Q&A: Utilizing the CMS Care Compare tool

Q: CMS recently updated its Care Compare tool, a resource that can provide valuable insight for any patient. How can case managers ensure that their patents can access and best utilize this tool?

A: A few pieces need to be in place before the tool can be accessed. The Medicare beneficiary must have access to technology, such as a laptop or smartphone, says June Stark, RN, BSN, MEd, an adjunct instructor at HCPro, and an adjunct professor at Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts.

And for hospitalized patients, the tool doesn’t replace live input from the case manager, says Stark.

“I anticipate that once a resource is identified, especially if the patient is hospitalized, interventions by a case manager are still required,” she says.

The case manager would still need to perform the following tasks:

• Determine if the facility meets the patient’s medical needs
• Make the referral to the facility
• Facilitate the transition process

“However, for the patient or family in the outpatient setting, this resource-finding tool is an asset,” says Stark. The Care Compare tool can easily be used, for example, to locate a new primary care physician (PCP). It allows the patient to cross-reference a PCP with Physician Compare and Healthgrades to view their care quality scores. 

Though the tool is live on the site, CMS is still accepting feedback so that it can work out glitches and help make the resource more useful to patients and families.

For more on this topic, see the October issue of Case Management Monthly.