FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19, 2016
Contact: CMS Media Relations
(202) 690-6145 | CMS
Media Inquiries
CMS
releases Medicare Advantage quality data for racial and ethnic minorities
Data
is first of annual releases on disparities in Medicare Advantage plans
Today,
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of Minority
Health released data detailing the quality of care received by people with
Medicare Advantage by racial or ethnic group.
“This is
the first time that CMS has released Medicare Advantage data stratified by race
and ethnicity. Increasing understanding and awareness of disparities and their
causes is the first step of our path to equity,” said Dr. Cara James, director
of the CMS Office of Minority Health. “While these data do not tell us why
differences exist, they show where we have problems and can help spur efforts
to understand what can be done to reduce or eliminate these differences.”
The data
are based on an analysis of two sources of information. The first is part of
the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS). HEDIS collects
information from medical records and administrative data on how well the needs
of Medicare beneficiaries are met for a variety of medical issues, including
diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic lung disease. The second part is
the Medicare Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®)
Survey, which is conducted annually by CMS. CAHPS focuses on the health care experiences of Medicare
beneficiaries across the nation.
The
database presents HEDIS and CAHPS scores for different racial and ethnic groups
at the level of individual Medicare contracts and is intended to be used to
improve quality and accountability. The information provided by this database
is not used to evaluate care through the star ratings program Medicare
Advantage and Part D Star Ratings program nor is not it used for payment
purposes.
“These
data are a good first step in understanding disparities in Medicare Advantage,”
said Sean Cavanaugh, CMS deputy administrator and director of the Center for
Medicare. “We look forward to working with plans in closing the differences in
the quality of care that people with Medicare Advantage receive.”
A report
summarizing the data accompanied the release. Analysis of the quality of care
delivered to beneficiaries showed that Asians and Pacific Islanders typically
received care that is similar to or better than the care received by Whites,
whereas African Americans and Hispanics typically received care that is similar
to or worse than the care received by Whites. African Americans and Hispanics
also reported their health care experiences as being similar to or worse than
the experiences reported by Whites. This data help to highlight the racial and
ethnic disparities that occur within healthcare.
The data
and summary report can be viewed at: https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/OMH/Downloads/National-Level-Results.pdf
Other Helpful websites:
CMS Press Release here: https://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-releases/2016-Press-releases-items/2016-04-19.html
FAQs- https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/OMH/Downloads/Stratified-FAQ-Final-415.pdf
Disparities Guide -https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/OMH/Downloads/Health-Disparities-Guide.pdf
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