NCHS has developed a record
linkage program designed to maximize the scientific value of the Center's
population-based surveys. Linked data files enable researchers to examine
the factors that influence disability, chronic disease, health care
utilization, morbidity, and mortality. NCHS is currently linking various
NCHS surveys with death certificate records from the National Death Index (NDI),
Medicare enrollment and claims data from the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS), and Retirement, Survivor, and Disability
Insurance (RSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit data from
the Social Security Administration (SSA).