Newsletters from the National Vital Statistics System
This newsletter is published by the NVSS to enhance the community of vital records and vital statistics practice, provide useful information for vital statistics and vital records professionals, and inform the broader community of interested stakeholders.
September [PDF – 345 KB]
Inside this issue – News regarding Collaborating Office of Medical Examiners and Coroners (COMEC); Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information (NVSS COP); Notable publication information regarding Births and Fetal Mortality in the United States and much more…
August [PDF – 382 KB]
Inside this issue – News regarding Collaborating Office of Medical Examiners and Coroners (COMEC); Notable publication information regarding Infant Mortality in the United States, 2022; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information (NVSS COP) and much more…
July [PDF – 468 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the 2023 Data Year Close-Out; Collaborating Office of Medical Examiners and Coroners (COMEC) news; Updated information regarding Guidelines for Reporting Live Births, Infant deaths, Fetal Deaths and Inducted Terminations of Pregnancy; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information (NVSS COP) and much more…
June [PDF – 428 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the Field Services Special Interest Group; Collaborating Office of Medical Examiners and Coroners (COMEC) updates; Notable publication information on Maternal and Infant Characteristics Among Women with Confirmed or Presumed Cases of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) During Pregnancy; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information (NVSS COP) and much more…
February [PDF – 391 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the 2023 Data Year Close-Out; Collaborating Office of Medical Examiners and Coroners (COMEC) updates; Notable publication information on maternal syphilis rates during pregnancy and drug overdose deaths by sex in the United States; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information (NVSS COP) and much more…
January [PDF – 383 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the 2023 Data Year Close-Out; Collaborating Office of Medical Examiners and Coroners (COMEC) updates; Notable publication information on Trends in Cesarean Delivery in Puerto Rico; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information (NVSS COP) and much more…
December [PDF – 371 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the 2023 Data Year Close-Out; Collaborating Office of Medical Examiners and Coroners (COMEC) updates; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information (NVSS COP) and much more…
November [PDF – 268 KB]
Inside this issue – Report regarding Provisional Life Expectancy Estimates in the United States; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information (NVSS COP) and much more…
October [PDF – 392 KB]
Inside this issue – Notable publication information on Fetal Mortality in the United States; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information (NVSS COP) regarding phase III of the jurisdictional outreach effort, and much more…
August-September [PDF – 392 KB]
Inside this issue – Notable publication information on Infant Mortality in the United States; Information on a new updated version of the Physician’s Handbook on Medical Certification of Death; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information and much more…
July [PDF – 284 KB]
Inside this issue – Updated information regarding the 2022 data year close-outs for death and fetal death files; Notable publication information on homicides among infants in the United States; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information; Important information regarding staffing changes within the Division of Vital Statistics and much more…
June [PDF – 273 KB]
Inside this issue – Updated information regarding the 2022 data year close-outs for death and fetal death files; Notable publication information on provisional birth data for 2022; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information and much more…
May [PDF – 506 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the NAPHSIS annual meeting; Updated information regarding the 2022 data year close-outs for death and fetal death files; Notable publication information on drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and oxycodone; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information and much more…
April [PDF – 293 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the 2022 data year close-outs for the birth, death, and fetal death files; Notable publication information on trends and characteristics in maternal hepatitis C infection rates during pregnancy; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information and much more…
March [PDF – 378 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the New Medicolegal Death Investigation FHIR Implementation Collaborative; Notable publication information on Maternal and Infant Characteristics and Outcomes Among Women with Confirmed or Presumed COVID-19 During Pregnancy; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information and much more…
February [PDF – 346 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the 2022 data year close-out involving the 2022 birth, death, and fetal death files; Notable publication information on mothers who smoked during pregnancy; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information and much more…
January [PDF – 275 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding a recent change by the Division of Vital Statistics related to HIV and other ICD-10 Chapter 1 infections; Notable publication information on changes in Fetal Mortality in the United States: 2019-2020; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information and much more…
December [PDF – 311 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the upcoming January 2022 VSCP Directors Webinar; Notable publication information on changes in twin births in the United States; Information on the 2022 data year close-out; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information and much more…
November [PDF – 279 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the upcoming December 2022 VSCP Directors Webinar; Notable publication information on changes in home births in the United States; Information on the Center for Medical Examiners and Coroners (COMEC); Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information and much more…
October [PDF – 312 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the upcoming November 2022 VSCP Directors Webinar; Notable publication information on the cause of fetal death report; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information on a workflow testing event involving 18 jurisdictions and information highlighting the CDC Directors’ support of the NVSS COP and much more…
September [PDF – 220 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the upcoming October 2022 VSCP Directors Webinar; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information on the Health Information and Management Systems Society Interoperability Showcase that will be held April 2023; Notable publication information on Infant Mortality in the United States, 2020: Data from the Period Linked Birth/Infant Death File and much more…
August [PDF – 299 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the upcoming September VSCP Directors Webinar; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information; Notable publication information on Maternal and Infant Characteristics and Outcomes Among Women with Confirmed or Presumed COVID-19 During Pregnancy and much more….
