CMS administrator Verma calls on insurers, providers to give patients their data

For the millions covered by Medicare, accessing their healthcare data ought to be simple – after all, the data belongs to them, according to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Seema Verma. Earlier this year, CMS launched the latest version of the Blue Button initiative, a program designed to allow Medicare beneficiaries to collect their claims data and transfer it to secure applications, providers, services and researchers. Verma called on private insurers to give the same opportunity to their patients, saying that the agency is going to reexamine their relationships with private payers. She also floated another idea: should providers participating in the Medicare program be required to give patients their data? “We’re doing it. We’re giving our patients our data. The expectation will be that other people are giving the data,” Verma told MassDevice.com recently at the World Medical Innovation Forum conference in Boston. “So we’re making it very clear to the industry that if you’re going to be in the Medicare program, these are the requirements. The patients’ needs are the most important.” In recent weeks, the agency has signaled an interest in tackling drug prices and helping ensure that patients can access their own data – issues that are top-of-mind for Verma. But the problem that keeps her awake at night? How much money the U.S. spends on healthcare. “We’re still on targe...
Source: Mass Device - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Healthcare Reform Hospital Care Wall Street Beat Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Source Type: news