FROM THE FOUNDATION

The Social Life of Health Information

A new Pew Internet/CHCF national survey finds the Internet has joined doctors and family members as one of the top three ways people search for answer to their health care questions.

Evaluating One-e-App

CHCF and The California Endowment funded the development of One-e-App, a Web-based program that enables users to apply for multiple public insurance programs at once. Read a business case assessment by The Lewin Group.

Privacy, Security, and the Stimulus Bill

The recently enacted economic stimulus legislation includes a number of improvements to federal health privacy law. This brief looks at issues of privacy and security in the wake of ARRA.

Consumer Information

Friday, February 16, 2007

CMS To Publicize Physician Performance Data

CMS on Thursday announced plans to make public reports on physician performance by combining Medicare data with information from private insurers, Healthcare IT News reports.

The agency said that the Delmarva Foundation for Medical Care will manage the effort, which will be part of the CMS Better Quality Information to Improve Care for Medicare Beneficiaries Project, through subcontracts with:

  • Indiana Health Information Exchange;
  • Massachusetts Health Quality Partners;
  • Minnesota Community Measurement; and
  • Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality.

CMS soon plans to announce two more subcontractors (Manos, Healthcare IT News, 2/16).

The project is intended to provide performance data to physicians to help them boost the quality of care they deliver to Medicare beneficiaries, as well as offer physician performance data to Medicare beneficiaries to help them select providers, United Press International reports.

CMS will use quality measures adopted by the AQA -- an alliance of health care providers, health plans, senior groups, employers and unions -- to rate physicians (United Press International, 2/15).



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