Your providers' performance, based on Medicare claims data for Parts A, B and D of program, will be shared with the public under a new proposed rule from CMS. Certain "qualified entities" would process the Medicare data, along with private payer data, to create public reports.
"Making more Medicare data available can make it easier for employers and consumers to make smart decisions about their health care," CMS Administrator Donald Berwick, MD, said in a prepared statement. "Performance reports that include Medicare data will result i higher quality and more cost-effective care. And making our health care system more transparent promotes competition and drives costs down."
This new initiative, which was made possible by the health reform law, would be similar in principle to the Hospital Compare website, CMS says in a June 3 press release.
It's not explicitly stated who the "qualified entities" will be, but HHS will have the power to choose them and will do so based on their ability to "evaluate provider and supplier performance and to generate public reports detailing the results." The silver lining? Your providers will have up to 30 days to review any of their performance information and request corrections.
This new physician comparison/reporting initiative is set to begin in 2012. More in the issue: We'll be providing complete coverage of this proposed rule and what it means to your practice, in a future issue of Part B News.