Quality Guidelines: Introduction

Quality Guidelines components

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Quality Guidelines ensure that the information we share meets statistical standards.

• Quality Guidelines: Introduction
• Quality Guidelines: Scope and Applicability
• Quality Guidelines: Quality Assurance Policies, Standards, and Processes
• Quality Guidelines: Agency Administrative Complaint Procedures
• Quality Guidelines: Influential Scientific, Financial, and Statistical Information

Background

NCHS is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. NCHS also is a principal federal statistical agency. Principal statistical agencies primarily work to collect, compile, process, or analyze information for statistical purposes.

The NCHS Director serves as the Statistical Officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As such, the Director is as a member of the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) leads the ICSP. It is composed of—

• Statistical Officials from each major cabinet agency
• Heads of the 13 principal statistical agencies and 3 recognized statistical units

The ICSP—

• Coordinates statistical work across organizations
• Enables the exchange of information about organization programs and activities
• Advises and counsels OMB on statistical activities
• Advances improvements in data access and expansion of evaluation capacity to support evidence-based decision-making

Mission

Within the ICSP framework, NCHS is the federal agency responsible for collecting and sharing the country's vital and health statistics. NCHS provides statistical information that can guide actions and policies to improve the health of the American people.

To carry out our mission, NCHS conducts a wide range of annual, periodic, and ongoing national surveys. NCHS also administers the national vital statistics systems.

As the United States' principal health statistics agency, NCHS leads the way with accurate, relevant, and timely data. To ensure the accuracy, relevance, and timeliness of our statistical products, NCHS—

• Determines data sources, measurement methods, and data collection and process methods while minimizing respondent burden
• Uses appropriate methods of analysis
• Ensures data are publicly available
• Documents and shares methods used to obtain data

Data improvements

Using available resources, NCHS continually works to improve our data systems to provide information needed to develop sound public policy.

As appropriate, NCHS seeks advice on our statistical program. This includes advice on setting statistical priorities and on the statistical methods NCHS uses. NCHS strives to meet the needs for access to our data while maintaining appropriate safeguards for the confidentiality of individual responses.