By CQ Staff
May 15, 2012 -- A new Web-based tool is bringing together data sets from across the federal government in one place so Americans can monitor and measure how the nation's health care system is performing, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said last week when the new site launched.
Known as the Health System Measurement Project, it will allow policy makers, health care providers and the public to develop consistent data-driven views of changes in critical U.S. health system indicators, HHS officials said.
"Ensuring all Americans have access to these data is an important way to make our health care system more open and transparent," Sebelius said in a written statement.
The project includes data from topical areas, such as access to care, cost and affordability, prevention, and health information technology. It presents these indicators by population characteristics, such as age, sex, income level, insurance coverage, and geography.
The tool contains information on how the measures were calculated and provides users with direct links back to the original data sources, HHS officials said. To access the Health System Measurement Project, go to https://healthmeasures.aspe.hhs.gov/.