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Center for Health Information and Analysis

SECTION 10.   Chapter 12C of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out sections 2 to 5, inclusive, and inserting in place thereof the following 4 sections:
Section 2. There is hereby established a center for health information and analysis. The center shall be under the administrative supervision of the executive director. The secretary of health and human services, with the approval of the governor, shall appoint the executive director who shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary and may be removed by the secretary at any time, subject to the approval of the governor. The executive director shall have such educational qualifications and administrative and other experience as the secretary of health and human services determines to be necessary for the performance of the duties of executive director.
Section 3. The executive director may appoint and remove, subject to appropriation, such agents and subordinate officers and employees as the executive director may consider necessary and may establish such subdivisions within the center as the executive director considers appropriate to fulfill the following duties: (i) to collect, analyze and disseminate health care information to assist in the formulation of health care policy and in the provision and purchase of health care services including, but not limited to, collecting, storing and maintaining data in a payer and provider claims database; (ii) to provide an analysis of health care spending trends as compared to the health care cost growth benchmark established by the health policy commission under section 9 of chapter 6D; (iii) to collect, analyze and disseminate information regarding providers, provider organizations and payers to increase the transparency and improve the functioning of the health care system; (iv) to provide information to, and work with, the general court and other state agencies including, but not limited to, the executive office of health and human services, the department of public health, the department of mental health, the health care policy commission, the office of Medicaid and the division of insurance to collect and disseminate data concerning the cost, price and functioning of the health care system in the commonwealth and the health status of individuals; (v) to participate in and provide data and data analysis for annual hearings conducted by the health policy commission concerning health care provider and payer costs, prices and cost trends; and (vi) report to consumers comparative health care cost and quality information through the consumer health information website established under section 20. The center shall make available actual costs and prices of health care services, as supplied by each provider, to the general public in a conspicuous manner on the consumer health information website.
Section 4. The position of executive director shall be classified under section 45 of chapter 30 and the salary shall be determined under section 46C of said chapter 30.
The total amount of all appointee salaries shall not exceed the sum appropriated therefor by the general court.
Section 5. The center shall adopt and amend rules and regulations, in accordance with chapter 30A, for the administration of its duties and powers and necessary to effectuate this chapter. The regulations shall be adopted, after notice and hearing, only upon consultation with representatives of providers, provider organizations, private health care payers and public health care payers.
The center shall, before adopting regulations under this chapter, consult with other agencies of the commonwealth and the federal government, affected providers, and affected payers, as applicable, to ensure that the reporting requirements imposed under the regulations are not duplicative or excessive. If reporting requirements imposed by the center result in additional costs for the reporting providers, these costs may be included in any rates promulgated by the executive office of health and human services or a governmental unit designated by the executive office for these providers. The center may specify categories of information which may be furnished under an assurance of confidentiality to the provider; provided, however, that such assurance shall only be furnished if the information is not to be used for setting rates.
 
 

Summary:
This section realigns the organization of the center for health information and analysis to make that organization consistent with its re-location within the executive office of health and human services.