Medicare star ratings: how they work + how to compare plans
Medicare star system
If you become eligible for Medicare this year or are considering switching plans when open enrollment season starts, our guide will help you decide which plan is best for you. Before you do, it’s important to know that Medicare uses a 5-star rating system to measure the quality of health insurance plans.
Plans with higher Medicare star ratings have proven higher quality (which may mean more doctors in-network, better care, or more care options), while lower ratings have not. Knowing what these Medicare star ratings mean and how to utilize them in your search for the best health insurance can be a massive help in deciding which plan is best for you.
What are the Medicare star ratings?
Medicare uses a system that assigns each plan a star rating from one to five stars. Plans with higher ratings offer higher quality, meaning they offer better care at lower costs through well-known providers and hospitals in their network.
They also offer more favorable customer service hours and higher satisfaction ratings from beneficiaries who have used them in the past year. Although 5-star plans are ideal, this rating is extremely difficult to achieve.
The star rating breakdown:
Five stars
The highest possible rating given by Medicare and means that beneficiaries will have access to a wide range of doctors, hospitals, and other providers in their network without cost-sharing or restrictions. This includes specialists such as cardiologists and cancer surgeons—even if they're outside your plan's local area.
You'll also be able to see all pricing information before you sign up for coverage, so you'll know how much each doctor visit costs ahead of time. And when it comes time to go into the hospital or need nursing home care, there won't likely be any surprises about what bills might come due since everything should already be spelled out in your plan.
Four stars
The next highest rating and means that beneficiaries will continue to have access to a broad range of doctors, hospitals, and providers in their network. This plan is considered above average and the highest number of Medicare plans fall into this rating.
Three stars
Three stars indicate that beneficiaries can choose from more than one provider within their plan's healthcare providers network. This includes specialists such as cardiologists and cancer surgeons—even if they're outside your plan's local area. You'll also be able to see pricing information before you sign up for coverage, so you'll know how much each doctor visit costs ahead of time.
Two stars
Two stars indicate that beneficiaries can choose from one provider within their plan's network without cost-sharing or restrictions.
One star
One star means the beneficiary will have access to only a single, non-network physician in their region who is contracted with Medicare.
What Medicare Advantage Plans have a 5-star rating?
Like we said, 5-star ratings are very hard to achieve for insurance companies and the Medicare advantage plan they offer. This is done intentionally to keep competition among plans. Sometimes it's something as medial as not offering transportation coverage that can drag down their 5-star to a 4.5. Plus, a lot of their fate lies in the hands of their members, who leave reviews each year indicating how well they met all levels of care.
Medicare Advantage plans have more stringent criteria to meet their star rating than other Medicare Plans, such as prescription drug coverage. In general, you can change your plan or enroll in a new one only during a Special Enrollment Period. Their star rating is based on how well they do in each of the following categories:
- Staying healthy (member access to screenings, tests, vaccines, etc.)
- Chronic condition management
- Overall satisfaction with care and health plan responsiveness
- Member complaints and members leaving the health plan
- Customer service rating
Despite these regulations and categories, there are plenty of Medicare Advantage plans with near five-star ratings to their beneficiaries. Therefore, including Medicare Advantage plans in your search for the best health insurance can be a wise decision.
Get Help From The Pros
As you search for the right Medicare plan, and Medicaid services, you can compare plans based on your specific needs, plus filter by drug coverage, special coverages, and star rating at Medicare.gov. Our Ōmcare customer care team is available 24/7 to answer any questions and provide the expert support you and your loved ones need.
6 (Effective) ways to remember to take your meds
How often do you struggle with remembering to take your medication? It's a common problem that can often feel difficult to overcome since it's all about solidifying that habit. Fortunately, some tools and devices are available to help you remember to take your meds on time. We're listing some of the most popular methods for how to remember to take your medications on time each day.
What happens when you miss a pill dose?
There are many reasons why people frequently miss doses: forgetfulness, changing schedules due to work or vacation plans, misplaced pills & pill boxes—the list goes on! The time of day you take your medication matters significantly, especially with those with chronic conditions with strong medications that could cause withdrawal symptoms or jeopardize their regimen.
Depending on all your medications, symptoms for missing doses can vary greatly. Going through your medication regimen as prescribed is highly important. If you're ever unsure what to do if you miss a dose, make sure you reach out to your healthcare provider.
6 Ways To Remember To Take Your Meds
You can use a few different methods to put reminders in place for when it's time to take your daily meds. Here is the list of some of the most popular methods:
Setting a daily reminder or alarm
Set an alarm on your phone or create calendar slots with reminder notifications. If it's too easy to hit snooze on your smartphone or you don't always have your calendar handy, you may need another method. For example, try setting an alarm and placing it next to your pill box so you'll remember to take your pill when you walk over to shut it off.
