Announcing Our New President-Elect
With the close of the election on April 17th, Devin George, State Registrar in Louisiana, will become our next President-Elect when the new NAPHSIS Board members transition into their positions at the annual meeting. Devin is already serving on the Board as Member at Large and starting on June 1st he will take over for current President-Elect Molly Crawford (MN) when she begins her term as NAPHSIS President. Upon hearing the news, Devin wrote: “I am humbled by the support from our members to select me to serve as their President-Elect. I look forward to continue our work of advocating for all NAPHSIS members and the association as we build new partnerships and identify new potential revenue streams.”
Congratulations to Devin, and I look forward to continuing to work with him and the rest of the Board in moving the association towards its goals in the years to come.
Things to Know for 2019’s Annual Meeting!
The NAPHSIS 2019 meeting is rapidly approaching! As always, the meeting will be packed with informative and educational learning opportunities for anyone working in vital records, health statistics, personal identity, and fraud prevention. Our health department members and our federal and corporate partners will be joining together to deliver presentations, workshops, and demonstrations on a range of important issues facing your organization, and we are looking forward to a terrific event. Here's a list of important deadlines and reminders to make the most of your visit to Columbus in the first week of June:
Online Registration
Registration is still available for NAPHSIS 2019! Simply visit the NAPHSIS 2019 website and submit the attendee's information through the 'Meeting Registration' link. Please contact NAPHSIS with any registration questions!
Hotel Room Deadline
Hotel rooms at the Hyatt Regency Columbus are available under the NAPHSIS room block until May 13th. After that date, the hotel may no longer have the special room rate for our attendees. See the 2019 meeting page for full details on making hotel reservations.
Join Us in Supporting Reach Out and Read!
NAPHSIS and our members at the Ohio Department of Health have selected Reach Out and Read as our partner organization for the service component of this year's annual meeting. We are pleased to support this cause with a funding and book donation drive. Visit the NAPHSIS 2019 page to learn more!
Group Outing at COSI
You are invited to join us at the Columbus Center of Science and Industry (COSI), where we’ll be holding our group outing Tuesday evening, June 4th from 6-9 pm. This event is sponsored by our Platinum Members LexisNexis VitalChek and Ancestry.com, and is open to all registered attendees. COSI is a nationally esteemed science center that has delighted Central Ohio with all things science for 55 years, inspiring interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) topics and delivering an experiential, "hands-on fun" brand of learning.
Located on the banks of the scenic Scioto River, COSI will be a wonderful venue for this year’s event… and just to make sure, we’ve invited the MoveMakers showband from Pittsburgh to join us once again! Come explore the science center, dust off your dance moves, and be ready to have some fun. Heavy hors d'oeuvres and a full bar will be provided. Any of our registered attendees bringing a guest to the outing can buy an additional ticket for the event for $50 per person at NAPHSIS Registration in the Hyatt Regency Columbus.
Vital Records/Health Statistics Accreditation Resources and Training
NAPHSIS has worked with the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) to develop accreditation standards and measures for Vital Records/Health Statistics (VRHS) offices at the jurisdiction level. As of April 1st, PHAB has officially launched this new program and they are now accepting applications from jurisdiction offices. Here are several important pieces of information for offices seeking accreditation:
PHAB Resources
PHAB has assembled a comprehensive set of resources for vital records offices considering accreditation, including eLearning modules covering the program overview; the accreditation process; the VRHS standards and measures; and how to prepare. The website also includes information on cost and a guide on accreditation documents and the standards and measures. You can find those resources on the VRHS page on PHAB’s website.
Accreditation Activities at NAPHSIS 2019 Meeting
Jurisdictions that plan to apply for accreditation before May 30, 2020 should be making plans to attend the VRHS Accreditation Future Applicant Training Session at the upcoming annual meeting in Columbus! The training will take place on Monday, June 3rd from 9am to noon, and VRHS unit directors and their Accreditation Coordinators are encouraged to attend. Please note that this session is the only in-person annual training that will be held for VRHS accreditation applicants who are planning to apply for accreditation by May 30, 2020. Please visit the PHAB website for more information and to register for this important training.
