CMS Asks For Physician Feedback On Release Of Reimbursement Data

By Greg Bengel, contributing writer

CMS is inviting physicians to respond to their proposal to make physician payment data accessible to the public to try to balance price transparency with privacy interests

In May 2013, a federal district court ruling struck down a rule that prohibited CMS from publicly releasing reimbursement data for physicians.  Following that ruling, CMS released a proposal to make individual physician payment data accessible to the public. According to a story on cancernetwork.com, CMS is now inviting physicians to share their input on the proposal. Physicians are able to share their input, via email, until September 5, 2013.

As the situation stands now, outside parties have to file a Freedom of Information Act in order to request access to the physician payment database. CMS, however, is trying to figure out how to make the data more accessible to the public. The cancernetwork.com article says that the American Medical Association never supported lifting the rule that prohibits the release of the data. According the AMA, doing so violated rights physicians hold under the Privacy Act.

This is just one more of many steps taken by CMS to make healthcare data more transparent. On May 8 of this year, CMS released 163,072 lines of data from more than 30,000 medical centers across the country comparing charges for the 100 most common inpatient services and 30 common outpatient services. The data was released in an effort to make the healthcare system more accountable, and contributed to the push for price transparency. 

A recent CMS blog post makes clear that the proposal to publicly release reimbursement data is all about transparency. The post reads, “CMS recognizes the potential for transforming the health care system that our data provides. By making our charge information public, we can help promote initiatives that can reduce costs and improve quality. This is only the latest step CMS is taking to increase transparency, but it won’t be the last.”

As reported by cancernetwork.com, CMS is asking physicians to comment on the following questions:

• “Do physicians have a privacy interest in information concerning payments they receive from Medicare? If so, how should we weigh the balance between that privacy interest and the public interest in disclosure of Medicare payment information?
• What specific policies should CMS consider with respect to disclosure of individual physician payment data that will further the goals of improving the quality and value of care, enhancing access and availability of CMS data, increasing transparency in government, and reducing fraud, waste, and abuse within CMS programs?
• If CMS chooses to release physician payment information, what form should it take? (For example, should it include line item claim details?)”