Use a manual pill dispenser
Choose the same day each week (many choose Sunday) and put all of your pills in their respective day slots in a pill organizer. That way, you can quickly and easily see whether or not you've taken that day's pills. It's a less automated way of doing things but can still help those who take multiple meds per day.
Pair the action with activities every day
Taking your medication on time becomes more attainable when it’s a habit. And most of us already have daily habits like brushing your teeth in the morning or washing your face before bed. By pairing your dose with a daily routine, remembering becomes easier each day.
Notification devices
Use a reminder device like a vibrating pill box or a smart wristwatch that vibrates to remind you to do things. These notification devices often come as complete kits with everything you need, so there's no need to worry about forgetting anything else.
Utilize health apps
Set reminders within health apps such as Medisafe Pill Reminder, Mango Health, MyTherapy, or MedMinder. These apps allow you to lookup drug information, set medication reminders and have the added benefit of tracking your own personal medication records.
Automatic pill dispensers
Automatic pill dispensers are devices with built-in schedules so you can be reminded and dispense your medication the minute it’s due. These devices have helped bridge the gap between patients, family members, and doctors who must ensure the prescription is taken as directed. For older adults remembering to take the meds can be quite difficult: these automatic pill dispensers make it easy.
How Omcare Can Help!
Ōmcare has invented the Ōmcare Home Health Hub, which includes a high-tech pill dispenser with additional easy-to-use features and the R ball. Using advanced technology, we've crafted a device that offers video support on top of automatic dispensing: no more blister packs, cumbersome refills, reminders, or last-minute calls to the pharmacist. Ōmcare's Home Health Hub takes care of everything and ensures you or your loved ones never forget to take their medication. Our Ōmcare customer care team is available 24/7 to answer any questions and provide the expert support you and your loved ones need.
Thinking big in Minnesota
Big ideas are nothing new in Minnesota. Earl Bakken’s big idea gave us the battery-powered pacemaker. And Betty Crocker—herself a big idea of the General Mills marketing team—had a big idea that gave us shelf-stable cake mix. Truly, without Minnesotans the world wouldn’t have the supercomputer, the pop-up toaster, or Zubaz. And if these 35 ideas, inventions, and innovations are any indication, Minnesota’s not done thinking yet.
NO. 1
Up North is famous for its vast boreal forests. A Grand Rapids scientist is making sure they remain vast as the climate warms.
Most Minnesotans feel a deep calm on their way up north: The air cools and freshens, and foliage perceptively shifts from the hardwoods of the south to the great boreal pine forest of the north. But species like white and black spruce, balsam fir, and quaking aspen are endangered by our warming climate and encroaching pests. The worst-case scenario is that within 100 years the Boundary Waters will be surrounded by prairie or wide-open savanna. Thankfully, scientists at the University of Minnesota, The Nature Conservancy, and the U.S. Forest Service are planning what our future boreal forest will look like. Brian Palik has been stationed at the Grand Rapids Forest Service research lab for the past 26 years.
“The predictions for northern Minnesota are pretty bleak,” he says about the anticipated 10-degree hikes in winter temps if CO2 continues to grow unabated. “So if we want pine forests 100 years from now, we better look at a range of options.”
One of the best options is called “assisted migration,” which Palik and his crew have been working toward by planting trees in their experimental forest to determine which perform better in warmer, drier conditions—trees like ponderosa pine from the west and burr oak from the south.
“We’re trying to demonstrate that people can start planting these species now in these northern pine forests and expect them to do well.”
NO. 2
An Edina guy parlayed the pandemic into a return trip to the White House.
Andy Slavitt wasn’t always a health care crusader. After graduating from UPenn’s Wharton School and receiving his MBA from Harvard, Slavitt was settling into life as an investment banker and McKinsey type before his good friend died of a brain tumor. During the process, Slavitt saw firsthand the sort of collateral damage the American health care system can inflict on a family, as his friend’s widow and children were forced to move in with the Slavitts. He jumped into health care and ended up in Minnesota as a vice president at UnitedHealth’s Optum. And when the Obama administration hired Optum to fix the botched rollout of the Affordable Care Act’s Healthcare.gov, he went with the team to D.C. Before long, he became the acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Slavitt spent most of the Trump administration fighting efforts to repeal the ACA. That is, until the pandemic set him on an entirely new course. Via his biweekly podcast, In the Bubble: From the Frontlines, he became one of the most prolific real-time sources of credible information and interviews about COVID-19. It even led to a book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response, slated to be published in June. Slavitt’s COVID deep dive also got him back into the White House as a senior advisor on President Biden’s COVID response team.