In addition to the training, the NAPHSIS 2019 meeting will also include two breakout sessions dedicated to accreditation. Please check out the At-A-Glance Agenda for dates and times.
Technical Assistance
Technical assistance for jurisdictions preparing for VRHS Accreditation is available through NAPHSIS. Information is available on the Accreditation page of the Members Only site (login required). Also, questions on accreditation can be emailed to: accreditation@naphsis.org.
Save the Date: Field Staff/Data Quality Training: August 13-15, 2019
Planning is underway for a new training offering from NAPHSIS and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) intended for vital records field services and data quality personnel! The course will be held in Denver, Colorado August 13th – 15th. Staff at the vital records offices working in this area should consider attending the course. The course will be hosted by NAPHSIS and NCHS staff and areas covered will include best practices for data quality reports, engaging birth and death data providers, and using technology to educate your provider community. There will be no registration fee for the course, but attendees will need to pay for their own travel and lodging (at the government rate). Please consider who in your office might benefit from attending this training course and watch for more information soon!
Bring Your EVVE Up-to-Date in 10 Minutes!
How often do you log into EVVE? How many people in your jurisdiction have access to EVVE? If the answers to these questions are “not often” and “not enough” - let’s change that! The following important items can all be accomplished in under 10 minutes to bring your EVVE system up to date:
Points of Contact - This item is very important! We need to know the people in your office in charge of EVVE, billing, and IT. Simply go to the Maintain menu option and select Jurisdiction and enter the correct information. This will help NAPHSIS know which people to contact regarding EVVE billing and make our IT updates more efficient.
Desk Guide - The Desk Guide is located at the top of the EVVE page. Take a moment to see what the Desk Guide has to say about your jurisdiction. Is it accurate?
Customer Access - Has your jurisdiction given access to all the appropriate customers? For EVVE Fact of Death, check your customer list by selecting the Fact of Death menu option. For traditional EVVE, select the Maintain – MOU option.
Reports - Check out the powerful report section of EVVE! When a customer directly queries YOUR jurisdiction, you can review the details through these reports. This section also shows the revenue amounts that EVVE is generating for your jurisdiction.
Remember, the NAPHSIS EVVE team is always here to answer any questions your jurisdiction might have about the system and how to use it best. If you would like to schedule training, please email EVVE Manager Anthony Stout.
New EDRS Interest Group Forming
Recently, we’ve heard from a number of states developing an Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS) that are looking for a way to communicate with other states in the same stages of planning. As a result, NAPHSIS is putting together a new interest group that will meet on a recurring basis to share experiences and ideas, compare notes, and generally act as a sounding board on developing death systems. If your office is planning your next death system and is interested in participating in this interest group, please email Will Whitman for more information.
Dates Set for Future Annual Meetings
We thought it would be helpful to broadcast the dates and locations of our future annual meetings for your planning purposes. The 2020 NAPHSIS Meeting will be held in Omaha, Nebraska over June 1st to 4th. The 2021 NAPHSIS Meeting will be held in Boise, Idaho on May 24th to 27th. Mark your calendars now! More information on the meetings will be available as those dates get closer.
NAHDO Begins Search for Next Executive Director
The National Association of Health Data Organizations (NAHDO) has announced that their long-time Executive Director Denise Love is retiring at the end of the year. Denise has been an important partner for NAPHSIS on many public health projects over the years, and we are certainly going to miss having her at the helm.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with their organization, NAHDO is the national non-profit membership and educational association dedicated to improving healthcare data collection and use. Their members include state and private health data organizations that maintain the statewide healthcare databases in the public and private sectors.
Now, NAHDO is beginning the search for their next Executive Director to lead the organization through its next stage of development, and we are sharing the job posting with the NAPHSIS community to help them spread the word. Please click here for full details on their Executive Director job search.