CMS releases new quality data on Physician Compare website

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released 2014 data on the quality of care provided by individual health care professionals, group practices, and accountable care organizations (ACOs). It is part of the agency’s ongoing effort to provide useful and current quality performance data to Medicare beneficiaries who are looking for a physician. These data are now available on Physician Compare.

The 2014 data that CMS released include:

•    Additional performance scores on preventive care, diabetes, cardiovascular care, and patient safety by some physician group practices and ACOs
•    New performance scores on patients’ experiences with some physician group practices and ACOs
•    The first set of individual health care professional performance scores on preventive care, cardiovascular care, and patient safety measures

This information is obviously important for physicians as it could influence new Medicare patients to either seek out or avoid your practice or encourage existing Medicare beneficiaries to change providers.

CMS will host a series of one-hour webinars to discuss these recent updates and the future of Physician Compare, including a publicly reported benchmark. CMS will conduct the webinars through WebEx at the following dates and times:

•    Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 12 p.m. ET/ 9 a.m. PT
•    Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 4 p.m. ET/ 1 p.m. PT
•    Thursday, Feb. 25, at 11 a.m. ET/ 8 a.m. PT

All sessions will present the same information, and CMS will send registration details before each session. In the meantime, if you have any questions about Physician Compare or the 2014 quality measure release, contact the CMS Physician Compare contractor at PhysicianCompare@Westat.com.

– Kent Moore, Senior Strategist for Physician Payment for the American Academy of Family Physicians