NO. 3
We repurpose abandoned iron ore mines into aeroponic farms.
Community-supported agriculture (CSA), wherein farms sell their crops directly to individuals and families, is nothing new. Neither are decommissioned mines in northern Minnesota. Marrying the two, however? Now that is a horse of a different color. And yet that’s exactly what Tower-based farm start-up Harvest Nation is readying to do via vertical aeroponic farming in the Soudan Underground Mine. Wait. What? In the where?! Vertical aeroponic farming (a novel method of soil-free farming that constantly mists crops with nutrient-filled water to grow) in the underground physics laboratory of Minnesota’s first iron ore mine. Harvest Nation is the brainchild of Denise Pieratos, Tracey Dagen, Dani Pieratos, and Nikki Love. The women, who are all members of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, have long wanted to establish a four-season indoor farm to provide their community nutrient-rich, fresh, and affordable produce, and a random encounter with an official from the Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park led to the epiphany that the mine’s physics lab room, replete with 40-foot-high ceilings, would be just the place. Now, designs are in place, financing is in progress, and once financing is firmed up, presale produce box subscriptions will be available for around $55 per week. Heirloom, soilless, iron-ore-mine dragon carrots? Don’t mind if we do.
NO. 4
We invented an iron lung… for your head?
Early in COVID, when PPE was at its shortest supply and hospital staff were realizing that N95 masks alone wouldn’t cut it for frontline health care workers, U of M Medical School professors Drs. Kumar Belani and Gwenyth Fischer were inspired by a concept they’d seen in Taiwan and created a rigid cube structure that goes over an infected patient’s head. Their “ventilator box” has ports for workers’ arms to access the patient and HEPA filtration to save negative-pressure rooms for the patients who need them most.
NO. 5
A company from Burnsville created a way for you to make sure Grandma’s taking her meds when you can’t be in the same place as Grandma.
Video messaging apps like FaceTime have become indispensable in maintaining contact with Grandma and Grandpa during the pandemic. But what if you actually have to make sure they’re taking their pills at the right time?
Enter Burnsville start-up Omcare’s new home medicine dispenser. Adapted from CEO and founder Lisa Lavin’s smart treats dispenser for pets, the slick new device takes Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and mellows her out by crossing her with a machine that reminds us of Pixar’s adorable Wall-E.
The dispenser’s interactive cameras allow you to not only watch Gammy take her pills when she’s supposed to take them but also to make sure she actually swallows them down. Now all it needs is a spoonful-of-sugar button.
Read the full list from Mpls. St.Paul Magazine here.
Pill-dispensing tech makes the medicine go down...with human help, that is
When Stephanie Luehrs’s father began losing track of what day it was, she knew his pre-filled pill packs were no longer going to work, even though they were carefully labeled. So she bought him a high-tech pill dispenser.
The MedMinder device she got has compartments for every day of the week, and they pop open with a beep when it’s time to take the pills stored inside. Ms. Luehrs gets a text notification if her dad hasn’t taken his pills. When she learned he missed some doses, she went to his apartment and turned up the volume on the machine. One day, she got a notification that the machine was operating on backup battery—her father, who has Alzheimer’s, had unplugged it. Another time, he didn’t close one of the compartments properly and the box got jammed. Ms. Luehrs had to call customer service, which remotely unlocked the compartments, and then she closed them properly.
People like Ms. Luehrs are finding that when it comes to pill-taking, technology only works with human involvement, especially for people with memory loss. “The machine is great, but you definitely want to have someone to help with refills or other issues,” Ms. Luehrs, of Rogers, Minn., said.
Numerous products and services are designed to make pill-taking easier, from “smart” caps like Pillsy, which screw onto prescription bottles and chirp when it’s time to take pills, to the type of automatic pill dispensers Ms. Luehrs uses.
Other types include Hero, Dose Flip and MedaCube, which hold weeks’ or even months’ worth of pills and can be programmed to release the right amount at the right time. The devices sound an alarm to indicate it’s time to take pills; most also work with apps so that caregivers can get notifications of missed doses.
There are simpler approaches, too: reminder services and apps such as MyMeds, Medisafe and CareZone.
While most of these work as advertised, there’s still the “last mile” problem of getting the pills into the dispensers—and then into peoples’ mouths.
“We don’t have a good system for identifying and matching the right kind of technology with the specific caregiving situation,” said Joseph Gaugler, a professor and director of the Center for Health Aging and Innovation at the University of Minnesota. “A lot of technology for seniors is marketed as being good for all.”
