The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched Care Compare, a streamlined redesign of eight existing CMS healthcare compare tools available on Medicare.gov.
Care Compare provides a single user-friendly interface that patients and caregivers can use to make informed decisions about healthcare based on cost, quality of care, volume of services, and other data. With just one click, patients can find information that is easy to understand about doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare services instead of searching through multiple tools. Previously, patients facing surgery or other complex medical procedures would need to visit Hospital Compare, Nursing Home Compare, and Home Health Compare individually to research providers for the different phases of their care. Now, those patients can start their search at Care Compare to find and compare providers that meet their healthcare needs.
Patients will also find helpful hints and guides throughout Care Compare. For example, when searching for a nursing home, patients have the ability to utilize a checklist with common questions and considerations.
In conjunction with Care Compare, the Procedure Price Lookup (PPL) tool now includes physician and facility fees, offering people with Medicare a more accurate prediction of their out-of-pocket costs.
