CMS adds measures to Physician Compare website
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has added new quality measures related to diabetes and heart disease treatment to its Physician Compare website.
CMS launched the Physician Compare site in December 2010 to provide consumers with offered information on providers, including location, specialty, education, spoken languages and gender.
In July 2012, CMS released a proposed rule outlining the next phase for its Physician Compare website, which involved posting performance data from accountable care organizations (ACOs) and group practices participating in the Physician Quality Reporting System.
The website currently contains quality data for 66 group practices and 141 ACOs.
The new quality measures were developed using data generated by physician groups and ACOs participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program and the CMS Physician Quality Reporting System's Group Reporting Option, according to a CMS fact sheet.
Consumers can now access information about how well physicians provide care for patients with diabetes and other conditions. The quality data show how well physicians control blood pressure in patients with diabetes; curb tobacco use in patients with diabetes; prescribe aspirin to patients with diabetes and heart disease; and prescribe drugs to improve the heart's pumping ability in patients with heart disease and other conditions.
"Offering a strong set of meaningful quality measures on the site will ultimately help consumers make decisions and it will encourage quality improvement among the clinician community, who shares CMS' strong commitment to the best possible patient care,” said Patrick Conway, CMS, CMO and deputy administrator for innovation and quality, in a release.
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Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.