CMS Opens Medicare Transparency Proposal for Comment

To prevent mistakes, the proposed rule requires that any reports generated from the Medicare data be shared confidentially with providers and suppliers before being released to the public. Publicly released reports would contain aggregated information only, meaning that no individual patient/beneficiary data would be shared or be available to the public.

“Making more Medicare data available can make it easier for employers and consumers to make smart decisions about their healthcare,” CMS administrator Donald M. Berwick, MD, said in a statement. “Performance reports that include Medicare data will result in higher quality and more cost effective care.”

The proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register on June 8, and the CMS will accept public comments for 60 days. Until June 8 the proposed rule is available here.