News Releases

A new consumer Web site unveiled today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Hospital Quality Alliance, a public-private collaboration, provides instant, objective, easy-to-use, and free information about the quality of hospital care in Arizona and nationwide. The hospital quality information is now available by visiting www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov or www.medicare.gov and selecting Compare Hospitals in Your Area, or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). Either way, consumers get the information they need to help them make more informed health care decisions.

Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization in Arizona, plays a pivotal role in improving Arizona hospital quality by offering hands-on resources, one-on-one training, and staff education.

"CMS's new Web resource, Hospital Compare, gives consumers information to help them make an informed decision about hospital care," said Herb S. Rigberg, MD, HSAG CEO. "We encourage consumers to use this tool, talk with their physician, and consult other resources for hospital information," added Rigberg.

"We are working closely with Arizona's health care providers and HSAG to improve the quality of care available in hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies and dialysis centers," said Jeff Flick, BS, MBA, CPA, CMS Regional Administrator, Region IX. "That is just one step we are taking to make sure that Medicare fits beneficiaries' health care needs by modernizing the program to include a new prescription drug benefit."

"As an organization in Arizona charged with working with hospitals to improve their quality of care, we have seen first hand how hospitals are making changes and improving," said Dr. Rigberg. "We commend our state's hospitals for making quality a top priority every day."

The new resource was developed by CMS, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the Hospital Quality Alliance and nearly every acute care hospital in the nation. It reports quality of care information for hospitals about care to all adult patients, regardless of payer, on three common conditions: heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia. Some hospitals may have data on additional conditions, and in the future, new measures and information on patient's perceptions of care will be added.

CMS's participation in Hospital Compare is part of its hospital quality initiative, which in turn is part of a national Quality Initiative that also focuses on improving the quality of care in home health agencies and nursing homes. The national Quality Initiative is an important step in CMS' comprehensive quality strategy, which consists of four elements:

• Regulation and enforcement activities conducted by State Survey Agencies and CMS;
• Improved information for consumers on quality of care;
• On-going, community-based quality improvement programs for providers; and
• Collaboration and partnerships to leverage knowledge and resources.

About HSAG
For 25 years HSAG has provided innovative leadership on health care quality improvement projects for federal, state, and private sector clients. Founded by a group of medical professionals in 1979, HSAG is one of the most experienced quality improvement organizations in the U.S. HSAG is recognized as an agent of change in the health care industry because of the company's successful collaboration with providers across the continuum of care.

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