Tribal Health Data Improvement Act of 2021

To amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to the collection and availability of health data with respect to Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Tribal Health Data Improvement Act of 2021 2. Collection and availability of health data with respect to Indian Tribes (a) Data collection Section 3101(a)(1) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300kk(a)(1) (1) by striking , by not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this title, (2) in subparagraph (B), by inserting Tribal, State, (b) Data reporting and dissemination Section 3101(c) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300kk(c) (1) by amending subparagraph (F) of paragraph (1) to read as follows: (F) the Indian Health Service, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and epidemiology centers; ; and (2) in paragraph (3), by inserting Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, epidemiology centers, Federal agencies, (c) Protection and sharing of data Section 3101(e) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300kk(e) (1) in paragraph (2)— (A) by striking .. . (B) by striking The Secretary shall (A) In general The Secretary shall ; and (C) by adding at the end the following: (B) Epidemiology centers and Indian Tribes With respect to data access for epidemiology centers and Indian Tribes, the Secretary shall establish a data sharing strategy, in consultation with the Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee, for purposes of providing access to data to the epidemiology centers and Indian Tribes that protect data privacy and security and data governance while ensuring that epidemiology centers and Indian Tribes have access to data sources necessary to accomplish their public health responsibilities and plans for use. ; and (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (3) Tribal public health authority Beginning not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the Tribal Health Data Improvement Act of 2021 (A) the Indian Health Service; (B) Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations; and (C) epidemiology centers. . (d) Technical updates Section 3101 of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300kk (1) by striking subsections (g) and (h); and (2) by redesignating subsection (i) as subsection (h). (e) Definitions After executing the amendments made by subsection (d), section 3101 of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300kk (g) Definitions In this section: (1) The term epidemiology center (2) The terms Indian Tribe Tribal organization Indian tribe tribal organization . (f) Technical correction Section 3101(b) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300kk(b) Data analysis.— For each federally Data analysis.— 3. Improving health statistics reporting with respect to Indian Tribes (a) Technical aid to States and localities Section 306(d) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 242k(d) , Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and epidemiology centers jurisdictions (b) Cooperative health statistics system Section 306(e)(3) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 242k(e)(3) , Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and epidemiology centers health agencies (c) Federal-State-Tribal cooperation Section 306(f) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 242k(f) (1) by inserting , the Indian Health Service, Commerce and Labor (2) by inserting , Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and epidemiology centers State and local health departments and agencies (3) by striking he shall the Secretary shall (d) Registration area records Section 306(h)(1) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 242k(h)(1) (1) by striking in his discretion in the discretion of the Secretary (2) by striking Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders American Indians and Alaska Natives, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders (e) National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics Section 306(k) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 242k(k) (1) in paragraph (3), by striking , not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, (2) in paragraph (7), by striking Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, and annually thereafter, the Committee shall The Committee shall, on a biennial basis, (f) Grants for assembly and analysis of data on ethnic and racial populations Section 306(m)(4) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 242k(m)(4) (1) in subparagraph (A)— (A) by striking Subject to subparagraph (B), the The (B) by striking and major Hispanic subpopulation groups and American Indians , major Hispanic subgroups, and American Indians and Alaska Natives (2) by amending subparagraph (B) to read as follows: (B) In carrying out subparagraph (A), with respect to American Indians and Alaska Natives, the Secretary shall— (i) in consultation with Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, the Tribal Technical Advisory Group of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services maintained under section 5006(e) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and the Tribal Advisory Committee established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in coordination with epidemiology centers, develop guidance for State and local health agencies to improve the quality and accuracy of data with respect to the birth and death records of American Indians and Alaska Natives; (ii) confer with urban Indian organizations to develop guidance for State and local health agencies to improve the quality and accuracy of data with respect to the birth and death records of American Indians and Alaska Natives; (iii) enter into cooperative agreements with Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, Urban Indian organizations, and epidemiology centers to analyze and address misclassification and undersampling of American Indians and Alaska Natives in data systems at the Federal, State, and local levels, with respect to— (I) birth and death records; and (II) Federal, State, and local health care and public health surveillance systems, including with respect to chronic and infectious diseases, unintentional injuries, environmental health, child and adolescent health, maternal health and mortality, foodborne and waterborne illness, reproductive health, and any other notifiable disease or condition; (iv) adopt, based on local, statewide, Tribal, and national best practices, uniform standards for the collection of health data on race and ethnicity; (v) encourage States to enter into data sharing agreements with Indian Tribes and epidemiology centers to improve the quality and accuracy of public health data regarding American Indians and Alaska natives, including by addressing misclassification and undersampling of American Indians and Alaska Natives in State and local public health data systems, including with respect to vital statistics, chronic and infectious diseases, unintentional injuries, environmental health, child and adolescent health, maternal health and mortality, foodborne and waterborne illness, reproductive health, and any other notifiable disease or condition; (vi) encourage States to adopt, based on local, statewide, Tribal, and national best practices, uniform standards for the collection of health data on race and ethnicity; and (vii) 180 days after the date of enactment of the Tribal Health Data Improvement Act of 2021 (I) which States have data sharing agreements with Indian Tribes, Tribal Organizations, urban Indian organizations, or epidemiology centers to improve the quality and accuracy of health data, listed by data system name; and (II) actions taken by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to encourage States to enter into data sharing agreements with Indian Tribes, Tribal Organizations, urban Indian organizations, and epidemiology centers to improve the quality and accuracy of health data. . (g) Definitions Section 306 of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 242k (1) by redesignating subsection (n) as subsection (o); and (2) by inserting after subsection (m) the following: (n) In this section: (1) The term epidemiology center (2) The terms Indian Tribe Tribal organization Indian tribe tribal organization (3) The term Urban Indian organization . (h) Authorization of appropriations Section 306(o) of the Public Health Service Act, as redesignated by subsection (g), is amended to read as follows: (o) To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $185,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2021 through 2025. .

Summary: Tribal Health Data Improvement Act of 2021 This bill expands tribal access to public health care data and public health surveillance programs. It also reauthorizes through FY2025 the National Center for Health Statistics, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and requires the CDC to take certain actions to address the collection and availability of health data for American Indians and Alaska Natives. Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services must (1) establish a strategy for providing data access to Indian tribes and tribal epidemiology centers; and (2) make available all requested data related to health care and public health surveillance programs and activities to the Indian Health Service, tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal epidemiology centers. Next, the CDC must make grants to and enter into contracts with tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal epidemiology centers for data collection and related activities. Among other activities, the CDC must (1) develop guidance for state and local health agencies to improve birth and death record data for American Indians and Alaska Natives; (2) enter into cooperative agreements with tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian organizations, and tribal epidemiology centers to analyze and address certain inaccuracies related to records for American Indians and Alaska Natives; (3) adopt uniform standards for the collection of health data on race and ethnicity; and (4) encourage states to enter into data sharing agreements with tribes and tribal epidemiology centers to improve the quality and accuracy of health data.