Sen. Vitelli appointed to Maine Health Data Organization Health Information Advisory Committee
AUGUSTA — Sen. Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, has been appointed to the Maine Health Data Organization Health Information Advisory Committee by Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash. The 11-member Advisory Committee is tasked with making recommendations to the Maine Health Data Organization (MHDO) about what health data trends to analyze and what data to make public.
“Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen the value of collecting and analyzing data about Mainers’ health,” said Sen. Vitelli. “It gives us valuable insight into the health of our population and clues us in as to what factors may be influencing the health and wellbeing of Maine people. By establishing this advisory committee, we’re strengthening our commitment to public health and empowering Maine people with information about their health. I’m honored to serve, and I look forward to all the good work the committee will do.”
The Advisory Committee was created by LD 541, “An Act to Improve Health Care Data Analysis.” The law also requires the MHDO to collect data from the statewide cancer-incidence registry and data related to vital statistics.
The MHDO has been working hard over the past couple of years to collect drug pricing data from Big Pharma and drug middlemen companies known as pharmacy benefit managers to better understand the skyrocketing cost of medications for Mainers. This work was done in response to successful bills sponsored by Sen. Vitelli in the past three legislative sessions.
This session, Sen. Vitelli sponsored LD 686, “An Act To Increase Prescription Drug Pricing Transparency,” part of the Making Health Care Work for Maine suite of bills introduced by Senate Democrats. The new law improves prescription drug pricing transparency by allowing the MHDO to share the information they collect from drug companies about drug pricing with the public. The law builds upon Sen. Vitelli’s efforts from the 128th and 129th Legislatures to strengthen the MHDO’s ability to gather data from drug companies about prescription drug prices and price increases.
With the exception of Legislators, members of the Advisory Committee will serve five-year terms. The Advisory Committee is required to meet at least four times per year.
