Modern Healthcare: Doctor-Specific Medicare Claims Data Could Be Released

Modern Healthcare writes: For decades, the CMS has kept secret its records on Medicare claims payments to individual physicians. But Justice Department statements in a recent lawsuit and the first-ever releases of other provider charge data this year suggest the federal government’s position on keeping doctor-specific information secret may be changing. Proponents of releasing the data say it could help identify patterns of waste and fraud and help patients and insurance companies find doctors who deliver the most efficient and highest quality care. But medical groups have successfully fought to keep the payment information secret (Carlson, 6/24).