Sources of health data available at the Federal level for public health funding and surveillance
The federal government is responsible for implementing new health care policies in the United States to ensure that the citizens have access to quality health care. However, the government cannot enforce it new health reforms without sufficient background information. Therefore, the federal government maintains an information system that can help it to store, access and retrieve data that it can use for public health funding and surveillance (Longest, 2016). The federal government creates data network through funding national surveys, vital statistics and medical data records (Bernstein & Sweeney, 2012). Examples of sources of health data available at the federal level include the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), American Medical Association, Medical Group Management Association, Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
CMS data contains information like patient medical eligibility, utilization, and payment. This data source is important in public health funding in that it helps to monitor health status and plan health services for Americans (Longest, 2016). American Medical Association publishes relevant information that includes clinical procedures that are performed by the physicians. This information is particularly important in identifying risks and health hazards in medical practices in the US. Medical Group Management Association provides information on the cost of medical practice that may provide valuable insights that can help the federal government to budget for health expenditure. Federal Employees Health Benefits Program contains data regarding the medical claims of federal employees as well as their dependents. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality data source includes information like inpatient data from all hospitals. This information may be useful to the federal government and other public health agencies like the CMS to plan for emergencies, assesses prevalent diseases, identify risks and budget for health expenditure.
References
Bernstein, A. B. & Sweeney, M. H. (2012). Public Health Surveillance Data: Legal, Policy, Ethical, Regulatory, and Practical Issues. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/Mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6103a7.htm
Longest, B. (2016). Health policymaking in the United States.
