It is nearly a universal experience to have to navigate care for a serious illness, either for oneself or a loved one. Even professionals working in the care at home industry can feel the direct impact of this need.
It can feel overwhelming to find a healthcare provider for you or your loved one when facing a serious or life-limiting illness. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that runs the Medicare program, created the Care Compare website to help.
About Our Guest Author, Axxess
Axxess offers technology solutions for providers of healthcare at home, trusted by more than 9,000 organizations serving over five million patients worldwide. With an emphasis on security and compliance, Axxess’ has earned numerous independent certifications and is trusted partner in the hospice and palliative care community.
What is Care Compare?
Care Compare is a free online tool that can help people find and compare healthcare providers that accept Medicare. The providers listed on Care Compare include doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, home health services, hospice care, inpatient rehabilitation, long-term care hospitals, and dialysis facilities.
What to Consider When Choosing a Healthcare Provider
There are several things to consider when choosing a healthcare provider. A good first step is to talk with your loved ones about the priorities of care. Some things you may want to consider include:
- Where the organization provides care, such as at a facility or in the home.
- What specific services the organization offers.
- How long the organization has been operating in the community.
- What the governance structure looks like. For example, it may be important to know if it is part of a larger healthcare system or is a smaller organization serving fewer patients.
If you’re looking for a hospice provider, you can review CaringInfo’s Choosing a Hospice Care page which offers questions that may help you determine if a hospice is a good fit.
When researching healthcare providers online, the Care Compare website can be a helpful resource.
How Care Compare Can Help You Select a Healthcare Provider
On the Care Compare website, you can enter your location to find providers in the area. Hospice providers will list their name, phone number, type of ownership and family caregiver survey rating.
By clicking on a specific provider, you can see more detailed information about the organization. This information can include services provided, conditions treated and more detailed information about their quality and survey scores.
You can also see a side-by-side comparison of up to three different providers by clicking “Compare” by a provider’s name. The Family caregiver experience survey asks the primary caregiver about the patient’s hospice care and summarizes each hospice’s overall scores into a Star Rating. Star Ratings range from a score of 1 to 5, with higher Star Ratings generally indicating higher family caregiver satisfaction scores.
The Quality of patient care section compares hospices’ performance on three quality measures: the Hospice Item Set (HIS) comprehensive assessment measure, the Hospice Visits in the Last Days of Life measure, and the Hospice Care Index score While there is not always enough data for quality outcomes to be listed, if ratings are present on hospice’s profile, they can be a useful factor in your decision.
You Have a Choice of Who Your Healthcare Provider Will Be
It’s important to remember that you have a choice in who provides care for you or your loved ones. Some healthcare organizations may be a better fit for your wants, needs, and preferences, and Care Compare is just one tool that can help determine that. Discussing those needs and preferences early and using available resources can help you navigate that choice.
