AMCHP has been notified by partners at the CDC and the National Association of Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS) that beginning with 2009 data the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) plans to establish contracts with vital records jurisdictions to purchase deliverables that include "core" birth and death data, "enhanced" birth and death data, linked birth/infant death data and fetal death data. The number of deliverables the NCHS purchases from each jurisdiction will be dependent upon available funds. It is expected that unless additional resources are obtained, NCHS will not purchase the "enhanced" data items. By purchasing only "core" data items the NCHS will reduce by over three-fourths the number of birth data items that are presently purchased from vital records jurisdictions.
AMCHP held an all-member teleconference on December 4 to hear more about the proposed change and discuss implications for state MCH programs. Garland Land, Executive Director of NAPHSIS presented information and shared thoughts with us about the change and how AMCHP can be of assistance to colleagues in vital statistics programs. We were also be joined by Emily Holubowich, Director of Government Relations for the Coalition for Health Services Research to discuss efforts by the Friends of NCHS coalition to seek solutions to this issue. Click here to listen to a recording of the call.
Ramifications of the NCHS Only Purchasing Core Birth and Death Data
Reduced Core Enhanced Natality Data Sets
Core Enhanced Data Sets