HHS Data Council: Introduction

Purpose of the HHS Data Council:

The HHS Data Council coordinates all health and non-health data collection and analysis activities of the Department of Health and Human Services, including an integrated health data collection strategy, coordination of health data standards and health information and privacy policy activities. Specific data policy issues which are judged to be important are referred to the Secretary of HHS, who more fully described the function of the Data Council in a December 1995 memo.

The Secretary has placed the Data Council in charge of the implementation of the Administrative Simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.

Data Council Membership:

The HHS Data Council consists of all Assistant Secretary and Agency Administrator level HHS officials who have a direct reporting relationship to the Secretary, the HHS Privacy Advocate, and the Secretary's Senior Advisor on Health Statistics. It is cochaired by the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and a rotating Operating Division (OpDiv) head; the current OpDiv co-chair is the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Each member has been asked to appoint an alternate to attend when they are not able, and a staff contact person to handle communications about Data Council business.

List of Data Council Members and Staff Contacts

Data Council Agenda:

The Data Council first met in August of 1995. The Data Council has developed a six-item, long-term agenda to guide its work and an action plan to implement each agenda item.

1. Develop a Department-wide data collection strategy, including coordination and integration of surveys and oversight of surveys and general statistical analysis.
2. Coordinate HHS and Inter-Department health data standards activities, including the HIPPA Administrative Simplification Initiative.
3. Serve as HHS liaison for the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics.
4. Serve as focus for HHS issues relating to privacy of health and social services information.
5. Provide a forum for coordination of health and human services issues raised by the expanding National Information Infrastructure (NII) activities.
6. Provide a forum for coordination of HHS responses to external requests for HHS action on issues related to health and social services data.

The HHS Data Council Long-Term Agenda includes details about each of these areas.

Data Council Working Groups:

The HHS Data Council meets monthly. The bulk of the Data Council's work is performed by issue-specific, inter-agency standing and ad hoc staff committees and working groups, assigned to accomplish clear goals. These working groups are coordinated by central data policy staff in ASPE, who also provide executive secretariat support to the Data Council. Each working group has a workplan which describes, in outline form, the action items it is pursuing to meet the goals. Links to many other documents and related organizations may be found under each working group's web page.

1. Data Strategy Committee
2. Joint Working Group on Telemedicine
3. HHS Privacy Committee
4. HHS Committee on Health Data Standards
5. Working Group on Racial and Ethnic Data
6. Working Group on International Health Data Collaboration: G7 Nations

Data Council Products:

The Data Council's long-term agenda is being implemented by staff members who flesh out issues for the working groups to refine and bring to the Data Council for modification and/or approval. Documents relating to their specific subject areas will be found under the working group web pages (above). Final recommendations, policies, and documents from the Data Council are then sent to the Secretary of HHS and/or made available for general distribution and implementation by the appropriate agencies.

• HHS Health Informatics Initiative
• Metadirectory of HHS Data Resources
• CONFIDENTIALITY OF INDIVIDUALLY-IDENTIFIABLE HEALTH INFORMATION Recommendations of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, September 11, 1997
• Privacy and Health Research, May 1997
• Charter for the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS)
• Press Release including new Membership of the NCVHS
• Interim Data Council Report to the Vice President
• Status Report to the Vice President on Enhanced Health Information for Consumers
• DHHS Research Initiative Regarding Transformations in Health and Human Services: Report of the Working Group
• HHS Policy for Changing the Population Standard for Age Adjusting Death Rates
• Inclusion Policy for Race and Ethnicity Data,October 1997
• Improving the Collection and Use of Racial and Ethnic Data in HHS , December 1999
• Other Data Council Approved Documents

Other Links:

Other documents and web sites which are thought by the Data Council to be useful and related generally to the Data Council agenda are listed without implying recommendation, approval, or endorsement.

Last updated 04/18/00.