A few posts ago (see December 11, 2011), we looked at Transparency, the "big sister" of health care reform. Transparency raised her head again the other day, accompanied by a twin sister, Sunshine. The twin's full legal name is the Affordable Care Act, initials ACA. Quoting from the December 14, 2011 CMS press release, ACA is all about steps "designed to increase transparency in health care reform, which can lead to better care at lower costs."
The "sunshine" rule will be available as of December 19 here for fuller consideration. My purpose here is not to expound upon it rather to stress the pervasive nature of transparency as a control measure for both cost and quality in health care.
Just yesterday, we saw an announcement out of HHS about dollar coins, reminding us of the Obama Administration’s Campaign to Cut Waste. The ACA "sunshine" rule is a variation on the same theme. When the sun shines on one, it shines on all. Without exception, transparency shines on eye care too. Every eye care provider will be accountable for the cost and quality of the care provided to patients. Payers and legislators may bring the hammer down but patients and consumers will be the jury.
Alistair Jackson, M.Ed.
No comments:
Post a Comment