John Lourie-FL

I OPPOSE this plan. This is clearly an attempt from the insurance industry and possibly hospitals (qualified entities) to use this data to deny claims, manipulate contract language between them and providers to their advantage, etc. CMS and the Justice Dept already HAVE access to this data and can use it to do any type of analysis that is necessary! Finding the BEST or highest quality MD does not always equate with the cheapest/ most cost effective MD. If this data is publically available, two things will happen: patients will not be directed to the highest quality care and second, will look at a practice's gross revenue of claims as equal to a physician's take-home salary: most practices have an overhead of expenses that runs between 50% and 80% of gross revenue. This will create a perception that providers are the largest cost to CMS whereas data has shown that providers equate to approx 12-15% of total CMS costs. Hospitals are the largest cost center to CMS by far, and Insurance companies' premiums are the largest cost burden to this country's total health care costs overall. This is where cost savings shoul be sought!! A larger and larger wedge is being driven between providers and CMS. Remember, we can't have health CARE without physicians willing to participate in CMS: this will give a HUGE reason to stop seeing medicare patients! Consider the ramifications of folding to the pressure of lobbyists!