HHS to widen access to Medicare data

The Wall Street Journal reports that, in a change of policy, the Department of Health and Human Services will make claims information available to help consumers make decisions about medical care.

The Wall Street Journal: Access To Widen On Medicare Data
In an abrupt policy change, the Department of Health and Human Services will make its huge Medicare claims database more broadly available to the public, to help consumers and employers make better-informed decisions about medical care (Carreyrou, 12/8).

Also in the news, a new paper finds that the issue of readmissions goes beyond the Medicare program.

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: Readmissions Not Just A Medicare Problem, Study Finds
Medicare has identified preventable hospital readmissions as a measure of the fragmentation of health care for the elderly, driving up health care costs. A new paper finds younger patients also fail to get needed follow-up care after a hospital stay (Rau, 12/8).

Politico Pro: Study: Patients Not Finding Care Post Hospital
After a hospital stay, follow-up care with a physician prevents patients from returning -; but a new study says one-third of adult hospital patients aren't finding it. One in three patients older than the age of 21 does not visit a physician within 30 days of discharge from a hospital, according to a study by the Center for Studying Health System Change. The study, conducted for the National Institute for Health Care Reform, found that about one in 12 adults was readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge and one in three was readmitted within a year (Smith, 12/8).