FACACLASSIC

Note: An Annual Comprehensive Review, as required by §7 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, is conducted each year on committee data entered for the previous fiscal year (referred to as the reporting year). The data for the reporting year is not considered verified until this review is complete and the data is moved to history for an agency/department. See the Data From Previous Years section at the bottom of this page for the committee’s historical, verified data.

Details on agency responses to committee recommendations can be found under the Performance Measures section for each committee in the fields “Agency Feedback” and “Agency Feedback Comment.”

HHS - 965 - National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics - Statutory (Congress Created)

GENERAL INFORMATION

Committee Name	National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics	Agency Name	Department of Health and Human Services
Fiscal Year	2025	Committee Number	965
Original Establishment Date	7/23/1974	Committee Status	Chartered
Actual Termination Date		Committee URL	https://ncvhs.hhs.gov/
Actual Merged Date		Presidential Appointments*	No
New Committee This FY	No	Max Number of Members*	18
Terminated This FY	No	Designated Fed Officer Position Title*	Health Scientist, NCHS
Merged This FY		Designated Federal Officer Prefix
Current Charter Date	1/22/2024	Designated Federal Officer First Name*	Naomi
Date Of Renewal Charter	1/22/2026	Designated Federal Officer Middle Name
Projected Termination Date		Designated Federal Officer Last Name*	Michaelis
Exempt From Renewal*	No	Designated Federal Officer Suffix	MPA
Specific Termination Authority		Designated Federal Officer Phone*	301-458-4222
Establishment Authority*	Statutory (Congress Created)	Designated Federal Officer Fax*	3014584192
Specific Establishment Authority*	42 U.S.C. 242k	Designated Federal Officer Email*	kan0@cdc.gov
Effective Date Of Authority*	7/23/1974
Exempt From EO 13875 Discretionary Cmte	Not Applicable
Committee Type*	Continuing
Presidential*	No
Committee Function*	Scientific Technical Program Advisory Board

