produce some of the most actionable information in the country,” Zack said. “Working with LA County allows us to provide practical support when physicians need it, without requiring additional searches.”

The initiative builds on OpenEvidence’s previous work delivering public health messaging to physicians in partnership with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Officials said the collaboration comes as Los Angeles County continues efforts to strengthen routine and emergency public health readiness across its large and complex healthcare system.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and OpenEvidence plan to evaluate the program, refine future messages, and explore additional ways to make local public health guidance easier for physicians to access.