Vizient Receives CMS Certification as Qualified Entity for Access to Medicare Claims Data

Vizient, Inc. announced today it has received certification as a Qualified Entity from the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS). The CMS Qualified Entity (QE) Program (also known as the Medicare Data Sharing for Performance Measurement Program), enables certified organizations to receive Medicare claims data under Parts A, B, and D for use in evaluating provider performance. Only 33 organizations are QEs and of those, only 17, including Vizient, have access to nationwide data.

Vizient members increasingly are adopting alternative pay models and value-based care payment methods, requiring data and analytic insights that span the care continuum. Access to the nationwide Medicare claims brings Vizient one step closer to having the most comprehensive pool of patient, encounter, supply chain, and claims data in the US and expands Vizient’s capabilities in helping its members measure quality outcomes.

“Currently Vizient has one of the largest repositories of health care data in the industry,” said John Becker, Vizient group senior vice president, strategic growth solutions. “The data from CMS through the QE program further extends our ability to help strategy, planning and business leaders better understand market opportunities to drive smart growth.”

The QE certification gives Vizient access to claims data for 38 million unique annual Medicare fee-for-service covered lives comprising claims data in these areas: inpatient, skilled nursing facility and home health agency care (Part A); durable medical equipment, outpatient and carrier (Part B); and prescription drug (Part D). In all, the data represents more than 6 billion claims at $1.62 trillion. When paired with Vizient data, it will offer insights on care and outcomes for more than 70% of the U.S. population.

“The QE data will support deeper dives into total cost of care, alternative payment models and help Vizient better analyze quality and cost across the care continuum,” said David Levine, group senior vice president, advanced analytics & product management. “Vizient is excited to share insights derived from the data that continue to help drive high value, high quality care.”

QEs are required annually to use Medicare claims data to generate public performance reports for providers and suppliers on measures of quality, efficiency, effectiveness and resource use. QEs may also use the Medicare data to provide or sell non-public reports to authorized users.

Vizient expects to begin receiving CMS data in mid 2022 and begin publishing reports related to provider performance in 2023.

About Vizient, Inc.

Vizient, Inc. provides solutions and services that improve the delivery of high-value care by aligning cost, quality and market performance for more than 50% of the nation’s acute care providers, which includes 97% of the nation’s academic medical centers, and more than 20% of ambulatory care providers. Vizient provides expertise, analytics and advisory services, as well as a contract portfolio that represents more than $110 billion in annual purchasing volume, to improve patient outcomes and lower costs. In 2021, Vizient acquired Intalere, which expanded its footprint with ambulatory and rural acute care providers. Vizient has earned a World’s Most Ethical Company designation from the Ethisphere Institute every year since its inception. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Vizient has offices throughout the United States. Learn more at www.vizientinc.com.

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.@VizientInc announced today it has received certification as a Qualified Entity from the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS)