ABSTRACT
Data linkage based on birth certificate data is commonly used for interprogram collaborations among various public health programs at the state level. In this chapter, the authors review major birth record linkage application areas, and then present Nebraska's experience of building a birth index file. They review major birth record linkage projects. In the United States, there has been a number of intergenerational data linkage projects based on birth certificate data. Linking birth records with Medicaid claims and other social services has been ongoing since at least 1970 for program eligibility and other mandatory requirements. Birth certificate data have been linked to many other data. The Nebraska mother index (NMI) file can be used to investigate birth outcomes for mothers with multiple births. With the availability of the mother index or NMI, it would be a simple query to select mothers of multiple births and short birth intervals.
