SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1617        FILED ON: 1/18/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 723

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Bruce E. Tarr

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act empowering patients and entrepreneurs with real transparency on cost.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1617        FILED ON: 1/18/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 723

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

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An Act empowering patients and entrepreneurs with real transparency on cost.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 10 of said chapter 12C, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (e) and inserting in place thereof the following:- (e) The center shall under the procedures established by Medicare release at least annually all hospital data including payment and utilization information for services that may be provided in connection with at least the 100 most common inpatient stays. The center may release claims data on at least the 10 most expensive kinds of inpatient stays on average by payer. The center shall release claims data on the 100 most common outpatient procedures. The center may release claims data on the 10 most expensive kinds of outpatient procedures. The center shall release physician, practitioner, and other supplier utilization and payment data that consists of information on services and procedures provided to patients by physicians and other healthcare professionals. The data shall show at least allowed amounts and submitted charges, for those services and procedures by provider. It should allow for comparisons by physician, specialty, location, types of medical services and procedures delivered, payment and submitted charges. Claims for providers that have provided less than five of a certain procedures or service to patients may be excluded by the center. The center shall release claims data on the 100 most commonly prescribed drugs, and the 10 most expensive rugs on average by payer. The center may release any other related claims data the center already collects as part of the categories listed above.

The center shall not be required to build a consumer tool to sort the date, but at a minimum must make it available to the public on their website on an annual basis in a raw but useable form. The center may also incorporate any of the released data listed above into their consumer health information website as established in section 20 of chapter 12C.