CMS unsnarls a tangled web. The agency Aug. 12 updated its online presence with the aim of becoming more provider-friendly. The agency has been reorganizing its Web site for some time, and the latest update goes another step toward arranging content according to CMS' sense of the informational needs of certain categories of providers. Thus, there are now separate pages for physicians, various types of hospitals, nursing homes, ambulance companies and other provider types. New pages are in the works for ambulatory surgical centers, durable medical equipment suppliers and others. "We want doctors, hospitals and other health care providers to know that valuable, updated Medicare information is available to them at a single, easy-to-find Web site," says CMS chief Tom Scully. To see the new resources, go to http://cms.hhs.gov/ and click on the "Professionals" tab at the top of the page.
Confused by the sometimes-labyrinthine experience of navigating the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Web site? If so, you're not alone - but finding Medicare information might be a little bit easier after a recent CMS Web page redesign.