The ability to collect and analyze relevant data is essential to assessing progress, refining strategies and justifying resource needs to achieve population health goals.

*Milestone details:

*Full name: Review, identify, and develop systems to collect and analyze data that can be used to monitor progress, costs, and barriers to achieving population health targets.

*Relevance to the ACA:

While the ACA does not require improved data and analysis systems, state policy makers and other stakeholders are likely to want to know the impact of reform on health outcomes in the state. Having data on population health also can position the state to compete successfully for federal grant opportunities.

The ACA does require improved data collection on specific characteristics - race, ethnicity, sex, primary language, and disability status - for all federally funded health care programs.

§4302 – requires all federally supported health care programs, activities and surveys to collect and report using these new federal standards no later than March, 2012.