Confidentiality of NEHRS data

The confidentiality of responses in NEHRS data is assured under Section 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act. NCHS has many procedures in place to prevent the disclosure of your data to others. Some of these procedures include data encryption, secure data networks, and many other security mechanisms following strict federal mandates. Responses are collected and securely transmitted to NCHS, where the data undergo edits and removal of personal identifiers prior to statistical estimates and data being released to the public. The collected data are used for statistical purposes only. When analytic reports are prepared and released by NCHS staff, your answers have been combined with those of many other respondents. No information that could identify any individual is publicly released, nor is it released to anyone — including the President, Congress, or any court, without the consent of the physician.

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International staff, who are the current data collectors for NCHS, sign an affidavit making them subject to the Public Health Service Act and other laws that require that the data are protected. NCHS and RTI maintain a perfect record in protecting the privacy of health care providers and patients.

For additional information on the confidentiality of NEHRS restricted data, please go to NCHS Privacy Protection page and “Frequently Asked Questions” about NEHRS page.