Published August 31, 2014

June 15, 2009: President Obama delivers remarks on the health care system at the annual meeting of the American Medical Association.Reuters

WASHINGTON Thought HealthCare.gov had problems?

Another federal government-run website created under ObamaCare is suffering the same symptoms as the troubled federal health care exchange -- grappling with delays, data problems and other hiccups as the deadline to take it public nears.

At issue is a database known as the Open Payments website. It was created under the Affordable Care Act to shed light on the financial ties between doctors and pharmaceutical companies as well as device manufacturers.

The transparency initiative is supposed to include detailed information about drug payments made by doctors as well as the value of gifts and services given by drug makers. Such items can include everything from meals to swanky retreats.

The database project, though, is dealing with a minefield of technical problems and confusion over the data. The problems led the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to shut down what is currently a private site for 11 days earlier this month.

The government is hoping to take the site public on Sept. 30. But it's already a year behind schedule, and if some industry heavy hitters have it their way, the schedule will slip by another six months.

The American Medical Association as well as 112 other health organizations are pressing the government to delay the launch until March 31, 2015. They cite an overly complex registration process made up of more than 20 individual steps that require a doctor to register over a period of several days in order to see their data as one reason why the government should hold off.

Other complaints include the lack of guidance on the website, concern that industry groups can unilaterally dismiss disputes initiated by doctors, and errors in the information.

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OBAMACARE HEADACHE Another health care site suffers glitches, delays