People involved in all areas of health care -- including providers, employers, patients and caregivers -- will be able to make better decisions about care for themselves, patients and loved ones according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) officials who have proposed new rules regarding access to information.
The rules deal with access to information and were developed as part of the requirements for the new Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).
With stringent privacy and security requirements in place, qualified entities will be able to share or sell analyses of Medicare and private sector claims data to interested stakeholders, including providers and employers.
According to officials from the Obama administration, the new rules will lead to better health outcomes through enhanced care and more efficient health care spending. To date, 13 organizations have been approved as qualified entities under the rules.
“Increasing access to analyses and data that include Medicare data will make it easier for stakeholders throughout the health care system to make smarter and more informed health care decisions,” Andy Slavitt, CMS acting administrator, said.
The proposed rules can be viewed in its entirety at www.federalregister.gov. Public comment on the new rules will be accepted until March 29 and can be submitted at www.regulations.gov.
