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The Public Advisory Body to the Secretary of Health and Human Services
 

 

NCVHS Accomplishments in 1999

This summary of NCVHS accomplishments during 1999 was prepared to meet reporting requirements under the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

As advisory committee to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the NCVHS’ accomplishments in 1999 include:

  • Submitted the second annual report to Congress on Implementation of the Administrative Simplification Provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). These annual reports by the Committee are required by the HIPAA legislation.
  • Continued to maintain close liaison with the HHS Data Council and the HIPAA departmental implementation teams in developing and carrying out the Committee’s work plan.
  • Sent a letter to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), conveying comments on the NAIC’s Health Information Privacy Model Act. The letter also was sent to all 55 commissioners. The Subcommittee on Privacy is initiating a dialogue with NAIC as follow-up to the letter.
  • The Subcommittee on Populations completed its review of Medicaid managed care data issues. The report, which includes findings and recommendations on data collection, analyses and reporting for Medicaid managed care organizations, was approved by the full Committee at its November 3 meeting and will be transmitted to the Department by the end of 1999.
  • The Subcommittee on Populations also prepared a report with recommendations on a two-day meeting held in 1998 on health data needs and issues in the U.S.- associated insular areas - - Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the U.S. - associated Pacific Islands. The report was approved by the full Committee for distribution to the meeting participants and, following incorporation of their comments, will be sent to the Secretary and HHS Data Council.
  • Completed and approved a report on NCVHS activities during 1996-1998, which will be printed and distributed by the end of 1999.
  • The Computer-based Patient Record Workgroup actively pursued the Committee’s charge to recommend standards and legislative proposals for patient medical record information and its electronic exchange by August 2000. Five hearings were held to receive testimony from a wide range of data collectors, users and standards organizations, with an additional hearing planned for December 1999. The NCVHS approved a letter to the Secretary detailing the progress of the Workgroup.
  • Received presentations on the process underway for developing objectives for Healthy People 2010. The Committee expressed strong support for the data development efforts underpinning the process, including linkages between socioeconomic status and health. A letter with recommendations on these and related issues was transmitted to the Assistant Secretary for Health.
  • Participated in a Workshop on Implications of the Administrative Simplification Provisions of HIPAA for Public Health and Health Services Research. The workshop was sponsored by the National Center for Health Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in conjunction with the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research and NCVHS. The Committee is following the activities of the Public Health Data Standards Consortium, which was established in response to a consensus recommendation at the Workshop. The consortium is serving as a mechanism for ongoing representation of public health and health services research interests in HIPAA implementation and other data standards setting processes.
  • Held hearings on the flow of information in the pharmaceutical industry and on confidentiality and privacy issues related to pharmacy benefit management firms and disclosure of prescription information. Also initiated an inquiry into employer use of health data, with panel discussions by employers, insurers and privacy advocates. The Committee will be commenting on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking released by the Department on November 3, 1999 on Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information.
  • Organized a series of presentations and discussions on current and emerging initiatives in the public and private sector to address the quality of health care in the United States. The Committee’s Workgroup on Quality is exploring the information needs for these initiatives and the data challenges and limitations.
  • Continued to collaborate with the National Center for Health Statistics and the HHS Data Council in developing a Vision for Health Statistics for the 21st Century that is responsive to emergent, urgent and ongoing data needs. The Committee worked with authors of five commissioned papers; participated in a series of facilitated expert discussion groups with health data producers and users; and is contributing to development of a consultative process to obtain broad input into the vision. These activities provided input to a workshop convened by the Committee on National Statistics on November 4-5, 1999, in which NCVHS members participated.
  • Continued work on identifying and monitoring the essential components of the National Health Information Infrastructure (NHII). The Committee’s concept paper on “Assuring a Health Dimension for the National Information Infrastructure,” was presented to the HHS Data Council, and the NHII Workgroup has undertaken efforts to expand the document. A session was organized for the full Committee with representatives of Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom to learn more about health information infrastructure developments in these countries. The commonalities with the issues identified by the NHII Workgroup were striking and provide a considerable basis for continuing discussions and collaborations.
  • Monitored the impact of the efforts by an Office of Management and Budget (OMB)- directed workgroup to develop federal guidelines for tabulation and presentation of multi- racial responses, as required by the new OMB Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity.
  • Received presentations on data needs for the departmental initiative to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities as well as the initiative to measure discrimination in health care.
  • Organized a panel discussion on collection of demographic data on HIPAA transactions, with representatives of national associations, health plans, providers, employers and the research community.
  • Received a briefing on revision of the U.S. Standard Certificates of Live Birth and Death and Standard Report on Fetal Death for implementation in 2002.
  • Received presentations from an expert panel on Data Requirements for Medicare Risk- Adjusted Payment.
  • Was briefed by federal and State representatives on public health surveillance systems and standards.
  • Initiated an exploration of the need for information on functional status in administrative records with a series of hearings planned for 2000.
  • Initiated planning for a symposium and reception in June 2000 to observe the 50th anniversary of the Committee. The symposium will recognize past accomplishments, highlight Committee work on the Vision for Health Statistics for the 21st Century and the National Health Information Infrastructure and look towards the future.

The full text of all of the Committee’s recommendations can be found on the NCVHS website at http://www.ncvhs.hhs.gov

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