New public health mobile app for the iPad uses CMS Medicare data to provide critical insights into public health data that can improve healthcare and lower cost.
MicroStrategy, provider of enterprise software platforms has launched a free, innovative mobile information app based on public data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and United States Census Bureau.
The MicroStrategy Public Health App™, included as part of MicroStrategy Mobile for iPad, allows consumers to browse across 880,000 healthcare providers and 4,000 hospitals to review profile information on local physicians and patient safety data for their local hospitals. With this iPad app, consumers are empowered to select the appropriate physician and facility for their specific procedures, enabling an improved patient experience and reduced risk of hospital-related complications.
How It Works
The app does so by analyzing Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment data, recently released by the CMS. This CMS data includes details for $77 billion in Medicare payments to the more than 880,000 healthcare providers for services provided to over 26 million beneficiaries in 2012. The app includes mobile versions of publicly-released Web dashboards developed by CMS related to geographic variations in Medicare spending and the impact of chronic conditions, which are relevant to public health stakeholders.
The initial release of this cloud-hosted app is accessible via the MicroStrategy iPad app that can be downloaded for free at the Apple App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/microstrategy-mobile-for-ipad/id382821025?mt=8. Upon download, access the MicroStrategy Public Health App directly from the app home page.
“As more data becomes available, there is a growing need for powerful visual analytics solutions that enable more informed decisions and better public policies, quality of care, and patient outcomes,” said Paul Zolfaghari, President, MicroStrategy Incorporated. “We are proud to make the MicroStrategy Mobile iPad app available to the public so that patients, providers and policy officials in this country can make better decisions about healthcare.”
MicroStrategy’s investment in access to public health information is at the intersection of several White House initiatives including agency transparency, healthcare reform, and the use of innovative information technologies. As Marilyn Tavenner, CMS Administrator, has stated: “Data transparency is a key aspect of transformation of the health care delivery system. While there’s more work ahead, this data release will help beneficiaries and consumers better understand how care is delivered through the Medicare program.”
