Just like no two snowflakes are identical, no two healthcare facilities are the same. CMS has provided a series of compare websites and checklists to help patients make informed decisions regarding their healthcare needs.

Familiarize your organization with these lists in order to help make sure you meet all of the recommended criteria!

 

Over 15,000 Medicare/Medicaid accepting nursing homes have quality of care and staffing information available on the compare site. Nursing Homes are rated on a five-star scale based on three categories: health inspections, staffing, and quality measures.

Nursing Home Compare Questions:

• Is the nursing home Medicare/Medicaid certified?
• Does the nursing home offer specialized services?
• Do the staff wear name tags?
• Does the nursing home offer a training and continuing education program for all staff?
• What improvements were made to the quality of life for residents in the last year?

Home Health Quality Measures:

• Managing daily activities
• Managing pain and treating symptoms
• Treating wounds and preventing bed sores
• Preventing harm
• Preventing unplanned hospital care

Home Health Compare Questions:

• Is there staff that can provide the type and hours of care my doctor ordered and start when I need them?
• Do they offer the personal care services I need (like help bathing, dressing, and using the bathroom)?
• Is the staff available at night and on weekends for emergencies?

Hospitals are rated based on 64 different quality markers. These are divided into seven categories: Mortality, Safety of Care, Readmission, Patient Experience, Effectiveness of Care, Timeliness of Care, and Efficient Use of Medical Imaging.

• Does this hospital work with my doctor?
• Which hospitals have the best experience with my condition?
• Do I need to meet certain requirements to get care after I leave the hospital?
• How frequently does this hospital check and improve the quality of its care?

The Physician Compare site lists a series of professional information, including: Primary and secondary specialties, Medicare assignment status, Whether the individual or group participates in CMS quality programs, Medical school education and residency information, Hospital affiliation, Address, and Gender.

Physician Compare also lists participation in these CMS sponsored Quality Programs:

• Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS)
• PQRS Maintenance of Certification Program Incentive
• Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CAHPS) for PQRS
• Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program
• Million Hearts®

 

https://www.medicare.gov/homehealthcompare
https://www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare
https://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare
https://www.medicare.gov/physiciancompare