Medicare claims database to open up for examination

For the first time, the Medicare claims can now be accessed by providers, employers, insurance companies and consumer groups in order to make more educated choices when it comes to choosing their doctors for Medicare.  After analyization, this will allow consumers to see which doctors have preformed these procedures with ease as well as preventable complications that have arisen in the past and how they can be prevented.

According to the San Francisco Gate, this is a huge step forward for the Medicare system, as it allows as the system becomes more transparent while increasing competition and accountability while lowering costs.

At the The Medicare Congress this February in Orlando,Karol Attaway, Vice President of Operations, HealthCare Partners, to present "Stratify Risk by Predicting the Financial Cost of Seriously Ill Patients". This situation could benefit from an open database which asses the care coming from doctors.

What do you think of this new Medicare option?  Will it help patients in the future?