Wednesday, September 6, 2006
Contact: Spence Jackson, 573-751-0290
Blunt Supports President Bush’s Health Care Transparency Initiative
JEFFERSON CITY–Gov. Matt Blunt today announced his support for President Bush’s executive order encouraging greater transparency in pricing and quality, the adoption of health information technology standards and providing options that promote equality and efficiency in the delivery of health care.
“Providing accurate information to health care consumers empowers them to make the best decisions about medical care for themselves and their loved ones,” Blunt said. “As we tackle the rising costs of health care and the transformation of the state’s health care program it is important to develop a delivery system that gives Missourians the tools they need to be efficient consumers of health care. It is every Missourians’ right to have full access to information about the quality and cost of their health care choices.”
Under Gov. Blunt’s direction the state of Missouri is already moving toward providing information to health care consumers.
In the Department of Social Services (DSS), the Division of Medical Services is currently working to develop a Prescription Drug Price Posting for Missouri consumers. The web-based price posting will display prices of the top 100 drugs, based on Missouri Medicaid claims data. The price posting is intended for use by all consumers so they may comparison shop among pharmacies to get the best price. Consumers will be able to select a drug and search for pharmacy price comparisons based on zip code, county, area code, or city. A prototype of the site is in development and should be fully functional by Jan. 1, 2007.
Blunt is also committed to providing consumers information about the incidence of Hospital-Acquired infections at hospitals across the state. Beginning in January 2007 the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Internet site will offer an easy-to-use, searchable database that consumers can access to learn the incidence of Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections at every Missouri hospital. In March 2007 the Internet site will add the incidence of hospitals’ surgical site infections, with information on ventilator-associated pneumonias to follow.
Blunt believes his administrations’ efforts to arm health care consumers with this data will help make Missouri a leader in providing information to assist them in making smart choices about the care they receive.
###