U.S. Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) this week in a letter to Health and Human Services' (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt called on the agency to make taxpayer-funded information on Medicare data fully available to improve American health care.
A recent U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decision required the government to release Medicare claims data requested by consumers. However, the administration has decided to appeal the decision. Gregg, a member of the Senate, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and co-author of the bipartisan legislation Medicare Quality Enhancement Act (MQEA), expressed his concerns, again stressed the importance and impact this information would have on lowering overall health care costs while significantly improving the quality of care, and urged greater access be given to such data.
"In order for America's health care system to improve, we need to understand the quality of the care we are purchasing," stated Gregg. "While attempts are already being made by the private sector to measure quality, their analysis is not broad enough to provide the most accurate results.
"The legislation that I introduced earlier this year requires the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to share Medicare data with qualified private-sector organizations to improve health care quality and reduce cost while protecting beneficiary privacy. I am disappointed in the Administration's decision to hinder efforts to make this beneficial information more transparent to the public. It is time information paid for by the taxpayer and held by Medicare be fully available if we are going to improve the quality and cost of health care in this country for our consumers, families and employers."
Short Summary on the Medicare Quality Enhancement Act of 2007:
The Medicare Quality Enhancement Act (MQEA) seeks to improve U.S. health care by providing qualified private-sector organizations access to Medicare data for the development and release of reports on the quality, cost, efficiency and effectiveness of our health care system.
The Medicare Quality Enhancement Act:
Provides the Public with Information to Make Informed Health Care Decisions
- Health care quality and efficiency reports can be requested from newly-formed Medicare Quality Reporting Organizations - information that will assist in better-informed purchasing decisions. The bill provides for the public release of all reports.
Improves the Quality of Care in Nation's Health Care Delivery System
- The MQEA requires CMS to share taxpayer funded Medicare data with private sector Medicare Quality Reporting Organizations to develop reports to measure health care quality for the public.
Protects Beneficiary Privacy
- The MQEA mandates the protection of beneficiary privacy throughout the bill under both the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Privacy Act and requires a privacy review by HHS of each analytical report prior to release.
Endorsed by Groups Representing Providers, Consumers, Labor Unions, Employers and Insurers
- The current list of supporters includes AARP, Aetna, American Nurses Association, Business Roundtable, Coalition to Advance Health Care Reform (CAHR), Corporate Health Care Coalition, HR Policy Association, Leapfrog, Mercer Human Resource Consulting, National Partnership for Women and Families, National Retail Federation, Pacific Business Health Group, and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).