In a new press release, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officially announced the opening of their Hospice Compare website. The website which focuses on palliative and end of life care was designed to improve transparency, the consumer experience and empower patients. giving families, patients and the physicians who care for them a reliable resource and “snapshot” of the quality of care a hospice facility provides, as well as information related to health care decisions. The website provides all the pertinent details needed to make critical decisions when it comes to hospice care for patients.
According to a CMS Fact Sheet about Hospice Compare: Providers can start a conversation with their patients and family members about how the new Hospice Compare website impacts them by:
- Explaining that the compare website provides a snapshot of the quality of care a hospice offers;
- Encouraging patients and their family members to review quality ratings; and
- Helping to strengthen patients and family members’ ability to make the best decisions for their care.
The seven (7) National Quality Forum (NQF) – endorsed HIS quality measures initially displayed on Hospice Compare are:
- Hospice and Palliative Care- Treatment Preferences – NQF #1641
- Hospice and Palliative Care- Beliefs/Values Addressed- NQF #1647
- Hospice and Palliative Care- Pain Screening- NQF #1634
- Hospice and Palliative Care- Pain Assessment- NQF #1637
- Hospice and Palliative Care- Dyspnea Screening- NQF #1639
- Hospice and Palliative Care- Dyspnea Treatment- NQF #1638
- Hospice and Palliative Care- Patients treated with opioids who are given a bowel regimen- NQF #1617
According to the CMS Press Release:
Hospice Compare helps patients and caregivers find hospice providers in their area and compare them on quality of care metrics. Section 1814(i)(5) of the Social Security Act authorizes a quality reporting program for hospices. The Act requires hospice providers to report data to CMS on a number of quality measures selected through notice and comment rulemaking. The Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) includes both quality data from the Hospice Item Set (HIS) and Hospice Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (Hospice CAHPS®).
The Hospice Compare site allows patients, family members, caregivers, and healthcare providers to compare hospice providers based on important quality metrics, such as the percentage of patients that were screened for pain or difficult or uncomfortable breathing, or whether patients’ preferences are being met. Currently, the data on Hospice Compare is based on information submitted by approximately 3,876 hospices.
For more information, please visit https://www.medicare.gov/hospicecompare/ to view the new Compare site.
