CMS:  Rural-Urban Disparities in Health Care in Medicare

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) uses two sources of information in this summary of the quality of care received by Medicare beneficiaries.  The first source is the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) and its survey on health care experiences (e.g., ease of getting needed care, how well providers communicate, etc.).  The second is the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) with information collected from medical records and administrative data on the technical quality of care for a variety of medical issues, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic lung disease.