Authorizing Legislation

Attachment A: Legislative Authority

Public Health Service Act

Section 306(a) & (b)

NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS

Section 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 and supervised by the Assistant Secretary for Health (or such officer of the Department as may be designated by the Secretary as the principal adviser to him for health programs).

(b) In carrying out section 304(a), the Secretary, acting through the Center-

1. shall collect statistics on-

1. the extent and nature of illness and disability of the population of the United States (or any groupings of people included in the population), including life expectancy, the incidence of various acute and chronic illnesses, and infant and maternal morbidity and mortality,

2. 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),

3. environmental, social, and other health hazards,

4. determinants of health,

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

6. utilization of health care, including utilization of (i) ambulatory health services by specialties and type of practice of health professionals providing such service, and (ii) services of hospitals, extended care facilities, home health agencies, and other institutions,

7. health care costs and financing, including the trends in health care prices and costs, the sources of payments for health care services, and Federal, State, and local governmental expenditures for health care services, and

8. family formation, growth, and dissolution;

2. shall undertake and support (by grant or contract) research, demonstrations, and evaluations respecting new or improved methods for obtaining current data on the matters referred to in a paragraph (1);

3. may undertake and support (by grant or contract) epidemiologic research, demonstrations, and evaluations on the matters referred to in paragraph (1); and ....”

4. may collect, furnish, tabulate, and analyze statistics, and prepare studies, on matters referred to in paragraph (1) upon request of public and nonprofit entities under arrangements under which the entities will pay the cost of the service provided.

5. Amounts appropriated to the Secretary from payments made under arrangements made under paragraph (4) shall be available to the Secretary for obligation until expended.