SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - May 9, 2016) - Amino, a consumer health care company, today announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has certified Amino to define new health care quality measures specifically aimed at helping consumers make better health care decisions. Amino is now one of only two Consensus-Based Entities (CBEs) under Medicare's Data Sharing Program, and the only for-profit organization to propose consumer-first quality measures. Working with its six newly appointed measures development experts representing key stakeholders in health care, Amino will define and seek public approval for 'standard measures' that can be utilized by other companies working with CMS data.

"Health care quality measures, while certainly abundant, haven't historically been created with patients in mind. Yet consumers are increasingly making important decisions about when and where to get care," said David Vivero, CEO and co-founder of Amino. "At Amino, we're sorting through massive amounts of data to surface the differences in health care that exist and matter most to all Americans. Paired with our free consumer service, this new public forum will allow us to validate our hypotheses and lead a new category of measures that empower people first."

This announcement follows Amino's approval as a Qualified Entity (QE) and its acceptance of national, physician-level claims data from Medicare parts A, B and D to the commercial database powering Amino's free consumer service. These recent endorsements from CMS acknowledge Amino's mission to paint the clearest picture of health care for all Americans, as well as its strong commitment to patient privacy and data security.

Within the newly formed CBE, Amino has appointed experienced industry leaders representing payers, providers, employers, patients, and suppliers.

• Arnold Milstein, M.D., M.P.H., Chair of the Amino CBE, is Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and directs the Stanford Clinical Excellence Research Center
• Elizabeth Gilbertson is chief of strategy for Unite Here Health, a Taft-Hartley labor management trust fund that provides health benefits to its participants
• Mark Rattray, M.D. is an OB/GYN physician and as President of CareVariance, LLC, consults with a wide variety of stakeholders on quality and cost measures
• Lawrence Becker is Director of Strategic Partnerships and Alliances for Xerox Corporation, and has represented employer interests on several health-related measurement committees
• Jennie Chin Hansen is the former CEO of the American Geriatrics Society and past President of AARP and serves on numerous measures-related panels focused on outcomes for patients
• David Joyner is CEO of PriMed Management Services Inc., a management services company that serves the Hill Physicians Medical Group, one of the country's largest independent practice associations

"Despite much public and private sector activity to advance healthcare performance transparency in recent years, an average person seeking to select the doctor and or hospital team best suited to affordably improving their health is out of luck. By earning this federal designation, Amino has an unprecedented opportunity to fulfill the health industry's long overdue ethical obligation to enable Americans to choose their sources of care wisely," said Amino advisor and Stanford Professor of Medicine Dr. Arnold Milstein.

Amino launched in October 2015 with a mission to help people make confident, data-driven health care decisions. In addition to offering its free service to connect people with doctors experienced in their needs, the company continues to work with its Advisory Board to define consumer-centric outcomes and quality measures ('decision factors') that will soon make their way to the newly formed CBE for review and potential approval. An example of these measures includes the first ever risk-adjusted C-section rate for nearly every practicing OB/GYN in the country, an incredibly meaningful measure for expecting mothers who previously had little information about individual physician practice patterns.

In the coming months, Amino's CBE will begin to propose measures through a formal approval process. The public will have an opportunity to comment on proposed measures for a period of 30 days via Amino's CBE webpage -- http://amino.com/qe-consensus-based-entity -- after which the consensus members will vote whether or not to approve a measure. The endorsed measures will be put to a re-vote at least every three years, or more frequently if clinical innovation or data sources change the extent to which the measure aligns with the evaluation criteria before the three year time-frame.

To stay tuned to Amino's CBE activity or to read more about the company's approach to quality measures, visit https://amino.com/blog.

About Amino:
Amino aims to connect everyone to the best health care possible. Powered by a comprehensive database that includes nearly every practicing doctor in America and experiences from more than 188 million patients, Amino's service empowers people to make confident decisions about their health care, starting with the doctors they choose. The company is based in San Francisco and is backed by Accel Partners, Charles River Ventures, Rock Health, and notable individual investors.