Medicare Spotlights |
NEW! Hospital Compare now has readmission measures for heart attacks, heart failure, and pneumonia
Hospital Compare has a wealth of information about the quality of the care hospitals give patients who are being treated for a heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and pediatric asthma, or are having surgery. Most measures include all patients - whether they have Medicare or other insurance. The readmission measures and the death rates only include people with Medicare. This tool also displays patient survey results, inpatient hospital payment information, and the number of Medicare patients treated for certain illnesses (volume).
You can now enroll in a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan for next year!
Beginning on November 15, you can submit an online enrollment on the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder Tool by simply clicking on the "Enroll" button and completing the requested information.
As you are deciding on the best plan for your needs, check out the 5-Star Plan Ratings information. You can find more information about the data represented by the star ratings and how quality and performance are measured by selecting the "Click here to view more details on Plan Ratings" link close to the star ratings in the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder and Medicare Options Compare Tools.
New Nursing Home Five-Star Quality Rating
Nursing Home Compare provides quality ratings for each of the nation’s 16,000 Medicare and/or Medicaid-certified nursing homes. Each facility is rated from a low of one star to a high of five stars based on three critical areas: health inspection results, quality measures, and staffing levels. An overall rating is also provided. Use the quality ratings together with other information about nursing homes you get by talking to your doctor or other health care provider, visiting nursing homes and talking to the staff, and contacting the Long-Term Care Ombudsman or State Survey Agency.
The PQRI is a voluntary program that allows physicians and other healthcare professionals to report information to Medicare about the quality of care they give to people with Medicare who have certain medical conditions. Please visit the Physician and Other Healthcare Professional Directory for a complete list of eligible professionals who reported on 2007 PQRI measures.
Dialysis Facility Compare links consumers with detailed information about the 4,700 dialysis facilities certified by Medicare, and allows users to compare facilities in a geographic region. Users can review information about the size of the facility, the types of dialysis offered, the facilities' ownership, and whether the facility offers evening treatment shifts. Consumers can also compare dialysis facilities based on three key quality measures- how well patients at a facility have their anemia under control, how well patients at a facility have waste removed from their blood during hemodialysis, and whether the patients treated at a facility generally live as long as expected. Dialysis Facility Compare also links users to resources that support family members and specialized groups kidney patients.
This tool provides you with information on how well the hospitals care for all their adult patients with certain conditions or procedures. This information will help you compare the quality of care hospitals provide as the measures show how often hospitals provide some of the care that is recommended for patients being treated for a heart attack, heart failure or pneumonia, or patients having surgery. This tool also displays the Survey of Patients’ Hospital Experiences, using data collected from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Survey. Information on inpatient hospital payment information and the number of Medicare patients treated (volume) for certain illnesses are also displayed.
Medicare & You contains important information about what's new, health plans, prescription drug plans, and rights and protections to help people with Medicare review their coverage options and prepare to enroll in a new plan if they choose. It is available in both English and Spanish.
Each fall, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services mails a geographic-specific version to all households of people with Medicare. In 2009, there are 59 geographic-specific versions with drug and health plan comparison charts for particular states or regions.
MyMedicare.gov provides direct Internet access to your Medicare benefits, eligibility, enrollment (including prescription drug plans) and preventive health information - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Visit the site, sign up, and Medicare will mail you a password to allow you access to your personal Medicare information. MyMedicare.gov also allows you to view your adjudicated claims information, access online forms and publications, and receive important messages from Medicare.
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Page Last Updated: August 3, 2012