DEVEL. OF A CD-ROM OF MORTALITY DATA

THERE EXISTS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF INFORMATION IN STATE DEATH CERTIFICATES AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS THAT IS CRUCIAL TO HEALTH RESEARCH AND THAT IS NOW ACCESSED ONLY WITH DIFFICULTY BY EPIDEMIOLOGISTS. TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY FOR DEATHS PRIOR TO 1979-WHEN THE NATIONAL DEATH INDEX WAS CREATED-THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE HAS COLLECTED MORE THAN 25 MILLION MORTALITY RECORDS FROM THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION AND FROM SELECTED STATES OF THE UNITED STATES. I.S. GRUPE, INC., WILL PROCESS THOSE DATA INTO A SUITABLE UNIFORM FORMAT, LOAD THEM ONTO A CD-ROM, AND MAKE THEM AVAILABLE ON A MICROCOMPUTER. A FEW OF THE QUESTIONS THAT THIS SYSTEM WOULD ANSWER ARE: (1) FINDING OUT WHETHER A PERSON WITH A KNOWN SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (SSN) HAS DIED; (2) FINDING THE SSN OF A PERSON FOR WHOM OTHER INFORMATION IS KNOWN (I.E., NAME, BIRTHPLACE, BIRTHDATE, MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME); AND (3) PROVIDING DATA TO FILL OUT A REQUEST FOR A COPY OF THE STATE DEATH CERTIFICATE FOR A PERSON WITH KNOWN NAME AND BIRTHDATE BUT UNKNOWN PLACE OF DEATH. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE PHASE II SYSTEM WILL INVOLVE 4 TO 10CD-ROM DISKS, WILL PROCESS TYPICAL REQUESTS IN A FEW SECONDS, AND WILL PROCESS DIFFICULT ONES IN A COUPLE OF HOURS-AN IMPROVEMENT OVER CURRENT PRACTICES BY MORE THAN AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE IN TIME AND COST.