CMS is withholding long-awaited Medicare Advantage data, according to a report from ProPublica.
The data, which has been collected since 2012, was slated to be released to researchers at the annual meeting of AcademyHealth, a nonprofit research organization. However, CMS cancelled its session at meeting in which it was to present the data, according to ProPublica.
The agency said in a statement its data was not accurate enough to release and it will determine if there is enough data from 2015 to release it on its own, according to the report. Researchers are challenging the decision to withhold the data, which has been used to calculate payments to private payers since last year, according to the report. Researchers want the data to validate hypotheses about innovations in MA and hold payers accountable for the amounts they bill Medicare.
Read the full story here.
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