Health Statistics Official Gives Glimpse Of Future
Posted
Tim Robertson-trobertson@timesuniononline.com
Conference-goers got a glimpse of what the future might hold for the flow of vital information between local, state and federal agencies Friday at the Indiana Vital Records Association Fall Conference in Warsaw.
Rajesh Virkar, branch chief of the Data Acquisition and Evaluation Branch in the Division of Vital Statistics within the National Center for Health Statistics, spoke to the group about efforts underway to standardize the collection and sharing of vital records nationwide.Virkar said a project has begun to create a Web-based system for vital statistics data, such as birth certificates, to be passed between the local, state and national levels.
Virkar said states gather vital records from their counties and the federal government pays each state to share their vital records. The National Center for Health Statistics uses the data as important research tools for the control of epidemics and also to provide information for federal health and welfare initiatives. Virkar said, especially when dealing with the spread of disease, the faster the information can be transferred and evaluated, the more people can be kept healthy.
"How do we react? How do we respond? We need the information fast," Virkar said.
Security is another reason, Virkar said, for the need to standardize the sharing of vital records.
"Right now, you could have a fraudulent birth certificate, go to another state and get a driver's license, then go to another state and open a bank account," Virkar said, "or, get a pilot's license."
A more standardized system could help license branches identify attempted fraud more quickly and easily and prevent licenses and other documents from falling into the wrong hands.
The transition to standardization will involve all levels of vital records keeping - federal, state and local. Virkar acknowledged that the transition may be more difficult for some than others.
"If you already have a way of doing something and you've spent a lot of money, it's going to cost a lot to change it," he said. "But, we need to make the system more secure and responsive."
