Appeals court rejects disclosure of Medicare data

February 3, 2009

A consumer group seeking Medicare billing records to peek over the shoulders of doctors and grade them on quality said Monday it’s not giving up despite a reversal from a federal appeals court.

The case is being closely watched as an important battle in the effort to reshape the nation’s health care system. Consumer advocates, employers and insurers argue that access to Medicare claims filed by doctors’ offices could help independent groups monitor quality and ferret out waste. Patients would not be identified.

But doctors are worried that such disclosures would violate their privacy, and that resulting ratings could portray some physician’s offices inaccurately.

Read Article: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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