Some medical experts told me patients would take their medicine more often if they were better educated about why it’s important. I’m a bit dubious of that argument. We all know a good diet and physical activity can stave off illness, yet it’s still hard for many people to stick to healthy eating and exercise habits. Some experts said it’s the difficulty of forming new habits that makes pill-popping so hard—and not just for older adults with dementia.
I won’t remember to take vitamins unless the bottle is sitting right next to my coffee maker, where I’ll be sure to see it. After all, none of my daily habits are as entrenched as my morning coffee ritual. But even when the bottle is right there, I often conveniently forget. (I don’t like swallowing pills.)
There are many other reasons people won’t take pills—the cost of medication, concerns about side effects and the reminder that they aren’t in perfect health. Approximately 50% of patients with a chronic illness don’t take medications as prescribed, according to several studies. This is a big deal when you consider that 69% of Americans ages 40 to 79 took one or more prescription drug in the past month, and 22% took five or more, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Andre Bierzynski, a director at AARP Innovation Labs, has been working with startups to make medicine-taking easier. He said the most promising solutions combine technology with human assistance. He pointed to an early-stage startup he’s been working with called Ōmcare. The company intends to sell its automated pill dispensers to senior-care providers, who would then lease the device to consumers and charge them for their services. The senior-care provider that’s testing it with about 50 seniors in Minnesota has employees who check in with people via an on-device video screen to make sure they’re taking their pills properly. Ōmcare is partnering with a Midwestern pharmacy to provide the pill packs the machines dispense. Company founder Lisa Lavin said she plans to commercialize the service in the Midwest by the end of the year, then expand into more states next year.
Read the full article from The Wall Street Journal here.
Tech behind pet webcam could help telehealth offering medication tracking
Burnsville-based Omcare Inc., a digital health company working to bring its "telehealth portal" to market, cut its teeth with an unlikely product: a webcam for pets.
Following a merger, Omcare is the new identity of Anser Innovation, a firm that makes a webcam that connects pets with their owners called PetChatz. Everything is going according to plan, CEO Lisa Lavin said. Anser built out its video chatting hardware with PetChatz, but the goal was always to eventually make the technology with humans in mind.
Omcare is now looking to commercialize what it calls the Home Health Hub, a tablet-like device that connects users with health care providers and pharmacists via telehealth and dispenses medication. The Home Health Hub helps seniors and people with chronic conditions with medication adherence, or making sure they take the right medication at the right time each day, by providing visual confirmation of them taking the medication. It can work with any telehealth system, Lavin said.
The firm has already recruited a heavyweight board that includes former UnitedHealthCare and Optum CEO Jeaninne Rivet, Bind Benefits Inc. President Jodi Hubler and Surescripts' Chief Intelligence Officer Mark Gingrich.
Read the full article here.
MassChallenge HealthTech Announces 2021 Cohort of Top Digital Health Startups
Boston, Mass. (December 17, 2020) - MassChallenge HealthTech today announced the 30 digital health startups that will join its 2021 cohort. MassChallenge HealthTech invites the community to meet the 2021 cohort at its virtual MassChallenge Verticals Opening Night, an introduction to the digital health and financial technology cohorts on January 13.
“This year’s MassChallenge HealthTech cohort is our most competitive and diverse group to date – we closed our application season with more than 380 incredible applicants from more than 35 countries and 210 cities,” said Nick Dougherty, Managing Director of MassChallenge HealthTech. “The 30 startups represent some of the world’s most innovative businesses that are transforming healthcare. We are excited about what our entrepreneurs will accomplish with their Champion partners in this upcoming program year.”
After rigorous Matchmaking, this year’s startups received 73 partnership offers from 21 MassChallenge HealthTech Champions, an impressive group of institutions, providers, and payors. Beginning in January, these industry-leading organizations will work directly with startups by facilitating key advisor introductions, pilots, research, and investment opportunities. Startups will also have access to tailored curriculum, industry experts, and investors, and the opportunity to apply for scholarships.
Read the full article and see who joined Ōmcare in making the list here.
Maintaining medication adherence during a health crisis
People of all ages can have difficulty managing their medications, but this is especially true for seniors who may face physical limitations, memory loss, and multiple chronic conditions. Add to this the complexity that coronavirus (COVID-19) social distancing has created for caregivers and older adults, and you have a perfect storm for medication non-adherence, which is estimated to account for 10% of hospital readmissions, nearly 25% of nursing home admissions, and 20% of preventable adverse drug events in older adults.
