[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 185 (Monday, September 23, 1996)] [Notices] [Pages 49785-49787] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 96-24225] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority Part C (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) of the Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority of the Department of Health and Human Services (45 FR 67772-67776, dated October 14, 1980, and corrected at 45 FR 69296, October 20, 1980, as amended most recently at 61 FR 35219-35228, dated July 5, 1996) is amended to reflect the following changes within the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS): (1) Abolish the Office of Planning and Extramural Programs; (2) establish the Office of Data Standards, Program Development, and Extramural Programs and the Office of Planning, Budget, and Legislation; and (3) revise the functional statement for the Office of International Statistics. Section C-B, Organization and Functions, is hereby amended as follows: After the functional statement for the Office of Research and Methodology (CS13), delete in their entirely the title and functional statement for the Office of Planning and Extramural Programs (CS14). Revise the functional statement for the Office of International Statistics (CS15) by deleting item (5) and renumbering the remaining items accordingly. After the functional statement for the Office of International Statistics (CS15), insert the following: Office of Data Standards, Program Development, and Extramural Programs (CS16). (1) Participates in the development of policy, long- range plans, and programs of the Center; (2) develops proposed policies for the coordination of NCHS programs with external agencies, both public and private; (3) provides leadership, and serves as a focal point, for NCHS outreach efforts to organizations in the public and private sectors; serves a focal point for developing collaborative statistical activities of NCHS with other organizations and agencies, and the development of public/private partnerships in health statistics; facilitates communication with outside agencies regarding program and policy issues; (4) provides a focus for program development and review of policy implications as related to emerging priority data needs of the country; coordinates the assessment of needs and the perspectives of other agencies; participates actively in program planning and policy development by reviewing the relevance of current and proposed programs to defined priorities of need and the requirements of other agencies and principal user groups; (5) evaluates or arranges for the evaluation of the adequacy, completeness, and responsiveness of Center programs both nationally and internationally to the NCHS mission and national priorities. Based on the results of evaluations, makes proposals for changes in NCHS programs or policies and collaborative enterprises; (6) assures leadership in the definition, development, and coordination of cooperative and collaborative programs in health statistics, working with state and local governments, and other organizations including the private and academic sectors in the development and strengthening of shared subnational statistical systems or services to meet the needs of the country; (7) conducts research, analyses, and demonstrations related to subnational systems; (8) develops, pilots, and implements new programs through direct activities and through grants and contracts; organizes Center-wide teams or special work groups for selected high priority initiatives; (9) provides scientific and technical support and Executive Secretariat services to the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS), the legislatively-mandated advisory committee to the Secretary, DHHS; (10) provides for programmatic review and leadership for the NCHS Reimbursable Work Program; (11) provides guidance and staff support for major Center conferences and committee meetings; (12) provides advice and assistance to outside agencies and organizations in the conduct of statistical training activities; conducts training in key areas, as appropriate; and promotes appropriate training and educational materials for implementation and use of data sets and classification systems and for other purposes; (13) coordinates required clearances for Human Subjects Review; (14) provides leadership and serves as advisor to the Director on policy issues related to data standards and classification systems; (15) provides scientific and technical advice to the DHHS Data Council on data standards and classification issues, and takes a leadership role in HHS-wide workgroups addressing such issues; (16) serves as NCHS's focal point to other organizations regarding efforts to develop minimum data sets, core data sets, data definitions, common approaches to medical and statistical terminology, and other standards-related efforts; (17) participates with appropriate agencies and organizations to promote the dissemination, adoption, and use of standards advocated by NCHS, DHHS, and the NCVHS; serves as a nucleus for data policy, data standards, and medical classification by fostering the collaborative development of tools and guidelines to enhance the integrity, comparability, quality, and usefulness of the data products from a wide variety of public and private agencies at the national and subnational levels; (18) assures and provides interface of data confidentiality, linkage, and security issues with other data policies and standards; (19) serves as the focal point and coordinator of U.S. Government activities related to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and maintains liaison with the World Health Organization through the direction of the WHO Collaborating Center for Classification of Diseases for North America working with appropriate programs throughout NCHS; (20) provides a focus for enhancing collaborative activities in advancing the science and practice of health statistics, stimulating working arrangements with universities, schools of public health, schools of medicine and professional organizations of same; provides a focus for the development of a reliance upon NCHS data for research in these settings and provides leadership for graduate student training and interaction with NCHS. Data Policy and Standards Staff (CS163). (1) Provides a focus within NCHS for the development and continuing responsive modification of a conceptual framework for a broad-based definition of the basic health information systems of the country; (2) serves as a nucleus for data policy, data standards, and medical classification by [[Page 49786]] fostering the collaborative development of tools and guidelines to enhance the integrity, comparability, quality, and usefulness of the data products from a wide variety of public and private agencies at the national and subnational levels; (3) establishes and maintains liaison and partnerships with Federal agencies within and outside DHHS and with a wide variety of private and professional organizations to promote uniformity in classifications, data sets, definitions, and related data policies and standards; (4) assures representation of NCHS and takes a leadership role on intra- and interagency task forces and committees reviewing and developing uniform data elements and data sets for diverse health care settings, nomenclatures and classifications; (5) serves as a focal point within NCHS for collaborative activities related to computer-based patient record development; (6) supports the Director, NCHS, as a member of the DHHS Data Council and coordinates NCHS staff support to the Data Council for data policy and standards activities; (7) serves as a focal point for programmatic and subject matter support of the NCVHS; (8) establishes and maintains liaison between NCVHS and agencies within DHHS, other governmental agencies, and relevant private and professional organizations; (9) directs