Call Medical Information Transparency Rule a Victory for Consumers, American Families; Applaud Agency for Responding to Longstanding BRT Call for Action
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Business Roundtable (BRT) today praised the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at the Department of Health and Human Services for issuing a final rule on the release of Medicare data that, for the first time, will give health care consumers access to Medicare Part B claims data, including data on individual physicians – a move that BRT CEOs have advocated for many years.
“Today’s decision to release Medicare claims data is a huge victory for American workers and their families,” said BRT President John Engler. “For the first time, American consumers will be empowered with accurate information on the performance of health care providers – exactly the type of information they need to make informed health care choices.”
BRT CEOs have long-made the issue a priority, arguing that consumers and other health care purchasers need accurate, reliable information to make informed choices. Information, choice and competition will improve health care quality and restrain cost growth. Today’s CMS rule on Medicare claims data will help create a more efficient U.S. market for health care services. Under the new rule, Medicare claims data will be made available to “qualified entities” – such as quality ranking organizations – that have experience in analyzing health claims data. Consumers and health care purchasers will be able to receive analyses of cost, quality and effectiveness performance measures from these organizations for a variety of health care providers across the country, including – for the first time – individual physicians.
“Information is power,” concluded Engler, “and this rule on claims data transparency will empower consumers and health care purchasers and drive the health care marketplace toward better quality at lower cost.”
Click here to view BRT’s principles for health care reform, including the dissemination of consumer information on the cost, quality and effectiveness of health care from different providers.
Business Roundtable (BRT) is an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies with over $6 trillion in annual revenues and more than 14 million employees. BRT member companies comprise nearly a third of the total value of the U.S. stock market and invest more than $150 billion annually in research and development – nearly half of all private U.S. R&D spending. Our companies pay $163 billion in dividends to shareholders.
BRT companies give nearly $9 billion a year in combined charitable contributions.
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CONTACT:
Business Roundtable
Joe Crea, 202-496-3288
KEYWORDS: United States North America District of Columbia
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Health Public Policy/Government Healthcare Reform Congressional News/Views Public Policy White House/Federal Government General Health
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