SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION
Automated Vital Statistics System
Technical Advisory Group
2007 Annual Meeting
November 28, 2007
1.
Introduction
By Attendees and Opening Statements.
Ron Williams welcomed meeting
participants, and the group reviewed a summary of the 2006 TAG meeting. Note: TAG summaries are available on the Web
at: http://www.avss.ucsb.edu/tag.htm
2.
2007 Birth Certificate/New
Version of AVSS.
Ron noted that, in the past, revisions
were a major challenge because hundreds of computers had to be updated. Now, AVSS has three servers that were
programmed with changes effective January 1, 2007, and all the changes became
effective throughout AVSS simultaneously.
Ron noted that there were some minor
problems with initial implementation.
Site-of-Care programs had to be revised to ensure accurate data
transfer. There were also minor problems
with APGAR scores and correct reporting of pregnancy weights. These problems were promptly resolved.
It was noted that
Alan reviewed a table, provided to
meeting participants, that displayed the percentage of birth records containing
“unclassifiable values” (unknown, withheld, incomplete, or missing). The table included percentages for six data
elements for the period 2004 through June 2007, and for eight data elements
added in January 2007. These percentages
were compared to NCHS standards. Alan
noted the difficulty in obtaining some of these elements, but he stressed the
importance of this information. Birth
data quality workshops were planned for 2008, in part to address the areas and
those hospitals where
3.
AVSS
Modification Requests (AMRs): Review and
Discussion.
Ron noted that there were numerous
modification requests in the initial phases of implementation of AVSS and that
discussion of these requests occupied much of the time in early TAG
meetings. Current maturity of the
program means that there are significantly fewer modification requests.
07-137: Alan opened the discussion on this AMR,
regarding designation of Hispanic origin.
“Other” was being inappropriately accepted by AVSS programming because
the relevant data fields were in free-text format. AVSS was reprogrammed to require users to
choose a Hispanic origin off a drop-down list.
07-131: The group reviewed changes to birth facility
codes involving doctors’ offices, clinics, and birth centers.
4.
AVSS/NET.
Ron
reported that AVSS/NET is very stable, with up-times of excess of 99%.
5.
Confidential
Morbidity Report (CMR).
Stan
Bissell reported on CMR activities.
6.
Death Record
Database.
Some
counties have expressed a desire for import of death records from EDRS to AVSS,
so they could maintain continuity in their death databases. In response, AVSS and EDRS staff have developed
a method for transferring data from EDRS to AVSS. This method was discussed and demonstrated
for the group.
7.
AVSS Technical
Assistance.
Ron
acknowledged the hard work that two former AVSS TAG members have made to the
program. Natlee Sekikawa-Hapeman from
Santa Barbara County and Glen Nishida from UCSB will be missed but we wish them
well in their new professions.
Ron
Williams discussed funding for AVSS technical assistance activities. He reminded the group that the AVSS project
relies on financial support from the State and LRDs.
8. Next Meeting
The
next TAG meeting will be scheduled for November 13, 2007, to be held in the
Sacramento East End Complex.
9.
Adjournment
The
meeting was adjourned at 12:30 p.m.
Acknowledgement:
This summary was written by Jessica McCarroll.
