The Maryland Health Care Commission was created in 1999 to establish a streamlined health care regulatory system in a manner such that a single state health policy can be better articulated, coordinated, and implemented. The commission is organized around the health care systems we seek to evaluate, regulate, or influence, bringing a wide range of tools (data gathering, public reporting, planning and regulation) to bear to improve quality, address costs, or increase access. Two of the centers - the Center for Hospital Services and the Center for Long-term and Community-based Care - are organized around provider organizations, bringing together under one leadership the expertise and tools to address cost, quality, and access in those sectors of our health care system. Two of the centers include both cross-cutting responsibilities and sector specific efforts: The Center for Healthcare Financing and Health Policy deals with broad policy issues relating to the organization and financing of health care and with narrower issues relating to the regulation of the small group health insurance market. The Center for Information Services and Analysis conducts broad studies using both Maryland databases and national surveys, but also has specific responsibilities relating to physician services. The fifth center, the Center for Health Information Technology, has responsibilities that cut across sectors to facilitate the adoption of electronic health records and to enable the private and secure transfer of personal health information among sectors.
