CMS updates Physician Compare tool
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated the Physician Directory tool with Physician Compare, a tool that expands doctor-specific information into the suite of informational tools for Medicare beneficiaries and other consumers.
The new site contains information about physicians enrolled in the Medicare program, including doctors of medicine, osteopathy, optometry, podiatric medicine and chiropractic. The site also contains information about other types of health professionals who routinely care for Medicare beneficiaries, including nurse practitioners, clinical psychologists, registered dietitians, physical therapists, physician assistants and occupational therapists.
The information on the Physician Compare website includes contact information for offices, the professional's medical specialty, where the professional completed his or her degree as well as residency or other clinical training, whether the professional speaks a foreign language and the professional's gender.
In addition to information about the physician's practice, Physician Compare shows consumers whether the practice reported certain data to CMS through the Physician Quality Reporting System, added CMS.
CMS plans a second phase for the website, which will indicate whether professionals chose to participate in a voluntary effort with the agency to encourage doctors to prescribe medicines electronically, rather than through traditional paper-based prescription methods. The second phase is planned for later this year, CMS stated.
The Physician Compare website will be expanded with information about the quality of care Medicare beneficiaries receive from physicians and the other healthcare professionals profiled on the site, according to CMS. The expansion will include information on quality of care and patient experience that can help consumers learn more about the care provided by Medicare-participating physicians. CMS is required by the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act to develop a plan to implement this expansion by 2013.
Click here to access the website.
The new site contains information about physicians enrolled in the Medicare program, including doctors of medicine, osteopathy, optometry, podiatric medicine and chiropractic. The site also contains information about other types of health professionals who routinely care for Medicare beneficiaries, including nurse practitioners, clinical psychologists, registered dietitians, physical therapists, physician assistants and occupational therapists.
The information on the Physician Compare website includes contact information for offices, the professional's medical specialty, where the professional completed his or her degree as well as residency or other clinical training, whether the professional speaks a foreign language and the professional's gender.
In addition to information about the physician's practice, Physician Compare shows consumers whether the practice reported certain data to CMS through the Physician Quality Reporting System, added CMS.
CMS plans a second phase for the website, which will indicate whether professionals chose to participate in a voluntary effort with the agency to encourage doctors to prescribe medicines electronically, rather than through traditional paper-based prescription methods. The second phase is planned for later this year, CMS stated.
The Physician Compare website will be expanded with information about the quality of care Medicare beneficiaries receive from physicians and the other healthcare professionals profiled on the site, according to CMS. The expansion will include information on quality of care and patient experience that can help consumers learn more about the care provided by Medicare-participating physicians. CMS is required by the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act to develop a plan to implement this expansion by 2013.
Click here to access the website.