Current Projects

Toward a Health Statistics System for the 21st Century: A Workshop

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Description

The Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) convened a two-day workshop on November 4-5, 1999 to identify new directions for health statistics and the implications for health data of changes in the health arena faced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; state and local health departments; the consumers, developers, and providers of health care products and services; and other health policy makers. Workshop discussions identified key assumptions and critical components of a health information system, specifically describing how to move from a collection of national health statistics to creating a health information system for the 21st century. Presentations highlighted many issues including: population-based assessments of health status; surveillance of illness; assessing well-being; identifying and understanding risk factors (e.g., genetics, behavior, socioeconomic status, physical environment); supporting the management and analysis of the organization, delivery, and financing of personal and population-based health services and their relationship to health status and health outcomes; innovations in information technology for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating health data; and issues of privacy, confidentiality, and security of health data.

A summary report of this workshop is currently in preparation. This workshop report, intended for both users and producers of health statistics, will discuss the implications of emerging health data needs for the health statistics system, suggest a research agenda to respond to needs across the health statistics system; and identify priorities for HHS and its agencies engaged in health statistics activities as they develop a vision of health statistics for the 21st century. This report will be published in the summer of 2000.

Edward Perrin of the University of Washington chaired the workshop. The workshop was sponsored by the National Center for Health Statistics.

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Staff