The Vital Statistics Rapid Release Program Responds.

The authors respond to an editorial on the provisional drug overdose data released by the National Vital Statistics System, which highlights the use and timeliness of the information for monitoring trends in drug overdose mortality in the U.S. They discuss issues related to provisional drug overdose mortality described in the editorial that are said to be critical for data users to understand. They also provide additional clarification on how the data are produced and updated.