RECOMMENDATION/JUSTIFICATIONS

Agency Recommendation*	Continue
Legislation to Terminate Required	Not Applicable
Legislation Status	Not Applicable
How does cmte accomplish its purpose?*	The Committee accomplishes its purpose by holding hearings, conducting workshops and expert roundtable meetings to obtain input from relevant health and health care data stakeholders, conducting analyses and environmental scans, and issuing recommendations to the HHS Secretary, in addition to submitting mandated reports to Congress. NCVHS accomplishes its work through its Subcommittees on Standards; Privacy, Confidentiality and Security; the Review Subcommittee; and the Executive Subcommittee. At present, the Committee also has a Workgroup on Timely and Strategic Action to Inform ICD-11 Policy. Subcommittee co-chairs organize public meetings and hearings to obtain industry and stakeholder input, analyze input, draft recommendations and findings, guidance, and specific recommendations for the full Committee to deliberate for submission to the HHS Secretary.
How is membership balanced?*	Committee membership is balanced through diversity of expertise, disciplines, geography, age, gender, and racial/ethnic background. Members represent a wide range of perspectives specific to national health information policy working in a broad range of fields: health policy, health statistics, electronic data interchange (EDI) of health care information, electronic health records (EHRs), privacy, confidentiality, and security of electronic information, population-based public health, purchasing or financing health care services, health care delivery systems, integrated computerized health information systems, health services research, quality measurement, patient safety, consumer interests in health information, health data standards, epidemiology, and the provision of health services. Sixteen of the 18 members are appointed by the HHS Secretary to terms of 4 years each. Two additional members are selected by Congress.
How frequent & relevant are cmte mtgs?*	The Committee typically convenes the full membership 3 times a year. Subcommittees meet 1-2 times per year, although frequency is dependent upon the fiscal year budget. The Committee is “specifically directed by law,” and covers a broad range of issues that encompass national health information policy in order to advise the Secretary.
Why advice can't be obtained elsewhere?*	Expertise and advice from non-Federal professional disciplines is necessary to address the complex health information policy and methodological issues and concerns confronting the Department. The Committee also has the capacity to take the long view by: identifying and assessing emerging trends in population health, health care, business processes, technology, interoperability, data management, statistics, stewardship and norms; identifying and defining opportunities and threats from emerging trends that will enable or require change to health information and data policies, standards, or regulatory frameworks; and formulating agile, flexible and converging recommendations and long-term strategies to improve health and information and data policy. Essential to its work, the Committee is uniquely positioned to convene stakeholders to take into account real-world perspectives in Committee deliberations to develop recommendations to HHS.
Why close or partially close meetings?	N/A
Recommendation Remarks	As noted, the primary charge to the Committee is to advise and make recommendations to the HHS Secretary. Additionally, the Committee’s recommendations inform decision-making for data policy by HHS, states, local governments, and the private sector. The Committee convenes diverse public and private stakeholders for the purpose of gathering information to inform development of recommendations to the Secretary. For example, this year the Committee issued a Request for Information (RFI) to seek written input from the public specific to challenges and benefits of the potential adoption of WHO’s International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11). The Committee used this input to inform the final version of its recommendation to HHS regarding an urgent need for a central coordinating entity for planning and adopting ICD-11 in the U.S. 2 special government employees were appointed during fiscal year 2024: John Kelly, appointment start date 05/23/2024 and appointment end date 05/22/2028; Vickie Mays, appointment start date 06/01/2024 and appointment end date 05/31/2028. 3 special government employees are on 180 day extensions: Tammy Banks, appointment start date 07/06/2020 and appointment end date 07/05/2024 is serving until 01/01/2025; James Ferguson, appointment start date 07/06/2020 and appointment end date 07/05/2024 is serving until 01/01/2025; and Valerie Watzlaf, appointment start date 10/16/2020 and appointment end date 10/15/2024 is serving until 04/13/2025.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Outcome Improvement To Health Or Safety*	No	Action Reorganize Priorities*	No
Outcome Trust In Government	Yes	Action Reallocate Resources	Yes
Outcome Major Policy Changes	Yes	Action Issued New Regulations	Yes
Outcome Advance In Scientific Research	No	Action Proposed Legislation	No
Outcome Effective Grant Making	No	Action Approved Grants Or Other Payments	No
Outcome Improved Service Delivery	No	Action Other	Yes
Outcome Increased Customer Satisfaction	No	Action Comment	Committee recommendations have been used to inform HHS policy, rulemaking and programs over the years. For over two decades, NCVHS has advised the Department’s Secretaries on a range of matters regarding HIPAA’s Privacy and Security Rules offering advice on areas where protections can be improved. In addition, the Committee’s Charter stipulates that NCVHS stimulate the study of health data and information systems issues by other organizations and agencies, which it has successfully done.
Outcome Implement Laws/Reg Requirements	Yes	Grants Review*	No
Outcome Other	Yes	Number Of Grants Reviewed	0
