Care Compare: Doctors and Clinicians Initiative

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) publicly reports Quality Payment Program (QPP) performance information for doctors, clinicians, groups, and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) on Medicare Care Compare Doctors and Clinicians profile pages and in the Provider Data Catalog (PDC). The performance information was previously reported on Physician Compare profile pages and in the Physician Compare Downloadable Database.

Spotlight and Announcements

2021 Quality Payment Program (QPP) Performance Information Now Available on Care Compare

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added new 2021 Quality Payment Program (QPP) performance information for doctors, clinicians, groups, virtual groups, and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to the Doctors and Clinicians section of Medicare Care Compare and in the Provider Data Catalog (PDC). CMS is required to report MIPS eligible clinicians’ final scores, MIPS eligible clinicians’ performances under each MIPS performance category, names of eligible clinicians in Advanced APMs and, to the extent feasible, the names and performance of such Advanced APMs. Performance information for doctors and clinicians is displayed using measure-level star ratings, percent performance scores, and checkmarks. 

Medicare patients and caregivers can use the Care Compare website to search for and compare doctors, clinicians, and groups who are enrolled in Medicare. Publicly reporting 2021 QPP performance information helps empower patients to select and access the right care from the right provider.

Refer to the documents below for more details about the 2021 QPP performance information that has been added to Care Compare profile pages and the PDC:

• Presentation: 2021 Quality Payment Program: Doctors and Clinicians Performance Information Published on Medicare Care Compare (Recording) (Slides) (Transcript)
• 2021 Quality Payment Program Performance Information Published on Care Compare Fact Sheet
• 2021 Clinician Performance Information
• 2021 Group Performance Information
• 2021 ACO Performance Information
• 2021 Doctors and Clinicians Star Ratings Fact Sheet
• 2021 Clinician and Group Star Rating Cut-offs
• 2021 Doctors and Clinicians Measures and Activities Plain Language Crosswalk

If you have any questions about public reporting for doctors and clinicians on Care Compare, contact the QPP Service Center at 1-866-288-8292 (Monday-Friday 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. ET) or by e-mail at QPP@cms.hhs.gov.

• To receive assistance more quickly, consider calling during non-peak hours (before 10 a.m. and after 2 p.m. ET).
• Customers who are hard of hearing can dial 711 to be connected to a TRS Communications Assistant.

Now Available: Telehealth Indicator for Doctors and Clinicians on Care Compare

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added a new telehealth indicator on clinician profile pages on Medicare Care Compare and in the Provider Data Catalog (PDC). The new indicator helps beneficiaries and caregivers more easily find clinicians who provide telehealth services.

Telemedicine services expanded in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency to improve patients’ access to care. Last year, CMS reported a 30-fold increase in telehealth services, with more than half of Medicare beneficiaries utilizing them between March 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021. The telehealth indicator is the latest example of CMS’s efforts to ensure Care Compare provides beneficiaries and caregivers meaningful information about services they value as they search for clinicians.

For more information, access the Telehealth Indicator on Medicare Care Compare fact sheet.

Care Compare Update: Additional Doctor and Clinician Facility Affiliation Information Now Included

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated Medicare Care Compare to include doctor and clinician facility affiliation information for the following facility types, as applicable (noting this is in addition to the hospital affiliations previously available):

• Long-term Care Hospitals (LTCHs)
• Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs)
• Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRFs)
• Home Health Agencies
• Hospices
• Dialysis Facilities

This update is especially helpful to patients and caregivers since it:

• Provides additional information to support patients and caregivers as they make healthcare decisions.
• Offers information about clinicians who aren’t affiliated with a hospital but work in other types of healthcare facilities.
• Creates additional quality information linkages between clinicians and facilities across Care Compare pages.

Visit the profile pages in the Doctors and Clinicians section on Care Compare to view this update. The facility affiliations are displayed in a dedicated “Affiliations” section for easy access. Group affiliations will continue to be listed separately in the “Details” section as a fundamental part of a clinician’s profile.

Care Compare Update: Expanded Archive for Doctors and Clinicians - Now Available

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded the archive for Doctors and Clinicians (DAC) in the Provider Data Catalog (PDC) on Care Compare. This expansion allows users to access historic Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) program performance data that were previously publicly reported in the PDC since the program’s inception in 2017.

Prior to this archive expansion, CMS publicly reported one year of MIPS performance data at a time. This update benefits doctors, clinicians, researchers, and other interested parties who want access to all historic MIPS performance data previously publicly reported.

The addition of historic information to CMS’s publicly reported information supports overall data transparency and aligns the types of information reported for all provider settings. Users can access the archive files here.

Caution

CMS strongly cautions users against using the historical data to draw year-to-year performance comparisons. There are several aspects of the MIPS program and public reporting standards that make it inappropriate to make such comparisons – especially of measure-level performance over time. Additional details and information are available in the "MIPS Data Archive on Care Compare: Doctors and Clinicians" fact sheet and disclaimer (PDF).

2022 CMS Quality Conference Poster

During the 2022 CMS Quality Conference held from April 12-13, the Doctors and Clinicians team presented a virtual e-poster, “CMS Continues Phased Approach to Public Reporting for Doctor and Clinician Information on Medicare Care Compare and in the Provider Data Catalog”. The poster provides background on the information reported on Care Compare and in the Provider Data Catalog (PDC) for doctors and clinicians, as well as details on key public reporting milestones, covering performance years 2018 through 2020. The e-poster is available here (PDF). If you have any questions or feedback about public reporting for doctors and clinicians, please email us at QPP@cms.hhs.gov.

Important! Physician Compare sunset as of December 1, 2020, but you'll still be able to find the same information about doctors and clinicians and other health care providers on Care Compare on Medicare.gov. The Provider Data Catalog (PDC) on CMS.gov also makes it easier for you to search and download our publicly reported data. Start using these tools today.

Contact Us

Do you have questions, suggestions, or other feedback related to public reporting for doctors and clinicians? Contact the Quality Payment Program at 1-866-288-8292 or by e-mail at QPP@cms.hhs.gov.

• To receive assistance more quickly, consider calling during non-peak hours (before 10 a.m. and after 2 p.m. ET).
• Customers who are hard of hearing can dial 711 to be connected to a TRS Communications Assistant.