CMS announces new tools for consumers

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced new tools to help patients and caregivers make informed choices about their health care, and to help improve the quality of care, according to a press release.

The press release states that the new tools include:

• A Quality Care Finder to provide consumers with one online destination to access all of Medicare’s Compare tools.  The tool is at www.Medicare.gov/QualityCareFinder
• New information on the Hospital Compare website that includes outpatient data on surgical infections and heart attack treatment.
• An enhanced Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) program under which QIOs provide technical assistance and resources to health care providers.

(Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, https://www.cms.gov, August 5, 2011; The Advisory Board Daily Briefing, http://advisory.com, August 8, 2011)