CMS establishes new data office

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has formed a new Office of Enterprise Data and Analytics (OEDA).

Niall Brennan, previously acting director of the CMS Offices of Enterprise Management, will lead OEDA and serve as the first CMS chief data officer.

The new office is charged with overseeing improvements in data collection and dissemination as CMS seeks to become more transparent, according to a release.

OEDA will help CMS better harness its vast data resources to guide decision-making and develop frameworks promoting appropriate external access to and use of data to drive higher quality, patient-centered care at a lower cost, according to the announcement.

Aside from its data collection responsibilities, CMS generates data administering the Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP programs and has new responsibilities, including stewardship of the EHR incentive programs, more expansive quality measurement programs and the establishment of the health insurance marketplaces, which also expand its data collection activities.

The agency anticipates a growing need to analyze data and provide greater access to these data.

“It’s clear how much data transparency will help the country improve outcomes, control costs and aid consumer decision making,” said CMS Principal Deputy Administrator Andy Slavitt. “This appointment signals to the industry that there is no turning back from the healthcare data agenda. Niall Brennan will help make sure CMS leads the way.”

CMS is now routinely analyzing claims data in real time and applying predictive analytics to proactively identify fraud and abuse and track key metrics such as hospital readmissions. Accountable care organizations and state Medicaid agencies receive monthly near real-time feeds of Medicare data to support care coordination. CMS also launched the Virtual Research Data Center to facilitate lower cost access to CMS data for researchers and federal grantees. CMS has released numerous public use datasets, including those on hospital charges and physician utilization in 2013 and 2014.

"Our commitment to transparency is matched by our commitment to keeping personal information safeguarded. We can't expect to advance health outcomes unless we also ensure that our policies and practices around data privacy are leading the way,” said Slavitt. “We look forward to building on the success of recent releases, providing a clearer picture of the healthcare delivery system.”