Hospital Compare Website Enhanced by CMS
July 10th, 2007
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced June 21 a “milestone addition” to its Hospital Compare website (www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov).
CMS also unveiled the first annual update of pricing and volume information on certain elective hospital procedures (www.cms.hhs.gov/HealthCareConInit/02_Hospital.asp#TopOfPage), according to a press release issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
The enhancements provide a “snapshot” of information on the quality of care received by consumers. In addition to new pricing and volume information, the snapshot includes details on new outcomes such as mortality measures that reflect care of patients with heart attacks and heart failure, the release said.
According to the release, the first reported information on the mortality measures is based on hospital admissions that occurred between July 1, 2005 and June 30, 2006.
“These improvements add to our continuing effort to provide better, value-based, health care at a lower cost for all Americans,” DHHS Secretary Michael Leavitt said. “Quality standards are best developed by the medical family and hospitals. I applaud the Hospital Quality Alliance for providing information that everyone can use and agree upon for the benefit of consumers.”
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