Collection and dissemination of health care and related information – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 153.05

Collection and Dissemination of health care and related information

The purpose of this section is to give providers, consumers, insurers, and governmental agencies information about health care providers, uncompensated care, and quality assurance.  In order to do this, DHS must collect, analyze and disseminate health care information from health care providers in a way that’s accessible to lay persons.  The law assigns certain entities with the responsibility for collecting, analyzing and disseminating health care information from hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers, and sets forth the rules to govern these activities.  The law requires that the department of organization contract with an entity to perform the services with respect to hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers, and that this entity's performance be reviewed biennially.   The law sets forth the amount of money that the department of employee trust funds and department of health services may use to perform these services, and further lists a number of financing/cost-related rules. 

The law requires that health care providers, hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers provide this health care information to the department of health services or contracted entity tasked with performing the above services.  Insurers and administrators may also provide health care claims information to data organizations in order to help prepare reports and develop a central data repository.  The law allows the department to contract with a third party organization for provision of data processing services.  The department and contracted entities are required to provide training to health care providers, hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers to explain the data collection and analysis processes.  The law further makes the department and the contracted entities responsible for assisting members of the public with interpretation of this disseminated information.  A health care provider might request a waiver from these requirements upon making a showing that complying would be burdensome.