Outcome Comment	The Committee is charged with assisting and advising the HHS Secretary on health data, statistics, privacy, and national health information policy, and providing guidance to the Department to develop strategies to address these issues. Trust in government by facilitating communication with the public – this is accomplished through hearings to receive testimony from expert representatives, stakeholders, health care industry, and the public. NCVHS works closely with the healthcare industry as it formulates recommendations on implementation of HIPAA administrative simplification. NCVHS staff regularly update the website to make information clear and accessible to the public. NCVHS meetings, reports and recommendations are also widely and effectively distributed to interested audiences through electronic media such as GovDelivery to provide updates about Committee activity and meeting announcements. The Subcommittees recognize the importance of empowering consumers and patients to both manage their health information and work in partnership with their healthcare providers. Implementation of laws, initiatives or regulatory requirements— NCVHS is statutorily charged with responsibility for providing advice on implementing the HIPAA administrative simplification provisions. It also was named in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to provide input to the rulemaking process for additional standards and operating rules. Carrying out its congressionally-mandated roles related to HIPAA and ACA, NCVHS provides advice and guidance to the Department on an ongoing basis. NCVHS has been instrumental in providing input to the Department at both the proposed and final rule-making stages for many regulations associated with HIPAA, including standards for electronic transactions and code sets, privacy and security. NCVHS advises the Department on process and substance in the development and implementation of health data standards. The Committee works with HHS and the health care industry to identify and evaluate existing and emerging industry standards for adoption, develop workable rules, and encourage the participation of all segments of the health industry with implementation of HIPAA standards. NCVHS has influenced the development of a number of information bulletins issued by the Department. As a result of passage of the 21st Century Cures Act, the Committee significantly increased coordination with the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) and the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC) on data standards activities to ensure that any new policies issued by HHS take into account NCVHS recommendations.	Number Of Grants Recommended	0
Cost Savings*	Unable to Determine	Dollar Value Of Grants Recommended	$0.00
Cost Savings Comment	Not applicable	Grants Review Comment	Not applicable
Number Of Recommendations*	268	Access Contact Designated Fed. Officer*	Yes
Number Of Recommendations Comment	This fiscal year the Committee produced 2 letters of recommendation to the HHS Secretary. The lifetime sets of recommendations from the Committee, including FY2024 products, is 260+ 8 = 268.	Access Agency Website	Yes
% of Recs Fully Implemented*	25.00%	Access Committee Website	Yes
% of Recs Fully Implemented Comment	Over its 75-year history including the restructuring of the Committee to respond to HIPAA, NCVHS reports and recommendations have received serious attention and consideration from the Department. For example, after publication of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, NCVHS made recommendations to adopt operating rules for eligibility and electronic funds status, and regulations were published for these supporting business rules in 2011 and 2012. In 2023, recommendations submitted by the Committee in 2019 to improve the adoption of standards under HIPAA are now under serious consideration within the Department. In addition, one of the Committee’s recommendation letters issued in 2023 may be used to inform development of a regulation on certain operating rules for health care transaction standards. In 2018, NCVHS made recommendations to adopt an updated version of the NCPDP Pharmacy standard (F6) to replace D.0. As of October 2023, that proposed rule is expected to be finalized. Over the years NCVHS had issued recommendations to adopt a standard for attachments. As of December 2022, a proposed rule for that standard was in OMB clearance. A final rule to adopt a standard for claims attachments may be published in 2024. In 2022, NCVHS encouraged HHS to publish its proposed rule to adopt FHIR-based APIs to improve the prior authorization process. That final rule was published in January 2024. Previously the Committee recommended that HHS publicize HIPAA enforcement activities. The Department continues to publish enforcement statistics on the CMS website to inform industry that the federal government effectively implements the complaint process. In 2017, NCVHS submitted a letter to the Secretary that recommended that HHS rescind the Health Plan Identifier (HPID). In FY20, HHS published a Final Rule that eliminated the regulatory requirement for health plans to obtain and use an HPID and eliminated the voluntary acquisition. The Final Rule also simplified the process for deactivating the existing identifiers to minimize operational costs for covered entities.	Access GSA FACA Website	Yes
% of Recs Partially Implemented*	50.00%	Access Publications	Yes
% of Recs Partially Implemented Comment	The Committee has been a steady influence in providing guidance and support for the administrative simplification process, including the standards development process and interoperability. Many of the recommendations pertain to aspects of health information policy over a long period of time, i.e., decades. Implementation of these recommendations usually requires consensus and collective activity from multiple agencies and components of the Department. Because policy-making usually entails a lengthy process, some of the Committee’s recommendations are partially or incrementally implemented over the span of several years, in some cases decades, during the development of policy and regulations. As stipulated in its Charter, the Committee regularly interfaces with stakeholders in the field and takes their input into account in development of reports and recommendations. Recommendations issued in 2017 positively influenced the Healthy People 2030 framework, launched in FY20, which includes numerous elements put forward by NCVHS in its March 2017 report and May 2017 letter to the Secretary. In addition to advising the HHS Secretary, the Committee’s work is recognized and serves as a trusted source by the private sector. As outlined in the Charter, the scope of NCVHS also includes informing decision-making on data policy by states, local governments and the private sector. A 2021 peer-reviewed article in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association cited NCVHS recommendations and expert roundtable report to form the basis for the research in their “Preliminary study of patient safety and quality use cases for ICD-11 MMS.” In FY23, HHS issued an NPRM that would amend the HIPAA Privacy Rule to protect access to reproductive health care. In the preamble to the rulemaking, HHS significantly relied on and cited multiple previous recommendations made by the Committee in the 2005-2010 period that remain relevant to present day policymaking. Also, in the same preamble in an unusual move, the Department specifically called out the Committee by requesting that NCVHS provide comment on the proposed rule. To be responsive, the Committee accelerated its process to develop recommendations, ultimately providing 12 recommendations in its comment letter to HHS on an usually tight timeline. The final rule was published in 2024.	Access Other	Yes
