Have excellent CMS compare scores? Show them off!

Medicare's Home Health Compare scores have been available for years to assist consumers in choosing a quality home health care provider, but the new Medicare Hospice Compare tool is finally allowing terminally ill patients and their family members similar metrics.

Although the new hospice tool is not as robust as its home health sister, the data provides a great opportunity for companies with positive scores to stand out from others in their market.

  • When approaching physician referral sources, make sure to have materials to leave behind that clearly and visually show how you compare to state and/or national averages. Some companies even choose to display their scores directly beside their competitors. Click on TAG Partners' physician materials at the links located at the bottom of the pate to see graphs we've created to convey the information clearly and immediately.
  • Educate consumers who call you as they evaluate providers about the Medicare tools and encourage them to look up your scores.
  • Contact local media and make sure they know about the scores and about how well you performed. Offer to place them in contact with your medical director and administrator to discuss your philosophy of care and how you are achieving your outstanding results.
  • Home health providers, are you calling attention to your Quality of Patient Care and Patient Survey star ratings that are reported alongside your Home Health Compare scores? Highlight your excellent star ratings by developing a graphic representation of the achievement and adding it to all of your outreach items, including your website, general services brochure, or even the back of your business card. Check out this logo TAG Partners created for this purpose.

Through Oct. 31, the following products are 20% off list price when you use promo code TWENTY at checkout:

Call us at 866-232-6477 to learn more.

Medicare Hospice Compare: A golden opportunity for providers

The new Medicare Hospice Compare website gives consumers a long-overdue tool to begin comparing the quality of care delivered by hospice providers in their communities. But the prospect of choosing the right hospice can remain a daunting task.

The good news is you don’t have to wait for referral sources and potential patients or their family members to stumble upon your data. Take steps to direct them to the Hospice Compare site and to highlight your company’s quality scores and how they compare to the national average.

  • Start by calling attention to your scores on your company website. Create a banner and call attention to it on your home page.
  • If your local newspaper and television news stations haven’t yet run a story on the launch of the site (and your great scores), now is a great time to reach out to their assignments editors and/or health reporters. Tell them about your scores and offer to help them interpret what the measures mean and how consumers can use the tool to find the right provider for themselves or a loved one

TAG Partners has also developed two tools to help you convey this message easily in your ongoing outreach and education efforts, and they are available for 20% off list price through Oct. 31. (Use promo code TWENTY at checkout)

  • The first is the Choosing Hospice Flyer for Physicians. This two-sided sheet easily conveys to referral sources when hospice care may be appropriate, as well as the benefits their patients see when they come under your care. It also has clear graphic representation of your Hospice Compare scores and how they fare in relation to the national average. Presenting your data in an uncomplicated format will add authority to your outreach efforts and make it easy for physicians to make their choice when it’s time to refer to hospice.
  • The second new tool available to you is Choosing Hospice: A Guide for Physicians. This bi-fold brochure helps prospective patients and their families make an informed decision when selecting a hospice. While subtly highlighting your company’s scores, it explains what hospice is and how to access the Hospice Compare website. It also includes a helpful list of questions they can reference when selecting a hospice provider.

The new Hospice Compare website is also a great reminder for home health providers to revisit their own Home Health Compare scores and CMS star ratings and to convey their quality scores to referral sources and prospective patients. Check out TAG’s disease-specific outcomes brochures for physicians and patients to learn more.

Through Oct. 31, the Choosing Hospice materials and Home Health outcomes brochures will be 20% off list price when you use promo code TWENTY at checkout or mention it in your order via phone or email.

To learn more, call 866-232-6477.