New Hospice Compare Website

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the new Hospice Compare website. This is part of CMS’s commitment to provide greater data transparency. The site displays information in a ready-to-use format and provides a snapshot of the quality of care each hospice provides to its patients. Per CMS, this information will assist consumers and their families in making informed health care decisions based on objective measures of quality. Patients, family members, caregivers and health care providers will be able to compare hospice providers based upon process measures, such as the percentage of patients that were screened for pain or difficult or uncomfortable breathing.

Please note CMS and the Department of Health (DOH) have been notified of several inaccuracies with the website:

• Entering a zip code or city could provide inaccurate results; and
• demographic information (such as address, non-profit status, etc.) might be inaccurate as well.

Hospice members are asked to take a few moments to review their organization's listing on Hospice Compare. If there are inaccuracies, please let me know. Other stakeholders are collecting similar data. We have asked that the website be taken down until the site is accurate.

Contact: Cheryl Udell, cudell@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8871