July [PDF – 396 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the upcoming August 2022 VSCP Director’s Webinar; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information; and much; Notable publication information on Trends and Characteristics in Gestational Diabetes and more…
June [PDF – 338 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the 2022 VSCP Annual Meeting; New Invoice Processing Platforms; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information; and much more…
April – May [PDF – 332 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the 2022 NAPHSIS Annual Meeting; Notable publications release dates; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information; and much more…..
March [PDF – 416 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the 2021 data year close-out dates that involve the birth, death, and fetal death files; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information; and much more…
February [PDF – 298 KB]
Inside this issue – Information on the 2022 NAPHSIS annual meeting; Community of Practice (COP) information regarding the unveiling of the NVSS API in the test environment; notable publication about fetal mortality in the United States and much more….
January [PDF – 245 KB]
Inside this issue – Information on file layouts for 2022 data; Community of Practice (COP) information regarding results from the NCHS organized testing effort around the NVSS and jurisdiction client application programming interfaces and much more…
December [PDF – 247 KB]
Inside this issue – 2022 Rare Cause of Death changes; Community of Practice (COP) information introducing a brand-new segment in the Main COP meetings called Round Robin and much more….
November [PDF – 282 KB]
Inside this issue – 2021 data year close-out information regarding birth, death, and fetal death files; Community of Practice information regarding upcoming events to provide jurisdictions with an opportunity to test their health systems strengthening efforts with FHIR based interoperability and much more….
October [PDF – 273 KB]
Inside this issue – Information about the November Vital Statistics Cooperative Program Directors Webinar; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information regarding the Vital Records Death Reporting Implementation Guide connectathon that was held in September and more….
September [PDF – 308 KB]
Inside this issue – Information about invoicing for 2020 data files; Notable data brief on general fertility rates; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information; and more…
August [PDF – 294 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the processing of 2020 cause of death files: Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information regarding funding that could be available to assist in modernization efforts and more…
July [PDF – 301 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding methodology changes with 2021 mortality completeness; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information; Notable report on Maternal and Infant Characteristics among Women with COVID-19 during Pregnancy; and much more…
June [PDF – 363 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding the virtual Field Services and Data Quality Workshop that will be held in August; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice information; Notable report on Drug-involved Infant Deaths; and much more…
May [PDF – 400 KB]
Inside this issue – Important reminder regarding the 2021 VSCP Annual Meeting; Notable report on Changes in Births to New York City Residents Occurring Outside New York City, by Race and Hispanic Origin of the Mother; Information regarding the Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice Video; and more…
April [PDF – 373 KB]
Inside this issue – Information on the 2021 VSCP Annual Meeting; Notable reports on Maternal and Infant Characteristics among Women with COVID-19 during Pregnancy; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice updates; and more…
March [PDF – 380 KB]
Inside this issue – Information on the Vital Records and Health Statistics Accreditation Program; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice updates; and more…
February [PDF – 298 KB]
Inside this issue – Information on 2020 natality file closing; news regarding the revised National Death Index website; Vital Statistics Modernization Community of Practice updates; and more…
January [PDF – 360 KB]
Inside this issue – Information on data year close-outs regarding the 2020 birth, death, and fetal death files; coding questions regarding new strains of SARS-CoV-2; newly released report on provisional estimates for selected maternal and infant outcomes; and more…
December [PDF – 372 KB]
Inside this issue – Information regarding a change with the 2021 Maternal Mortality File; meeting information involving the vital statistics modernization community of practice including recent highlights from past meetings and much more…
November [PDF – 330 KB]
Inside this issue – Information about reporting injuries on the death certificate; overview of the vital statistics modernization community of practice; results from new reports about maternal and infant characteristics among women with confirmed or presumed cases of coronavirus disease and much more…
October [PDF – 370 KB]
Inside this issue – Information on the next Fetal Death Webinar; recommendations on ways of improving the quality of the cause of death; results from new publications with important data on excess deaths and general fertility rates and much more…
September [PDF – 328 KB]
Inside this issue – Guidance for requesting out of state coded cause of death files; a preview announcing the launch of the new National Death Index (NDI) Portal; a first look at our new vital statistics modernization community of practice; newly released publication on racial and ethnic disparities in fetal deaths, and much more…
August [PDF – 321 KB]
Inside this issue – Updates on recent NAPHSIS trainings and resources; reminders on 2019 mortality review processes and invoicing; new publications on infant mortality and urban–rural differences in suicide rates; how Maryland is making death data modernization work for everyone; vitals staff spotlight; and more…
July [PDF – 379 KB]
Inside this issue – NAPHSIS webinars on accreditation and data visualization; impact of COVID-19 on 2020 mortality completeness; review of expanded birth data reporting; newly released publications on teen birth rates and infant mortality; Indiana’s unexpected approach to modernizing death data, and more…
June [PDF – 402 KB]
Inside this issue – Updates on the upcoming Vital Records and Their Administration: Statistics and Data Quality Course (virtual); release of the 2019 Provisional Birth Data and the 2018 Linked Birth and Infant Death Data; maternal COVID-19 and birth reporting; reporting telehealth visits for prenatal care.
