How does Massachusetts Compare to National Results from HHCAHPS?

Results from the CMS national survey, Home Health Care Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) Survey, that asks patients about their experiences with Medicare-certified home health agencies, are now available on Quality Care Finder website.

Massachusetts scored better or the same compared to national results for 4 out of 5 survey items. “Percent of patients who reported that their home health team gave care in a professional way” was the survey result where Massachusetts scored 1% less than the national level. See how specific agencies in your local area compare to the state and national results.

HHCAHPS will be updated every four months with new survey data and will complement the clinical measures available on the “Home Health Compare” website. This survey collects feedback on topics that patients have identified as important to them in determining which home health agencies provide high-quality care. Ratings include an overall rating of home health care and a patient’s willingness to recommend the agency to someone else.

For more information on the survey, visit https://homehealthcahps.org.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

New Congressional District Maps Available

Late last year, the state’s Special Joint Committee on Redistricting approved new congressional districts for Massachusetts’s federal delegation.  Due to loss of one seat following the 2010 census, the new lines are significantly altered; this November, members will likely find themselves and their agencies in different districts and/or with different incumbent* representatives.

In order to help sort through the confusion, the Alliance created the following series of interactive, zoomable maps for its members.  Simply browse and zoom through the maps — just as you would on any other Google Map — then click on your district to bring up information about its incumbent.

Again, these maps reflect districts going into this November’s election and do not reflect current Congressional districts or representatives.  The Alliance will post a new series of maps after the election to reflect the state’s actual delegation to the 113th U.S. Congress, as elected by its citizens.

Western & Central Massachusetts (1st & 2nd Districts)

(Rep. John Olver — who currently represents NW Massachusetts — will retire in 2013 and is not shown on this map; his district is being absorbed into its neighbors).

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Northeastern Massachusetts (3rd, 5th, & 6th Districts)

(Despite the familiar incumbents, the new district lines are substantially changed).

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Downtown Boston & Southeastern Massachusetts (4th, 7th, 8th, & 9th Districts)

(Rep. Barney Frank is retiring from Congress, so the 4th District will have no incumbent running in November; Rep. William Keating — whose district currently includes Quincy and the South Shore — is relocating to his home on Cape Cod, where he will run in the new 9th District).

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Return www.thinkhomecare.org.

* Technically, none of the districts will have incumbents as they will all be “new.”  Regardless, all districts save the 4th are expected to have a current congressman on the ballot.