The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is committed to providing transparent and accessible information to help patients and caregivers make informed decisions about their healthcare. A cornerstone of this commitment is the Medicare.gov Care Compare tool, a valuable resource designed to empower you with data on doctors, clinicians, groups, and healthcare facilities. This article highlights the latest updates and features of medicare.gov care compare, ensuring you have the most current information at your fingertips.
Recent Enhancements to Medicare.gov Care Compare
CMS continuously enhances the medicare.gov care compare tool to provide a richer and more user-friendly experience. Here are some key updates that have been recently implemented:
Expanded Procedure Volume Data for Doctors and Clinicians
Understanding a clinician’s experience with specific procedures can be crucial when making healthcare choices. CMS has significantly expanded the procedure data available on medicare.gov care compare. Initially, data for 12 procedures, including hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery, and colonoscopies, were introduced. Now, this has been broadened to include procedures such as upper endoscopy, arthroscopy (upper and lower extremity), varicose vein ablation, laminectomy/laminotomy, and lower limb revascularization. This expansion provides patients with a more comprehensive view of a doctor’s or clinician’s procedural experience in both Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage settings. This data reflects procedures performed in the preceding 12 months, ensuring the information is timely and relevant.
2022 Quality Payment Program (QPP) Performance Data Integration
The Quality Payment Program (QPP) is a critical initiative by CMS to reward value and quality in healthcare. The medicare.gov care compare tool now features 2022 QPP performance information for doctors, clinicians, groups, and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). This includes final scores and performance details across various MIPS performance categories. For clinicians participating in Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs), their participation status is also indicated. Performance is presented through star ratings, percentage scores, and checkmarks, making it easy for users to quickly assess quality metrics. This integration of QPP data on medicare.gov care compare helps patients understand the performance of healthcare providers based on nationally recognized quality measures.
Facility Affiliation Information Expanded
To provide a more complete picture of a doctor’s or clinician’s practice, medicare.gov care compare now includes expanded facility affiliation information. Beyond hospital affiliations, the tool now displays affiliations with other facility types, such as Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs), Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs), Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs), Home Health Agencies, Hospices, and Dialysis Facilities. Links are provided from clinician profiles to the profiles of affiliated facilities, creating a network of interconnected quality information. This feature is particularly valuable for patients seeking care outside of traditional hospital settings or those managing complex care needs across different types of facilities.
Telehealth Indicator for Enhanced Access to Care
Recognizing the growing importance of telehealth, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, medicare.gov care compare now features a telehealth indicator on doctor and clinician profiles. This indicator clearly identifies clinicians who offer telehealth services, making it easier for beneficiaries and caregivers to find providers who offer remote care options. This enhancement directly addresses the increasing demand for convenient and accessible healthcare solutions.
Address Suppression Option for Telehealth and Non-Patient-Facing Clinicians
CMS understands the privacy concerns of clinicians who provide telehealth or non-patient-facing services from their homes. To address this, medicare.gov care compare offers an address suppression option. Clinicians can designate their home address as a “Home office for administrative/telehealth use only” in PECOS or contact the QPP Service Center to suppress their street address and/or phone number on their public profile. This ensures privacy while still allowing clinicians to be found via city, state, and zip code for performance reporting and search functionality.
Expanded Data Archive for Historical Performance Insights
For researchers, clinicians, and other stakeholders interested in long-term trends, medicare.gov care compare has expanded its data archive. Users can now access historical Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) performance data dating back to the program’s inception in 2017. Previously, only one year of MIPS data was publicly available at a time. This expansion enhances data transparency and provides a valuable resource for analyzing performance trends over time. However, CMS advises caution against direct year-to-year performance comparisons due to program and reporting standard variations.
Benefits of Using Medicare.gov Care Compare
Medicare.gov Care Compare offers significant benefits for various users:
For Patients and Caregivers:
- Informed Decision-Making: Access comprehensive information on doctors, clinicians, and facilities to make confident healthcare choices.
- Find the Right Provider: Search for providers based on location, specialty, procedures offered, telehealth availability, and facility affiliations.
- Compare Quality: Review performance data, including QPP scores and patient experience measures, to assess the quality of care provided.
- Improved Access: Identify providers offering telehealth services, which is particularly beneficial for those with mobility issues or residing in rural areas.
For Researchers and Providers:
- Data Transparency: Access a wealth of publicly reported data for analysis and research purposes.
- Performance Benchmarking: Understand performance relative to peers and identify areas for improvement.
- Historical Data Analysis: Track performance trends over time with the expanded data archive.
- Program Insights: Gain deeper insights into the QPP and other CMS quality initiatives.
Accessing Medicare.gov Care Compare and Support
The medicare.gov care compare tool is readily accessible at https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/. For any questions or assistance regarding public reporting on medicare.gov care compare, the Quality Payment Program (QPP) Service Center is available:
- Email: [email protected]
- QPP Service Center Ticket: https://cmsqualitysupport.servicenowservices.com/ccsq_support_central
- Phone: 1-866-288-8292 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. ET)
- For hearing impaired: Dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS).
Stay informed about the latest updates to medicare.gov care compare and other CMS initiatives by subscribing to the QPP and Care Compare: Doctors and Clinicians listservs.
Medicare.gov Care Compare remains an invaluable tool for navigating the healthcare landscape. By leveraging its features and staying informed about its continuous improvements, patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals can all benefit from greater transparency and access to vital healthcare information.
