Advocacy
June 13, 2008
Comments on CMS' Proposed Changes to the Inpatient Prospective Payment System Rules
In response to CMS' proposed changes to the IPPS rule, twenty-five consumer, labor, and purchaser organizations have affirmed their support for 9 additional Hospital Acquired Conditions (HACs) to which non-payment policies would apply, as well as an additional 43 quality measures to be implemented by FY 2011. The Consumer-Purchaser Disclosure Project also commented on a number of other data collection issues, as well as issues related to CMS' Medicare Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program. Read comments
March 5, 2008
Comments on CMS' Report to Congress, Plan to Implement a Medicare Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program
In response to CMS' Report Plan to Implement a Medicare Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program that was delivered to Congress towards the end of last year, thirty-one consumer, labor, and purchaser organizations have affirmed their support for hospital pay-for-performance and it being one component of more substantial payment reform. Under the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, CMS was required to submit a report to Congress on developing a plan for hospital value based purchasing. Implementing the plan, however, requires further action from Congress. Read comments
October 29, 2007
NY Attorney General Incorporates Disclosure Project Principles in Agreement on Physician Measurement
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced an agreement his office negotiated with Cigna health plan on its physician tiering program. What could have been a step backwards has turned into a positive advance for the physician transparency movement. This agreement bakes in the standards that were developed by the Consumer-Purchaser Disclosure Project to foster transparency and accountability in health plan's physician performance reporting programs.
While developed for New York, this agreement sets the standards for other health plans across the country and is an important step forward in improving transparency for consumers. On behalf of the Consumer-Purchaser Disclosure Project, Consumers Union spoke at the press conference in support of a transparent process that is based on sound national standards and methodology. Along with Attorney General Cuomo and Cigna, representatives from the AMA and the Medical Society for the State of New York also spoke at the press conference. More information is available in the Disclosure Project's press release.
September 24, 2007
Disclosure Project Facilitates Meeting with New York Attorney General's Office on Tiered Physician Networks
On September 19, 2007, leading consumer, labor and purchaser representatives met with the New York Attorney General's office about our concerns that their recent actions could impede progress that has been made in physician performance transparency. Representatives from the following organizations were at the meeting: Center for Medical Consumers, Consumers Union, National Partnership for Women & Families, AARP, Xerox, SEIU/1199, and UNITE HERE. The Attorney General's office has articulated their concern for protecting consumers from false or misleading information. While we share the Attorney General's interest in protecting consumers from false or misleading information, we strongly support the value of programs that provide consumers with meaningful information about cost and quality. It is critical that we work to improve not shut down such programs. At the meeting, participants shared a draft of Proposed Criteria for Physician Performance Reporting that builds upon previous Disclosure guidelines that was well received.
September 12, 2007
CMS Releases New System of Records on Physician-Level Data
CMS has released a new system of records, Performance Measurement and Reporting System, under which data about individually identifiable physicians will be available for measurement at the individual physician level. The Disclosure Project and Pacific Business Group on Health submitted letters strongly supporting this new avenue, which take effect mid-October, for getting consumers information on the quality of their physicians while still maintaining patient privacy protections. View the Federal Register listing.
September 12, 2007
Consumers CHECKBOOK Sues HHS for Release of Medicare Physicians Claims Data
Consumers' CHECKBOOK/Center for the Study of Services won a lawsuit under the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that will require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to release data on individual physicians' claims paid by Medicare in five states. The Disclosure Project sent a letter urging DHHS to not appeal. However, there is an almost 30-year old Florida court ruling that contradicts the current one so DHHS has appealed to a higher court for clarification.
August 31, 2007
Comments on Medicare's 2008 Physician Payment Policies
Thirty-one consumer, labor, and purchaser organizations affirmed Medicare's Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) as one part of wide-ranging efforts needed to reform how providers are paid and held accountable and provides comments on strengthening the program.
June 12, 2007
Comments on Medicare's 2008 Hospital Reporting and Payment Policies
Twenty-four consumer, labor, and purchaser organizations support Medicare's efforts to ensure that hospitals are financially penalized for providing poor quality care and urge CMS to rapidly incorporate additional performance measures for public reporting.
April 19, 2007
Consumer, Labor and Purchaser Comment on Medicare's Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Plan
Current Medicare payment policies reward the delivery of quantity, not quality, of care. Value-based purchasing, which links payment more directly to performance, is a key strategy that CMS is adopting in order to evolve from being a passive payer to an active purchaser of care. More than 20 consumer, labor and purchaser organizations provided extensive feedback on Medicare's Hospital VBP Program.
January 24, 2007
Plan to Implement Medicare Hospital Value-Based Purchasing
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
October 10, 2006
Hospital Inpatient and Outpatient Payment Changes
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
August 21, 2006
Comments on Medicare Physician Payment
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
June 22, 2006
Consumers, Labor, and Purchasers Affirm June 12 Comments to Secretary Leavitt
November 1, 2005
CMS Physician Voluntary Reporting System
The Disclosure Project applauds the launch of CMS' Physician Voluntary Reporting Program and encourages physicians to report on the 36 measures of clinical quality.
Disclosure Project press release
Factsheet
CMS Release
January 18, 2005
Development and Adoption of a National Health Information Network
Office of the National Coordinator Health Information Technology
January 17, 2005
HCAHPS - Hospital Patient Experience Survey
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
