The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking public input on the idea of CMS creating a national directory of healthcare providers and services, Healthcare Innovation reports.
CMS notes that healthcare directories can serve as an important resource for patients, helping them locate providers who meet their individual needs and preferences and allowing them to compare health plan networks. Directories also have the ability to facilitate care coordination, health information exchange, and public health data reporting.
However, the healthcare directory landscape is fragmented, resulting in patients sometimes struggling to find up-to-date information about providers in their network and providers facing redundant and burdensome reporting requirements to multiple databases. Directories often contain inaccurate information, rarely support interoperable data exchange or public health reporting, and are costly to the healthcare industry. Read more.
