they need and the technology they use to produce and disseminate information changed during the past 25 years?

3. How are the data user and data provider communities, and their information needs, likely to change in the next 25 years?

4. What specific modifications must be made in the current health statistics system to adequately deal with these changes?

The overall goal of the workshop was to identify and briefly discuss as many pertinent and relative issues facing a new health statistics system as possible. Although this report is intended to thoroughly summarize the issues raised by participants during the presentations and discussions at the workshop, it is not intended to serve as a comprehensive reference on all of the issues involved in health statistics. The workshop agenda was designed to allow issues to be raised through formal presentations as well as in general discussion, during which all workshop participants could ask questions or raise issues of particular importance to them. However, due to time limitations and the flow of the discussion, it is important to note that some issues are covered in more detail than others, and some other issues in this area may not have been discussed at all. In particular, it is acknowledged that the discussions provide somewhat uneven coverage in identifying the focal issues and major developments in the health arenas of interest to DHHS. Although many are mentioned, only a few are fully articulated or explained. Also not discussed in detail are all of the potential ways in which the current data system must evolve to meet future information needs, particularly with respect to issues of overlap, integration, data sharing, and privacy and confidentiality issues. There is also little discussion of feasible alternatives and approaches to these issues. Furthermore, the report does not fully address how the current system evolved into a set of independent and inefficient “silos” spanning a very large number of federal agencies, and the bureaucratic and turf issues and constraints that make it very difficult to overcome problems. Despite the limited discussion or omission of these and other issues, it is hoped that this summary does offer the reader the true spirit of the discussions and debates among the participants at the workshop and that the ideas and issues raised in the discussions will be taken into consideration as plans for developing a new health statistics system unfold.

No attempt was made to establish a consensus among participants at the workshop, and the ideas presented do not necessarily represent those of any group, including CNSTAT and the National Academies.