§ 23-17.17-9. Health care quality and value database. (a) The director shall establish and maintain a unified health care quality and value database to:

(1) Determine the capacity and distribution of existing resources;

(2) Identify health care needs and inform health care policy;

(3) Evaluate the effectiveness of intervention programs on improving patient outcomes;

(4) Compare costs between various treatment settings and approaches;

(5) Provide information to consumers and purchasers of health care;

(6) Improve the quality and affordability of patient health care and health care coverage;

(7) Strengthen primary care infrastructure;

(8) Strengthen chronic disease management;

(9) Encourage evidence-based practices in health care.

(b) The program authorized by this section shall include a consumer health care quality and value information system designed to make available to consumers transparent health care price information, quality information and such other information as the director determines is necessary to empower individuals, including uninsured individuals, to make economically sound and medically appropriate decisions.

(c) The health care quality steering committee shall serve as the working group to advise the director on the development and implementation of the consumer health care quality and value information system.

(d) The director, in collaboration with the health insurance commissioner, may require an insurer covering at least five percent (5%) of the lives covered in the insured market in this state to file with the director a consumer health care price and quality information plan in accordance with regulations adopted by the director pursuant to this section.

(e) The director shall adopt such regulations as are necessary to carry out the purposes of this section and this chapter. The regulations may permit the gradual implementation of the consumer health care quality and value information system over time, beginning with health care price and quality information that the director determines is most needed by consumers or that can be most practically provided to the consumer in an understandable manner. The regulations shall permit insurers to use security measures designed to allow subscribers access to price and other information without disclosing trade secrets to individuals and entities who are not subscribers. The regulations shall avoid unnecessary duplication of efforts relating to price and quality reporting by insurers, health care providers, health care facilities, and others, including activities undertaken by hospitals pursuant to their reporting obligations under this chapter and other chapters of the general laws.

(f) Requirements for reporting to the health care quality database enumerated in this section and subsequent sections of this chapter shall not apply to insurance coverage providing benefits for:

(1) Hospital confinement indemnity;

(2) Disability income;

(3) Accident only;

(4) Long-term care;

(5) Medicare supplement;

(6) Limited benefit health;

(7) Specified disease indemnity;

(8) Sickness or bodily injury or death by accident or both; or

(9) Other limited benefit policies.

History of Section. (P.L. 2008, ch. 114, § 1; P.L. 2008, ch. 207, § 1.)