Hospital Compare and Nursing Home Compare websites enhanced

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Compare and Nursing Home Compare websites have been enhanced to make navigation easier by users, and have added new comparison tools such as findings from nursing home inspections, according to a press release.

According to the press release, on both websites, navigation has been improved for consumers, who will find large and easy to use maps for pinpointing hospitals, and new search functionalities that allow the user to input the name of a hospital. Glossaries and web resources have been enhanced to make the information easier to understand.

In addition, new information is available on each of the websites.  Updates to Nursing Home Compare include:

• Narratives that detail specific findings from inspections of nursing home facilities;
• Two new measures that report a nursing home’s use of antipsychotic medications;
• Updated data for quality measures previously available on the site; and
• Information on nursing home ownership available thanks to the Affordable Care Act.

Additions to Hospital Compare include:

• Two new measures that cover potential health risks of imaging services, such as exposure to unnecessary radiation; and
• Updated data for existing quality measures.

The sites can be found online at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/ and www.medicare.gov/nhcompare/.

(Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, http://www.cms.gov/, July 19, 2012; The Advisory Board Daily Briefing, http://advisory.com, July 20, 2012)