“The decision by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to release billing information for nearly 1 million health care providers who provide services to Medicare beneficiaries is a significant step in increasing transparency in our health care system.

Greater transparency has the potential to improve care quality and reduce costs. We can’t reward high-quality care and pay for value unless we know what we’re paying for health care services now. We need that information to identify variations in costs. Releasing this billing data will allow purchasers and consumer to see the big picture and better understand the cost of health care.

Today’s announcement is further evidence of the Administration’s commitment to increasing transparency in our health care system. Going forward, it will be critical to ensure that the data is presented in a consumer-friendly way so it’s meaningful to purchasers and consumers.”