State developing interactive app that will let patients, providers, and policymakers work directly with Medicaid stats. Imagine the possibilities: online maps and other tools that allow patients and policymakers to visualize how much Medicaid spends on specific medical procedures — and how these costs vary between counties, towns, or election districts. Then envision layering on data related to disease outbreak, income and education, healthcare availability, even race. While these capabilities don’t exist — yet — in New Jersey, a number of states, including South Carolina and Oklahoma, have effectively harnessed data from their Medicaid programs in unique and beneficial ways, according to a national survey from the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute. These systems can help government officials better protect public health and allocate resources, and can also be helpful to providers, patients and advocates, the group notes.
“The lack of available data inhibits state policymakers and researchers from seeing the impact of the policy changes on the cost and use of Medicaid services. It also impedes providers from participating in value-based purchasing strategies [through which insurance companies pay for outcomes, not per treatment] and inhibits the work of consumer advocates,” the report states.
Data dashboard under wrapsBut change is pending in the Garden State. The Department of Human Services, which oversees Medicaid, has been looking at systems in more than a dozen other states as it crafts a public-facing online data dashboard that would provide more information on Medicaid use, spending, and other elements of the program. The project, funded in part by a federal grant, is still under development, but the DHS expects to roll it out in the coming months.
“We believe data is essential to driving good health outcomes and look forward to working with stakeholders on bringing Medicaid data to bear on our policy and programmatic decision making,” DHS acting commissioner Carole Johnson told NJ Spotlight Wednesday.
Improving data collection, in part to reduce worrisome healthcare disparities, is also a priority for Dr. Shereef Elnahal, the acting health commissioner, who highlighted the concern during a panel discussion last week.
Senate health committee chairman Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) has also introduced a bill that would force the state to post more detailed data on its website; the measure was scheduled for a hearing earlier this month, but was held at the last minute to give the DHS time to develop its own program.
Data dashboard under wrapsBut change is pending in the Garden State. The Department of Human Services, which oversees Medicaid, has been looking at systems in more than a dozen other states as it crafts a public-facing online data dashboard that would provide more information on Medicaid use, spending, and other elements of the program. The project, funded in part by a federal grant, is still under development, but the DHS expects to roll it out in the coming months.
“We believe data is essential to driving good health outcomes and look forward to working with stakeholders on bringing Medicaid data to bear on our policy and programmatic decision making,” DHS acting commissioner Carole Johnson told NJ Spotlight Wednesday.
Improving data collection, in part to reduce worrisome healthcare disparities, is also a priority for Dr. Shereef Elnahal, the acting health commissioner, who highlighted the concern during a panel discussion last week.
Senate health committee chairman Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) has also introduced a bill that would force the state to post more detailed data on its website; the measure was scheduled for a hearing earlier this month, but was held at the last minute to give the DHS time to develop its own program.