Agency Feedback*	Yes	Access Comment	1) DFO is Naomi Michaelis and HHS Executive Staff Director is Sarah Lessem. Contact information for both is posted on the NCVHS website. 2) The HHS and CDC websites provide information on Committee activities on an ongoing basis. 3) The NCVHS homepage (ncvhs.hhs.gov) is actively maintained and regularly updated. Links to live internet broadcasts of meetings are easily accessible. The site includes access to recommendations to the HHS Secretary, meeting transcripts, meeting summaries, agendas, reports, as well as background information, such as the Charter and Committee membership and bios. NCVHS broadcasts meetings virtually and provides access to PowerPoint presentations on its website. 4) See GSA FACA Website. 5) The public can subscribe to NCVHS electronic mail distribution to receive announcements about upcoming meetings and notification of new recommendations and reports posted to the NCVHS website. Committee members present at professional meetings and associations to engage with relevant stakeholders within the health care data standards and public health data industries. 6) NCVHS issued 2 letters and recommendations in FY 2024: • Nov 29, 2023 - 1. Require in the HIPAA Security Rule that all covered entities and business associates implement a security program, and that the Rule require the same minimum security controls for all covered entities and business associates. 2. Require in the HIPAA Security Rule that, in addition, covered entities and business associates adopt a risk-based approach in their security programs. 3. Require a step-by-step risk analysis procedure within the Security Rule that conforms with guidance from the National Institute of Standards and Technology of the Department of Commerce and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency of the Department of Homeland Security. 4. Define compensating controls more specifically in the Security Rule and provide a wider range of examples that apply to a greater variety of types of entities. 5. Strongly reinforce the need to account for Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems and data within the Privacy and Security Rules as part of the risk analysis for all and any new technology. 6. Establish a consistent floor for cyber incident reporting in the HIPAA Security Rule and harmonize any such requirements in HIPAA Rules with incident reporting provisions applicable to healthcare critical infrastructure actors and healthcare federal contractors. • April 12, 2024 – 1. HHS should immediately designate one office or agency to be responsible for overall coordination of ICD-11 morbidity coding in the U.S. This office or agency should further be charged with, and allocated sufficient resources for, federal government coordination of all ICD 11 morbidity coding research, funding, rulemaking, and resources relevant to adoption, implementation, and maintenance of ICD-11 as a U.S. regulatory code set. 2. While HHS is in the process of organizing a coordinating office or agency, the Department should appoint a federal representative to represent the U.S. to WHO for comprehensive coordination of morbidity coding. 7) NCVHS issued 1 report in FY 2024: • Fifteenth Report to Congress
Agency Feedback Comment*	Feedback is provided at the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics during open meetings presentations and discussions. HHS response letters are posted on the NCVHS website. In addition, the HHS Executive Director and other HHS leadership regularly attend Committee meetings to provide updates for the Committee to guide its focus and provide feedback on the status of any recommendations being implemented. During these open meetings, HHS leadership outlines the Department’s strategic objectives and areas of special consideration in light of the Committee's guidance and recommendations and inform the Committee’s next steps as appropriate. The public also has access to the information during public meetings. Additional information including NCVHS meeting minutes may be accessed at https://ncvhs.hhs.gov/.	Narrative Description*	The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) advises the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on health data, statistics, privacy, national health information policy, and the Department's strategy to best address these issues. A key aspect of this work involves advising the Secretary on HHS’s implementation of provisions established in health care-related legislation. For the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Committee specifically advises HHS regarding adoption of standards, identifiers, and code sets for administrative transactions; privacy and security; a periodic Report to Congress; assists and advises HHS in the implementation of the Administrative Simplification provisions of HIPAA; and informing decision-making on data policy in states, local governments and the private sector. With passage of the 21st Century Cures Act, the Committee coordinates with ONC and the HITAC on national policy for electronic health records (EHRs) standards and administrative data standards. The Committee has worked with the previous Health IT Policy Committee on privacy and security of information entered and maintained in EHRs. As stipulated in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Committee provides advice and guidance regarding operating rules and is designated as the official Review Committee for health care transactions – consisting of standards and operating rules – and advises HHS on opportunities to improve standardization and uniformity in a number of areas. In the past, the Committee has advised the Secretary on standards for ePrescribing under the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA).

COSTS

1. Payments to Non-Federal Members*		1. Est Paymnts to Non-Fed Membrs Nxt FY*
2. Payments to Federal Members*		2. Est. Payments to Fed Members Next FY*
3. Payments to Federal Staff*		3. Estimated Payments to Federal Staff*
4. Payments to Consultants*		4. Est. Payments to Consultants Next FY*
5. Travel Reimb. For Non-Federal Membrs*		5. Est Travel Reimb Non-Fed Membr nxtFY*
6. Travel Reimb. For Federal Members*		6. Est Travel Reimb For Fed Members*
7. Travel Reimb. For Federal Staff*		7. Est. Travel Reimb to Fed Staf Nxt FY*
8. Travel Reimb. For Consultants*		8. Est Travel Reimb to Consltnts Nxt FY*
10. Other Costs		10. Est. Other Costs Next FY*
11. Total Costs	$0.00	11. Est. Total Next FY*	$0.00
Date Cost Last Modified	3/14/2025 9:16 AM	Est. Fed Staff Support Next FY*
Federal Staff Support (FTE)*		Est Cost Remarks
Cost Remarks

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