Healthy Start awardees regularly collect and share data with DHSPS on their project activities and anyone who participates. On this page you will find information about required reporting.
Midway through each budget year, Healthy Start projects are required to submit a Progress Report to DHSPS describing their progress toward achieving their annual work plan goals for the 10 Healthy Start Benchmarks. At the conclusion of each budget year, awardees must submit a Performance Report to HRSA/MCHB’s Discretionary Grant Information System (DGIS) with final calendar year outcomes for the Healthy Start Benchmarks and Performance Measures. Each report is made available in the HRSA Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) prior to its due date.
DHSPS developed the HS Benchmarks Data Dictionary to crosswalk the 10 Healthy Start Benchmarks and DGIS Performance Measures to the Healthy Start Data Collection Forms. The data dictionary provides detailed definitions for each Benchmark and Performance Measure, describes the numerator and denominator calculations for each measure, and identifies the HS Data Collection Form questions/elements used to calculate each measure. The updated Healthy Start Benchmarks Data Dictionary linked below provides guidance for the FY24-FY29 Healthy Start grant (HRSA-24-033) and Healthy Start Enhanced grant (HRSA-23-130) benchmarks and performance measures (dated August 2024). Please note that the updated version includes two new data elements (Birth Year and Death Year) for the birth outcomes measures (HS 19, HS 20, HS 21) that we are currently working to incorporate into the Healthy Start Data Collection Forms. Grant recipients will be notified when OMB approval is received.
Access the Updated Healthy Start Benchmarks Data Dictionary Here
Beginning July 1, 2024, Healthy Start projects will submit participant-level data to DHSPS each quarter as required by their grant awards. Participant-level information is collected using the Healthy Start Data Collection Forms and must be submitted through the Healthy Start Monitoring and Evaluation Data System (HSMED). The HSMED is accessed in HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) through quarterly reports that become available on the first of each submission month. The HSMED Fact Sheet provides a brief overview of the system, and answers to common grantee questions, including reporting dates and expectations. The HSMED User Manual includes in-depth instructions on accessing the new system, uploading data, submitting finalized reports for Project Officer approval, and requesting technical assistance.
To submit HSMED reports, each project must create and upload Extensible Markup Language (XML) or Comma Separated Values (CSV) files containing participant-level data collected during the three months prior to each submission month (for example, reports created on October 1, 2024 must include data collected in July, August, and September 2024). The structure, sequence, and format of the data elements in the participant-level data files must conform to the definitions and business rules specified in the XML/CSV reference materials below. When a file is uploaded to the HSMED, the system will first perform a schema validation step to confirm the file meets the required definitions. If a file does not pass the schema validation, please refer to the reference materials to ensure all parameters are met. Files that do not pass schema validation will not be saved to the HSMED.
Note: The HSMED will accept both XML and CSV data files. No CSV-to-XML conversion is required to submit participant-level data.
After an uploaded file passes the schema validation step, it will undergo a second data validation step to check the accuracy and quality of the data before saving it to the HSMED. The below Implementation Guides describe the values for each data element and the associated data validations. General instructions for generating compliant files are included in the Demographic Form Implementation Guide. If a file does not pass the data validation step, a validation report will be generated in the HSMED indicating the elements that require corrections. If a file does not pass the data validation with a status of “Completed” or “Completed with Alerts”, it will not be saved to the HSMED.
Resources:
Implementation Guides:
- Instructions and Demographic Form Implementation Guide
- Background Form Implementation Guide
- Prenatal Form Implementation Guide
- Parent/Child Form Implementation Guide
HSMED Training For Healthy Start Grantees
The Division of Healthy Start and Perinatal Services (DHSPS) hosted a live webinar training outlining the Healthy Start Monitoring and Evaluation Data System. You can view a recording of the training below.
Please direct any questions to HealthyStartData@hrsa.gov.
HSMED Validation Tool Training For Healthy Start Grantees
DHSPS has provided a recorded training along with slides for use of the HSMED Validation Tool. You can view the training below and you can view the slides here.