About half the states have or are working on databases that encompass the bulk of claims for health services, both for hospital inpatient, ambulatory care, and pharmacy.
It’s about time. Why’s that? Because it broadens policymaker’s perspective on what is actually happening in healthcare systems. For decades, most states have had databases that encompass all hospitalizations, but no other type of care. They also have Medicaid claims databases, but those obviously exclude care for anyone other than a Medicaid client, i.e., the majority of the population. So at best, state policymakers have had an incomplete picture of what’s happening in healthcare in their states. At worst, their view is distorted, biased toward hospital care. This has been especially important as the use of and spending on pharmaceuticals has surpassed hospital care.
Of course we have to have an acronym. It’s APCD for “All Payer Claims Database).
It’s interesting that the three northern New England states, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont are the leaders of this effort. These are the same states where John Wennberg, MD did his pioneering work on variation in the use of medical services.
Of course, there are lots of challenges and lots of questions, but this is progress.
(Cross posted at PublicSignals.)
You must log in to post a comment.