and facilitates cross-cutting national data policy activities that involve multiple outside organizations and have important implications for NCHS and CDC programs; (10) provides liaison with standard-setting organizations on emerging data needs and on medical and health classification issues; (11) is responsible for overseeing, coordinating, evaluating, and formulating recommendations for the ICD Family of Classifications and related classifications, by providing the focus within NCHS for the development and execution of classification activities; (12) serves as the focal point and coordinator of U.S. Government activities related to the ICD and maintains liaison with the World Health Organization through direction of the WHO Collaborating Center for the Classification of Diseases for North America; (13) provides advice and assistance within NCHS and to other agencies and organizations in the conduct of training activities related to data policies and standards; conducts training in key areas as appropriate; and promotes appropriate training and educational materials for implementation and use of data sets and classification systems; (14) assures comparability of morbidity classification, using current and subsequent versions of the ICD for morbidity, and recommends revisions to the ICD for morbidity applications as appropriate; (15) assumes full responsibility for the development and implementation of the evaluation program of NCHS of assessment of the adequacy, completeness, and responsiveness of Center programs both nationally and internationally to the NCHS mission and user needs for data; based on evaluations, makes proposals for changes in NCHS programs or policies; (16) supports and coordinates Human Subjects Review within NCHS; (17) assures and provides interface of data confidentiality, linkage, and security issues with other data policies and standards; (18) participates with appropriate agencies and organizations to promote the dissemination, adoption, and use of data policies and standards advocated by the NCHS, DHHS, and the NCVHS; develops comprehensive policy analyses and special reports, and newsletters. Program Development Staff (CS163). (1) Develops, pilots, and promotes programs, projects, and special activities to improve the quality, comparability, timeliness, and particularly, the relevance of data with emphasis on those aspects of data collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination that require collaboratively- supported systems involving public and private agencies, all levels of government and the international statistical community; (2) develops, pilots, and implements new programs with emphasis on addressing emerging data needs through a synthesis of policy concerns, statistical approaches, scientific research, and data standards by direct activities and through grants and contracts; (3) develops and conducts specialized workshops and conferences to build focused research capacities and foster networks of extramural researchers; (4) promotes public/private extramural funding opportunities through identifying common needs and developing innovative research strategies; (5) develops innovative training programs, materials, and substantive guidelines for use in collaboratively-sponsored and coordinated health statistics activities; (6) responds to unique request for improved approaches or assistance in the planning and conduct of complex statistical enterprises, particularly those involving major policy issues, multiple agencies or levels of government, and operating at the intersect of public health practice and epidemiologic or statistical operations and research; (7) conducts other activities and participates in special projects selected to provide NCHS an opportunity for gaining definitive knowledge regarding major priority needs for data and major barriers to success in collaboratively-sponsored statistical enterprises, with emphasis on projects requiring data for subnational geographic areas and special populations and for multiple levels of government; (8) serves as the focal point for coordination of health statistical activities within NCHS as they relate to data needs and applications by other organizations or agencies; (9) provides program leadership for the NCHS Reimbursable Work Program including the private sector initiatives; (10) provides liaison with other federal departments and encourages interagency collaboration through the conduct of formal interagency meetings, seminars, workshops, and conferences which are designed to promote coordination of NCHS data systems with other federal, national, and international health systems; (11) participates in the dissemination, evaluation, and use of standard health data sets; (12) directs research and development related to data systems for community health profiles and other small area applications; (13) participates in the NCHS longitudinal studies program development and implementation; (14) designs and implements special studies related to other assigned functions; (15) provides planning, management, and operational support for the Center's conference and meeting activities, including the Public Health Conference on Records and Statistics; (16) provides support services for the NCVHS and other committees that may be established and subcommittees thereof; (17 prepares committee charters and proposals for the establishment or termination of committees and subcommittees, prepares nominations for submission to the Secretary, DHHS. Office of Planning, Budget and Legislation (CS17). (1) Provides a focus for short and long range statistical programs and budget planning, policy development, and program analysis; (2) provides advice on the development of new health statistics programs, translates planning into program proposals for the Center's operations, and organizes Center-wide teams or special work groups for selected high priority initiatives; (3) serves as a focal point for coordination and integration of program activities within NCHS, and facilitates communication within NCHS regarding program and policy issues; (4) [[Page 49787]] assists the Center Director in the assessment of program accomplishments and the development of program planning through a program review process; (5) provides leadership within NCHS on legislative affairs, develops and coordinates the Center's legislative activities, and serves as principal liaison between NCHS programs and executive and legislative branch officials on legislative affairs; (6) serves as principal advisor in areas of budget and resource development, formulates and presents the NCHS budget, and serves as principal liaison between NCHS programs and budget officials in CDC, DHHS, and OMB; (7) develops fiscal policies, financial management procedures, and systems throughout NCHS, and provides leadership for the direction and improvement of financial management functions; (8) directs and manages the execution of the NCHS budget, including a system of budgetary and expenditure controls, financial reports, and assistance to staff; (9) provides planning, operational review and coordination for the NCHS Reimbursable Work Program, and coordinates required clearances of the program; (10) manages and coordinates NCHS' responsibilities for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act, and serves as principal liaison between NCHS programs and clearance officials in CDC, DHHS, and OMB; (11) assures that NCHS's confidentiality and privacy policy are consistent with legislative mandates, and that these policies and the Privacy Act are clearly articulated and enforced within NCHS; provides policy leadership and guidance on data sharing and data release agreements; and develops and maintains privacy Act System Notices. Dated: September 6, 1996. Claire Broome, Acting Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [FR Doc. 96-24225 Filed 9-20-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4160-18-M