CMS Creates New Office To Oversee Information Products, Data Analysis
On Tuesday, CMS announced that it has established a new office -- called Office of Information Products and Data Analytics -- to oversee the agency's data and information, Modern Healthcare reports.
CMS made the announcement at its Health Datapalooza in Washington, D.C. The event was hosted by HHS, the Institute of Medicine and other members of the Health Data Consortium.
OIPDA will take over management of the agency's data portfolio. CMS currently processes more than 1.3 billion claims annually and collects data on the meaningful use incentive program. OIPDA also will oversee data related to the federal health reform law's health insurance exchanges, which will launch in 2014 (Zigmond, Modern Healthcare, 6/5).
In an HHS release, the agency said the new office "will help guide the agency's evolution from a fee-for-service-based payer to a 'value-based purchaser of care' that links payments to quality and efficiency of care, rather than sheer volume of services."
OIPDA's Responsibilities
OIPDA will oversee CMS' current data operations, including:
- Managing the "Chronic Condition Warehouse";
- Administering and producing Medicare current beneficiary surveys to track changes; and
- Overseeing the Research Data Assistance Center.
As part of the new data initiative, CMS also announced the release of several new data tools. According to a CMS fact sheet, OIPDA will oversee several "new information products," including:
- A set of five billion Medicare claims, which will allow researchers to track geographic variations in care quality, service utilization and spending;
- A "Medicare Enrollment Dashboard," which will provide inclusive enrollment statistics for Medicare Advantage and Medicare parts A, B, and D in a single location online; and
- A "CMS Data Navigator," which will allow lawmakers, the public and researchers to quickly find CMS data online and is expected to reduce Freedom of Information requests (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 6/5).