The committee writes CMS has not provided data on mental and behavioral health to the same extent as other health conditions, but such data would be beneficial for policy makers.
“CMS has done a commendable job increasing the public availability of data relating to many Medicare issues. This data is essential for stakeholders to better understand the program and its population, in order to improve care and outcomes,” reads the letter. “While CMS has a standard list of chronic conditions used for data releases, the information relating to mental health conditions should be more granular to be meaningful.”
The letter also mentions the growing opioid epidemic and how more information on behavioral health information as related to opioid use would be beneficial for analysis.
“We believe that a balance can be achieved between adequate data sharing and the protection of beneficiary privacy,” according to the letter. “We strongly recommend hat the availability of this data be reexamined in order to coordinate care for mental and behavioral health and to improve the delivery of the healthcare that our seniors expect and deserve.”
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