Authorizing Legislation

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Applicable Laws or Regulations (Excerpts)

A. Excerpts from the Public Health Service Act

National Center for Health Statistics

Sec. 306 [242k]

(a) There is established in the Department of Health and Human Services the National Center for Health Statistics (hereinafter in this section referred to as the "Center") which shall be under the direction of a Director who shall be appointed by the Secretary. The Secretary, acting through the Center, shall conduct and support statistical and epidemiological activities for the purpose of improving the effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of health services in the United States.

(b) In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary, acting through the Center- (1) shall collect statistics on-

^{(A) the extent and nature of illness and disability of the population of the United States (or of any}

groupings of the people included in the population), including life expectancy, the incidence of various acute and chronic illnesses, and infant and maternal morbidity and mortality,

(B) the impact of illness and disability of the population on the economy of the United States and

on other aspects of the well-being of its population (or of such groupings), (C) environmental, social, and other health hazards,

(D) determinants of health,

(E) health resources, including physicians, dentists, nurses, and other health professionals by specialty and type of practice and the supply of services by hospitals, extended care facilities, home health agencies, and other health institutions,

(F) utilization of health care, including utilization of (i) ambulatory health services by specialties and types of practice of the health professionals providing such services, and (ii) services of hospitals, extended care facilities, home health agencies, and other institutions,

(G) health care costs and fmancing, including the trends in health care prices and cost, the sources of payments for health care services, and Fedhal, State, and local governmental expenditures for health care services, and

(H) family formation, growth, and dissolution;