What's Changing Congress has acted to delay the new competitive bidding program that started on July 1, 2008. What You Need to Know You now can continue to get your Medicare-covered equipment and supplies from any Medicare-approved supplier. If you changed your supplier when this new program started, you can continue to use the new supplier, or choose another supplier. Medicare is continuing to make sure you can get the supplies and services you need. We will post more information about the new program in the future. For the most up-to-date list of all Medicare-approved suppliers in your area, visit Find Suppliers of Medical Equipment in Your Area. We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. more >>

This tool provides you with information on how well the hospitals care for all their adult patients with certain conditions or procedures. This information will help you compare the quality of care hospitals provide as the measures show how often hospitals provide some of the care that is recommended for patients being treated for a heart attack, heart failure or pneumonia, or patients having surgery. This tool also displays the Survey of Patients’ Hospital Experiences, using data collected from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Survey. Information on inpatient hospital payment information and the number of Medicare patients treated (volume) for certain illnesses are also displayed. more >>

Find & Compare Plans that Cover Drugs. more >>

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5 Ways to Lower Your Costs During the Coverage Gap more >>

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Medicare & You contains important information about what's new, health plans, prescription drug plans, and rights and protections to help people with Medicare review their coverage options and prepare to enroll in a new plan if they choose. It is available in both English and Spanish.
Each fall, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services mails a geographic-specific version to all households of people with Medicare. In 2008, there are 59 geographic-specific versions with drug and health plan comparison charts for particular states or regions. more >>

This week the data for the following tools was updated on Medicare.gov:
Medicare Options Compare
Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder
Nursing Home Compare
Physician and Other Healthcare Professionals Directory
Home Health Compare
Hospital Compare
Helpful Contacts. more >>

Home Health Compare can assist in choosing the best local home health agency - based on past performance helping patients get better and improving their ability to function at home. By looking at the type of care the beneficiary needs and seeing what portion of each agency's patients achieve the best results ("outcomes") for that type of care, beneficiaries and their families can make sure that they choose the agency with the best track record. more >>

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