Maribeth Shannon, director of CHCF’s Market and Policy Monitor program, provided expert introductory testimony before the California Assembly Committee on Health February 17, 2009, as part of an informational hearing on transparent reporting of quality data and outcomes.
The testimony, "What Is Transparency in Health Care and Why Does It Matter?" outlined elements of successful transparency efforts and identified future challenges and opportunities.
Shannon cited the need for transparency efforts to have input and buy-in from three distinct audiences — in particular, providers, health plans and purchasers, and health care consumers.
Citing some elements of successful quality transparency efforts, Shannon highlighted the need for:
- Measures and formulas to be based on evidence, and clearly understood and accepted by those being measured;
- Efforts to be focused on services with the greatest variation in performance; and
- Information to be displayed in an approachable way and be available at the time a patient is being asked to make choices.
Shannon also identified some unique issues related to price transparency, and addressed where transparency efforts should go from here. A particular concern she addressed was encouraging the greater availability of reliable information for those facing serious and sudden illnesses. There is currently very little information available at the individual doctor level, she noted, and the vast majority of those with newly diagnosed conditions still rely exclusively on physician referral.
The full testimony is available under Document Downloads.