Quality and Transparency Resources:

Increasing the transparency of health care is important if we want to improve quality and allow consumers to make more informed health care choices. There are numerous agencies that collect, analyze and provide data and statistics relating to health care, ranging from inspection reports of nursing home facilities to cancer statistics from a particular county, from finding a Medicare health plan to the cost and frequency of a health facility acquired infection. Below is a sampling of some of these resources to help you better understand the complex world of health care..

Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4): PHC4 collects and analyzes data on the cost and quality of health care in Pennsylvania. Its website offers a wide array of reports ranging from hospital acquired infection rates,  hospital performance to the quality of commercial HMOs and a host of other special reports.

Hospital Compare: Provided by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), this website allows you to review and compare hospitals in your area based on several key indicators, including patient satisfaction surveys. It provides a good “quick glance” to see what hospitals are doing to improve quality outcomes. 

The Pennsylvania Health Care Quality Alliance (PHCQA): PHCQA is a coalition of health care providers and insurers that provides another tool for individuals to gauge and compare hospital performance on certain measures.

PA Pharmacy Price Finder: This website allows users to compare prices for 300 of the most commonly prescribed prescription drugs in Pennsylvania. Users will be asked to provide their Zip code, distance willing to travel and the name of their prescription (or just the first letter). A list of local pharmacies, the price and contact information will then be provided.

Bureau of Health Statistics: The Pennsylvania Department of Health's Bureau of Health Statistics and Research collects and maintains data to assist in planning, administering and evaluating the health status of Pennsylvania residents and the quality and quantity of health services within Pennsylvania.

Dartmouth Atlas Project: The Dartmouth Atlas documents the distribution of health care resources across the county. The Atlas utilizes Medicare data to provide a comprehensive analysis of health markets on the national, regional and local levels including individual hospitals and affiliated physicians. The information provided allows for a snapshot of health care utilization and costs associated with medical technology in a specific area.

Personal Care Home Directory: This tool provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare allows users to easily find information about the more than 1,500 Personal Care Homes in Pennsylvania, easily searchable by county. Information provided includes ownership information and inspection reports.

Nursing Home Facility Locator: This tool provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health allows for users to easily search for nursing home facilities by county. It provides users with information of ownership and inspection reports.

Nursing Home Compare: Provides detailed information about every Medicare and Medicaid Certified nursing home in the community. Nursing Home Compare utilizes a “Five Star” quality rating system to provide a snapshot assessment of each facility.

Medicare Drug Plan Finder: CMS provided tool to search personalized information about Medicare Prescription Drug Plans and Medicare Health Plans that cover prescriptions.

Medicare Health Plan Compare: CMS provided tool to find and Compare Medicare Health Plans available in your area.
 

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