Quality Data, Quality Healthcare Act of 2015
The source supplies the latest action, but no lifecycle stage.
Latest action (9 Mar 2015): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
What this bill does
The Quality Data, Quality Healthcare Act of 2015, introduced in the Senate, would amend Medicare provisions in the Social Security Act. It aims to increase access to Medicare data for qualified entities to evaluate service providers and suppliers. This would allow these entities to conduct more detailed analyses of Medicare data and share or sell this data to specific healthcare-related organizations.
These organizations could include healthcare providers, insurance issuers, employers, and research groups. The bill specifies that such data sharing would be conditional on data use agreements that prohibit re-selling and require adherence to privacy and security policies. It also establishes civil money penalties for unauthorized data use.
Additionally, the bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide Medicare claims data to qualified clinical data registries. These registries would use the data to link it with clinical outcomes for research aimed at improving quality of care. However, registries would be prohibited from publicly reporting data that identifies individual providers or suppliers without their prior consent. The bill was introduced in 2015 and has not progressed further.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
Quality Data, Quality Healthcare Act of 2015
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the use of certain data by qualified public or private entities to evaluate the performance of service providers and suppliers under Medicare insurance programs.
Authorizes a qualified entity to: (1) use Medicare data, and information derived from service provider and supplier performance evaluations, for additional non-public analyses; or (2) provide or sell such data and analyses to specified health care-related entities for non-public use (including for purposes of assisting service providers and suppliers to develop and participate in quality and patient care improvement activities, particularly development of new models of care).
Conditions such authorization upon a data use agreement between a qualified entity and a specified health care-related entity under which the latter: (1) may not re-sell such data or analyses, and (2) shall comply with the qualified entity's privacy and security policies in using such data or analyses.
Prescribes a civil money penalty for unauthorized use of data and analyses.
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide Medicare claims data to qualified clinical data registries for purposes of linking it with clinical outcomes data and performing and disseminating risk-adjusted, scientifically valid research to support quality improvement.
Prohibits a qualified clinical data registry from reporting publicly any claims data thus made available that individually identifies a service provider or supplier without prior consent.
Timeline
9 Mar 2015
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Common questions
- What does S. 679 do?
- The Quality Data, Quality Healthcare Act of 2015, introduced in the Senate, would amend Medicare provisions in the Social Security Act. It aims to increase access to Medicare data for qualified entities to evaluate service providers and suppliers. This would allow these entities to conduct more detailed analyses of Medicare data and share or sell this data to specific healthcare-related organizations. These organizations could include healthcare providers, insurance issuers, employers, and research groups. The bill specifies that such data sharing would be conditional on data use agreements that prohibit re-selling and require adherence to privacy and security policies. It also establishes civil money penalties for unauthorized data use. Additionally, the bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide Medicare claims data to qualified clinical data registries. These registries would use the data to link it with clinical outcomes for research aimed at improving quality of care. However, registries would be prohibited from publicly reporting data that identifies individual providers or suppliers without their prior consent. The bill was introduced in 2015 and has not progressed further.
- Has S. 679 become law?
- The source does not supply a confirmed lifecycle stage for S. 679. Check the latest action and official source below.
- Who sponsored S. 679?
- S. 679 was sponsored by Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (D-WI), with 2 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on S. 679?
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (9 Mar 2015).
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