Medicare officials launched a new online tool that allows consumers to locate physicians in their communities and get information about their specialties, degrees, and other training.
The new tool, called Physician Compare, is available online at www.medicare.gov/find-a-doctorwww.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov
“The new Physician CTRompare tool begins to fill an important gap in our online tools by providing more information about physicians and other health care workers,” Dr. Donald Berwick, CMS administrator, said in a statement. “This helps to pave the way for consumers” to have information about physicians as they do for nursing homes, home health agencies, and health and drug plans, Dr. Berwick noted.
Later this year, officials at the CMS plan to add information to Physician Compare about whether doctors are participating in the voluntary electronic prescribing program. Under the Affordable Care Act, the CMS is required to expand the Web site to include information on quality of care and patient experience data by 2013.