Pennsylvania § 3306 - Data dissemination and publication.

§ 3306. Data dissemination and publication.

(a) Public reports.--Subject to the restrictions on access to council data set forth in section 3308 (relating to Right-to-Know Law and access to council data) and utilizing the data collected under section 3305 (relating to data submission and collection), as well as other data, records and matters of record available to it, the council shall prepare and issue reports to the General Assembly and to the general public according to the following provisions:

(1) The council shall, for every provider of both inpatient and outpatient services within this Commonwealth and within appropriate regions and subregions, prepare and issue reports on provider quality and service effectiveness on diseases or procedures that, when ranked by volume, cost, payment and high variation in outcome, represent the best opportunity to improve overall provider quality, improve patient safety and provide opportunities for cost reduction. These reports shall provide comparative information on the following:

(i) Differences in mortality rates; differences in length of stay; differences in complication rates; differences in readmission rates; differences in infection rates; and other comparative outcome measures the council may develop that will allow purchasers, providers and consumers to make purchasing and quality improvement decisions based upon quality patient care and to restrain costs.

(ii) The incidence rate of selected medical or surgical procedures, the quality and service effectiveness and the payments received for those providers, identified by the name and type or specialty, for which these elements vary significantly from the norms for all providers.

(2) In preparing its reports under paragraph (1), the council shall ensure that factors which have the effect of either reducing provider revenue or increasing provider costs and other factors beyond a provider's control which reduce provider competitiveness in the marketplace are explained in the reports. The council shall also ensure that any clarifications and dissents submitted by individual providers under section 3305(h) are noted in any reports that include release of data on that individual provider.

(b) Raw data reports and computer access to council data.--The council shall provide special reports derived from raw data and a means for computer-to-computer access to its raw data to a purchaser under section 3308(g). The council shall provide the reports and computer-to-computer access, at its discretion, to other parties under section 3308(i). The council shall provide these special reports and computer-to-computer access in as timely a fashion as the council's responsibilities to publish the public reports required in this section will allow. Any provision of special reports or computer-to-computer access by the council shall be made only subject to the restrictions on access to raw data set forth in section 3308(c) and only after payment for costs of preparation or duplication under section 3308(g) or (i).

Cross References. Section 3306 is referred to in sections 3304, 3308 of this title.