Nebraska Department of Insurance
THE NEBRASKA HEALTH INSURANCE INFORMATION, COUNSELING, AND ASSISTANCE (NICA) PROGRAM
MARCH 2004 NICA NEWS
THIS & THAT
New Brochures Available
The SHIIP office has several new or updated brochures available. It is essential that volunteers use only the most current and up-to-date information when counseling beneficiaries. To receive a copy of any or all of the new brochures, please contact your regional representative, or call Sue at the SHIIP office, 402-471-2841.
New Brochures (with revision date)
Dialysis Facililty Compare (8/03)
Medicare Basics: A Guide for Caregivers (7/03)
Medicare Hospice Benefits (7/03)
2004 Comparison Guide for Medicare Supplement Insurance
Nursing Home Resident with a Spouse at Home (3/04)
Savings for People with Medicare (2/04)
Medicare due to a Disability (2/04)
The SHIIP Brochure (1/04)
SHIIP Volunteer Mailing List
You may have noticed that in recent months SHIIP volunteers have received mailings directly from CIMRO, the Quality Improvement Organization in Nebraska. CIMRO is contracted with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and has occasionally asked for the SHIIP volunteer mailing list to distribute information. One such example was a flyer promoting beneficiary awareness of Medicare's coverage of the flu shot. When CIMRO, and potentially other agencies, make a request for volunteer names & addresses, the SHIIP staff reviews the materials and will give out the mailing list only when the information is valuable to a volunteer's education or counseling efforts. If you would like the SHIIP program office to discontinue releasing your address for such mailings, please contact Amy Larrick at 402-471-3845.
Nursing Home Compare Easier to Use, More Info
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services updated the Nursing Home Compare website available on www.medicare.gov. The new tool has enhanced quality measures and easier navigation. SHIIP volunteers received training on the original Nursing Home Compare site at the Update Training in the fall of 2002. Beneficiaries and family members can access the information on the quality of Medicare-certified nursing homes in their area by visiting the website or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE.These developments are part of CMS' ongoing commitment to use public reporting to improve the quality of care available in the nation's nursing homes. The improvements to Nursing Home Compare should make it easier for consumers to compare quality, deficiency and staffing information about Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing homes across the country.
The fourteen enhanced quality measures build on the ten measures originally included on the website, and provide additional information to help consumers make informed decisions. Working closely on this project with CMS is the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) in each state, which in Nebraska is CIMRO of Nebraska. The QIOs are CMS contractors that provide quality improvement assistance to hospitals, physician offices, home health agencies and nursing homes.
Since the Nursing Home Quality Initiative began in 2002, more than 99.5 percent of the 17,000 nursing homes in the United States have been contacted by the QIO in their state about the Initiative, the quality measures, and how to become involved in quality improvement efforts.