The department shall maintain a central database for the gathering of data from hospitalizations, specialty clinics, births, pregnancies, stillbirths, and pediatric deaths through age two, throughout the State, including border regions. The department shall establish procedures for active birth defect case ascertainment. The data system must be maintained to be accurate, timely, and dynamic, and the department shall institute procedures to make this system effective. The department may expand the age range for data collection as resources become available and if the department determines the additional data collection would benefit the program.
HISTORY: 2004 Act No. 281, Section 1, eff May 11, 2004.