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By Andrew McLauchlin, Director, CGI Initiative for Collaborative Government
October 12, 2009
Making government data available to citizens has emerged as a major priority for federal agencies, given the recent launch of data-driven sites like Data.gov and the IT Dashboard, and the highly anticipated government transparency directive expected to be released soon. Departments and agencies are under heavy pressure to become more transparent, participatory, and collaborative.
The Obama administration is committed to releasing data that relates to public policy issues, including health care, energy, and education. The federal government has a vast amount of data stored in disparate systems across agencies operating within these policy areas. Making this data available for public use is an important first step for agencies to drive innovation, improve transparency and accountability, and better serve the citizens that depend on their services.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) offers a model of the use of Web 2.0 tools to expose data in context and in useful fashion to enable the public to make better decisions to improve their lives. CMS is practicing transparency and collaboration with stakeholders and the public to enable Americans to participate far more effectively in their own health care by making better-informed decisions about health care options.
Online tools available through the Medicare.gov Web sites not only make government data accessible, but do so in a user friendly format. For example, the Hospital Compare and Nursing Home Compare tools “mash up” geographical data from Google maps with health care provider quality-of-care information collected by CMS. Thus, users can locate and assess health care facilities near them. The Home Health Compare and Dialysis Facilities tools also allow beneficiaries to evaluate service providers based on quality measures.
Similarly, health plan tools such as Medicare Options Compare and Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder allow users to weigh the costs and benefits of health plans and prescription drug plans using customized premium calculations, star ratings, and drug price comparisons. Users can also enroll in plans online. All of these tools are designed to be accessible to Internet users of all levels ability and to be used 24 hours per day.
The advances CMS has made in practically applying Web 2.0 tools, transparency and collaboration demonstrate how agencies can provide valuable services efficiently to millions of citizens by building on data that already exists in their information systems. Opening information to the public in easy-to-understand, useful ways empowers consumers in decisions that affect their everyday lives. As the push for open government and improved efficiency grows, these strategies offer proven potential for meeting these mandates head on.
Disclaimer: The postings on this site are the opinions of the individual author, and do not necessarily represent CGI’s strategies, views, or opinions. CGI expressly disclaims all liability for actions taken or not taken based on the content of this blog.
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