May [PDF – 313 KB]
Inside this issue – New resources from NCHS to help respond to the COVID-19 pandemic; how New York State is breaking down barriers for death data; updates on the annual VSCP meeting and upcoming NAPHSIS training; information for processing and requesting data files; contract closeout and file release dates for 2019 data.
April [PDF – 270 KB]
Inside this issue – COCA webinar for clinicians on Certifying Deaths Due to COVID-19; how modernizing data on drug overdose deaths advances understanding of suicide; transmitting mortality records to NCHS during the pandemic; how to attend the annual VSCP meeting and other webinars; contract closeout and file release dates for 2019 data.
March [PDF – 399 KB]
Inside this issue – Plans for the VSCP annual meeting to go virtual; overview of The Vital Records and their Administration course that was held in Salt Lake City, Utah; access to medical reports on the VSCP website as a way to improve the quality of cause of death data; new, must-see reports on trends and characteristics of sexually transmitted infections during pregnancy and recent trends in vaginal birth after cesarean delivery.
February [PDF – 615 KB]
Inside this issue – Seeking ideas to improve the next VSCP; special project to improve geocoding for small-area estimates of life expectancy; Iowa improves birth registration timeframes and data quality; how jurisdictions can test new systems with NCHS; upcoming NAPHSIS trainings on vital records accreditation and fetal death; 2020 task orders for VSCP data.
January [PDF – 392 KB]
Inside this issue – First release of national maternal mortality data in more than a decade; new, must-see reports on infant mortality rates due to birth defects, 80 years of fertility trends, and unnecessary pelvic exams in young women; upcoming training opportunities; new brochure for funeral directors; 2019 data year close-out dates, and more…
December [PDF – 324 KB]
Inside this issue – New Mortality Data Quality Workgroup report available; 2018 Final Birth Data release and highlights; collecting and reporting partially unknown dates; learn about our Vital Statistics Specialists; preparing for the next VSCP contract; connect to Minnesota’s Vital Records News; APHA Excellence in Science award winner; vitals staff updates; and more.
November [PDF – 284 KB]
Inside this issue – Updated key statistics from the National Survey of Family Growth; new data releases on teen birth, infant mortality, and provisional birth estimates; how Georgia’s new communication strategy yields data improvements; 2019 data year close-out dates; vitals staff updates and highlights, and more.
October [PDF – 284 KB]
Inside this issue – Assessing mortality after large-scale disasters, new data brief on twin births, California’s collaboration with medical examiners and coroners on drug death data, new activities for NAPHSIS cooperative agreement, improving cause-of-death reporting by addressing R99 codes, Global CRVS team presents at conference of African ministers, and more.
September [PDF – 284 KB]
Inside this issue – Important updates on project to modernize drug death data, list of jurisdictions awarded project funding, new web-based guidance for birth certificates, first-ever combined 2017 period/2016 cohort linked birth/infant death file, updates on 2018 mortality review process, 2019 pending records, new death certification course, and more.
August [PDF – 607 KB]
Inside this issue – Significant improvements in data quality and processing, unprecedented response to funding opportunities, notices for jurisdictions on 2018 mortality review process, new report on trends in infant mortality, NCHS/NAPHSIS data quality workshop recap, helping Zambia evaluate mortality surveillance systems, updates on vitals staff across our nation, and more.
July [PDF – 615 KB]
Inside this issue – New funding opportunity announcements, redesigning NCHS systems, faster close-out of 2018 final data, new process for errors 30+ days old, report on trends in routine pelvic examinations, helping Kenya’s community health workers report deaths, Reproductive Statistics Branch welcomes new chief, and more.