NAPHSIS definition

NAPHSIS—The National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems—plays an important part in the United States vital records system.

NAPHSIS is the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems. It is a nonprofit organization that represents the U.S. vital records and public health statistics offices.

NAPHSIS was formed in 1933 and the organization is located in Silver Spring, Maryland.

What does NAPHSIS do?

NAPHSIS has a number of roles in maintaining and improving the United States vital records and statistics system.

Educates policymakers

NAPHSIS educates policymakers on the importance of vital records management. It does this by providing the following:

• Technical assistance and training
• Educational programs
• Access to resources

Protects identity

Vital records, such as birth certificates, are official government documents that are often needed for legal and administrative reasons—such as applying for a driving license or passport.

NAPHSIS helps to ensure that these documents are issued through a safe and secure process. This helps to prevent identity theft and other forms of fraud.

Promotes public health

Birth and death certificates contain important information that can be used to evaluate public health. This data is then used to tackle prominent health issues in the country, through policies such as improving public health services and education.

NAPHSIS Systems

NAPHSIS uses a number of different systems which help the association with its role. These systems work together to help manage and develop the United States vital records and statistics databases.

What Is EVVE?

EVVE stands for Electronic Verification of Vital Events. This system verifies an individual’s identity by matching it against U.S. vital records databases.

EVVE immediately confirms a document’s legitimacy, providing the data to most U.S. federal and state agencies, and some private agencies.

What Is the STEVE System?

STEVE is the State and Territorial Exchange of Vital Events system. NAPHSIS developed the STEVE system to allow vital records jurisdictions to share data.

Vital events, such as births and deaths, often occur outside a person’s home state. It is important that the data of these events is shared between states, to allow the U.S. federal government to provide accurate statistics for the entire nation.

Also, there is the Vital Statistics Improvement (VSI) project, a cooperative agreement between NAPHSIS and the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).