HELP

HealthCare6.com is providing parts of dataset from Medicare data (past and current) which we consider most important to normal patients. If you found out that we lacks of some information, please drop us an email at contact@healthcare6.com. However, our data is provided as-is, as a reference without any warranty, guarantee (read more in our privacy policy). You have to considered and use HealthCare6.com data at your own risks.

HINTS

	The 5-star rating for each doctor is calculated by HealthCare6.com based on data from Medicare database (at https://data.medicare.gov). However, it is as-is without any guarantee or warranty. It should be looked at carefully. Use it with the other information you gather.
MEDICARE	This doctor is certified by Medicare or Medicaid programs.
CLOSED	The doctor's business has been closed.

About the data

HealthCare6.com allows you to find and choose Physicians and Other Healthcare Professionals enrolled in the Medicare program, as required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010.

The purpose of this data is to help you make informed choices about the healthcare you receive through Medicare.

The information comes primarily from the Provider, Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System (PECOS ) and other information sources. The information is also checked against Medicare claims data.

Here, you can find:

• Addresses where the professional sees patients (always confirm the address when you make an appointment; some professionals work at more than one location),
• Primary and secondary specialties,
• Medicare Assignment status,
• Whether the individual or group participates in select Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) quality programs,
• Gender,
• Medical school education and residency information,
• Groups that individuals work with (individual profile) or individuals who work with the group (group profile), and
• Hospital affiliation.

Only Medicare (PECOS and claims) and NPPES data are used in this dataset. All licensed data are excluded from this dataset.

• There is no Board Certification information
• No residency data
• No foreign language data
• Hospital affiliation data are based only on Medicare claims-based linkages, so the affiliated hospitals fora particular professional listed on the website and on the downloadable file may not be the same.

Update Data

Content using on HealthCare6.com mainly comes from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published data and the FOIA-disclosable NPPES health care provider data file. That is means:

• The information disclosed on the NPI Registry and in the downloadable files are FOIA-disclosable and are required to be disclosed under the FOIA and the eFOIA amendments to the FOIA. There is no way to ‘opt out’ or ‘suppress’ the NPPES record data for health care providers with active NPIs.
• The NPPES Data Dissemination Notice and outreach documents from CMS encouraged health care providers to review their FOIA-disclosable NPPES data and edit it as necessary and to remove, if they wished, sensitive data from FOIA-disclosable fields that were furnished on an optional basis (i.e., data that were not required to be furnished in order to apply for an NPI).Many health care providers have taken some or all of these actions.
• If the downloadable file or the NPI Registry reflects information that is incorrect, health care providers should correct that information. At any time, providers, or someone acting on their behalf, may edit their records by going to https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov, or by obtaining a paper NPI Application/Update Form (CMS-10114) from the NPI Enumerator or from the CMS forms page (https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/CMS-Forms/CMS-Forms) and mailing the completed, signed form to the NPI Enumerator. Providers who need assistance in editing their records should contact the NPI Enumerator by phone at 1-800-465-3203, by email customerservice@npienumerator.com, or by letter: NPI Enumerator, P.O. Box 6059, Fargo, ND 58108-6059.

Healthcare professionals can visit the CMS Physician Compare Initiative Page for more information about how to keep Physician Compare data current, troubleshoot problems with your listing, and learn more about public reporting on Physician Compare.

Explaination

Accepts Medicare Assignment	All physicians and other healthcare professionals on Physician Compare accept Medicare patients. However, they do not all bill Medicare the same way. In Original Medicare, when a professional accepts Medicare Assignment they agree: To be paid directly by Medicare, To accept the payment amount Medicare approves, and Not to bill you for more than the Medicare deductible and coinsurance.
Electronic Prescribing (eRx)	Participates in the Medicare Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive Program - a pay-forreporting program that encourages physicians and other healthcare professionals to use electronic prescribing to improve communication, increase accuracy, and reduce errors
Physician Quality Reporting System(PQRS)	Participates in the Medicare Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) Incentive Program - a payfor-reporting program that that encourages eligible professionals to report information about the quality of care they provide to people with Medicare who have certain medical conditions
Electronic Health Record (EHR)	Participates in the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program - provides incentives and payment adjustments to eligible professionals who use certified EHR technology in ways that may improve healthcare
Received PQRS Maintenance of Certification Program Incentive	The PQRS Maintenance of Certification Program Incentive gives an additional incentive to hysicians who satisfactorily report PQRS measures and more frequently than is required participate in Maintenance of Certification Program and successfully complete a Maintenance of Certification Program practice assessment
Million Hearts	Million Hearts is a national initiative that focuses action by communities, health systems, onprofit organizations, federal agencies, and private-sector partners to prevent a million heart ttacks and strokes by 2017. Million Hearts encourages physicians and other healthcare professionals o eport—and excel in-- the Cardiovascular Prevention measures group in the PQRS program. High erformance in these measures dramatically reduces the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke

Glossary

Here are definitions of terms and abbreviations used on this data.

Board Certification

Board-certified physicians or other healthcare professionals are experts in a specialty. They have to complete extra education and pass a test to become board certified.

DC - Doctor of Chiropractic

The professional degree for chiropractors.

DMD - Doctor of Dental Medicine

A professional degree for dentists. It is awarded to general dentists when they graduate from dental school. (See also DDS - Doctor of Dental Surgery.) Some dental schools award the DDS degree; others award the DMD.

DDS - Doctor of Dental Surgery

A professional degree for dentists. It has the same meaning as DMD. (See DMD - Doctor of Dental Medicine.) Some dental schools award the DDS degree; others award the DMD.

DO - Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

The professional degree for osteopathic physicians. People with a DO degree are fully qualified physicians, like those with a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. The two degrees have similar requirements. However, DO schools provide extra education in hands-on manual medicine and the body's musculoskeletal system.

DPM - Doctor of Podiatric Medicine

A professional degree for podiatrists (foot doctors).

Group Practice

A practice that has two or more physicians or other healthcare professionals organized to provide patient care (regardless of its legal form or ownership).

Locations

The places where physicians see patients.

MD - Doctor of Medicine

The professional degree for physicians.

Medicare Assignment

All physicians and other healthcare professionals on Physician Compare accept Medicare patients. However, they do not all bill Medicare the same way. In Original Medicare, when a professional accepts Medicare Assignment they agree:

• To be paid directly by Medicare,
• To accept the payment amount Medicare approves, and
• Not to bill you for more than the Medicare deductible and coinsurance.

OD - Doctor of Optometry

A degree for eye care professionals.

Other Healthcare Professional

Health professionals who are not physicians. They include nurse practitioners, physician assistants, social workers, psychologists, and physical therapists.

Physician

One type of healthcare professional who cares for patients. Physicians may specialize in different areas, such as primary care, cardiology, or surgery.

Specialty

In medicine, specialty usually refers to physicians that receive additional training and education to become eligible for board certification in a branch of medicine, such as internal medicine or surgery.