Based on feedback from journalists, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has updated its online “Newsroom” with the goal of making it easier for reporters to find the information they need.
In a blog post, Administrator Seema Verma said the agency has “made CMS data and background, press contacts, and other information quickly accessible. We’ve also built a more robust search tool that will help serve your needs.”
Verma also mentions that nothing has been removed from the Newsroom section.
“Few things are more frustrating to reporters than impenetrable or confusing government websites, and AHCJ has long urged CMS and other agencies to be more transparent online,” said Felice J. Freyer, AHCJ’s vice president and chair of its Right to Know Committee. “So I’m happy to hear that CMS has updated its media pages in an effort to make them easier to use. I’m looking forward to checking them out. I encourage all reporters to take a look and offer feedback.”
CMS officials say they are open to feedback as they look to make updates and changes based on user experiences. That feedback can be sent to press@cms.hhs.gov.
In the past, AHCJ has called upon CMS to improve media access to its officials and has posted audio of press briefings that the agency didn’t make public to those who couldn’t attend in person. The organization’s Right to Know Committee and the Washington, D.C., chapter have stayed in close contact with the agency in the effort for more transparency and access.
