Braun
On Thursday, U.S. Senator Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Ranking Member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) introduced bipartisan legislation to improve Care Compare’s visibility and use so that consumers, their families, and caregivers can compare nursing homes more easily.
Care Compare allows consumers to find and compare Medicare-certified nursing homes based on a location, and comparing staffing and quality of care based on ratings. As it stands, research shows that Care Compare’s five-star rating system is not easily findable online or as frequently used when compared to popular consumer review sites.
“Choosing a nursing home is a tough decision that many older Americans and their loved ones have to make,” Sen. Braun said. “This bipartisan bill would make the Care Compare website more accessible and up to date so Americans can make informed decisions about nursing home care.”
The SEE Care Compare Act requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make the Care Compare website and its data more findable online by reviewing and updating search engine optimization (SEO) practices quarterly to include, but not limited to:
- Using current best practices in indexing and searching
- Accounting for guidelines, recommendations, and other suggestions from search engines to improve findability and website ranking
- Accounting for user research that may inform website design, structure, and content
The bill also requires CMS to submit a report on current Care Compare user analytics. A second report is due one year later to determine if the SEO changes have been successful in improving Care Compare’s visibility and use.