So, what is medication non-adherence? According to the American Pharmacists Association, non-adherence includes delaying or not filling a prescription, skipping doses, splitting pills, or stopping medication early. In addition to generating an estimated $100 to $289 billion in health care expenses annually, non-adherence takes a toll on the health of seniors who may be on long-term medication and need ongoing, consistent care.
Millions of older Americans currently depend on a home aide or family caregiver for help with their medications, but the current COVID-19 crisis is causing lockdowns and restricted visitation rules at nursing homes, while independent seniors are isolated in their homes. As a result, medication adherence is at risk for all older adults. In addition, they are at risk of suffering from loneliness as a result of extended isolation and a disruption in their social connections.
If you or someone you know is a caregiver, or if you’re concerned about medication management for a loved one or family friend during the current health crisis, here are three strategies to stay socially connected to loved ones and help ensure they take the right medication at the right time.
Read the full article from Senior News.
For the record with Lisa Lavin, Founder & CEO of Ōmcare
Lisa Lavin is the founder and CEO of Ōmcare, a subsidiary of Anser Innovation. Ōmcare is a digital health company pioneering products that enable remote care. Ōmcare extends the reach of caregivers and redefines medication adherence.
Lisa has over 25 years of experience building new businesses from the ground up within the healthcare and high-tech sectors. Lisa is active in local and national organizations that support entrepreneurialism and women in business. Lisa is a Minnesota Cup Division winner, Eureka Award winner for Innovation, was recognized by Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal as one of 25 Woman to Watch, Minnesota Business’ Real Power 50, and The New York Observer’s 2020 List of the Hottest “Flyover Tech” Companies in Digital Health.
Give us the Ōmcare elevator pitch.
Ōmcare is a digital health company pioneering products that enable remote care in the home. Ōmcare extends the reach of caregivers and enables visual confirmation of real medication adherence, resulting in lower healthcare costs and healthier populations. Ōmcare is changing the way the world cares.
What have been the company’s most exciting milestones thus far?
- Ōmcare has formalized an agreement with Ecumen and Thrifty White Pharmacy for the pilot of the Ōmcare Home Health Hub. Ōmcare is expanding partnerships with other pharmacies, providers, payers, and channel partners for national launch later this year.
- Ōmcare’s third patent was published July 9, 2019. Other patents are pending.
- US 9,202,011, US 10,078,732 and US 10,347,377
- Ōmcare has attracted top talent with over 150 years of combined experience in healthcare and innovation. The company and its leadership have been recognized as Minnesota Cup Division winner, Eureka Award winner for Innovation, Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal 25 Woman to Watch, and Minnesota Business’ Real Power 50 and was named among the “20 Hottest Flyover Tech Companies” by The New York Observer, based on insights from a panel of healthcare and business experts at the 38th Annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference.
Read the full interview from Medical Alley.
Staying connected and caring during a health crisis
Information surfaces hourly about the newly classified pandemic COVID-19, and the headlines can be alarming.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that people over 80 years of age with major illnesses have the greatest risk and should take extra precautions, such as staying in their place of residence and limiting the amount of exposure to other people, including family members and caregivers. Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued guidelines for restricting access to residents in skilled nursing facilities.
If you’re caring for an aging loved one who is either living independently or in nursing home, these guidelines can raise concerns about feelings of loneliness and isolation, as well as adherence with medication or other care plans for your loved one. Technology can play a significant role in keeping family members, patients, and care providers connected while decreasing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 or influenza – which is still a primary cause of illness, complications, and death for seniors.
3 ways technology can enable care, from anywhere during a health crisis
- Stay socially connected. Healthy adults can do their part to mitigate loneliness for the older population by introducing them to technology such as FaceTime or Skype. Take a few minutes to install the app on an iPad, tablet or smartphone, provide a bit of training, and encourage family members to connect with seniors online, in theevent that in-person visits are prohibited.
- Manage medications. A consistent care routine is the foundation of a successful, long-term care plan and is especially important when visits from a caregiver are limited. Use two-way video capabilities to remind loved ones of when to take their medications and to oversee that process. If needed, you can even dial in a clinical care provider for a three-way call.
- Conduct virtual visits. Nearly half of family caregivers travel to care for someone. If you’re worried about exposing your loved ones to COVID-19 or influenza, lean on systems like Google Nest and Amazon’s Alexa to ensure that all systems are “go” for seniors who live alone at home.
While the current situation is frightening and confusing for everyone, now is the time to use technology to unite health care providers and caregivers, and to foster communication and support that is essential to keeping everyone healthy. Our team at Ōmcare is committed to applying our expertise in video communications and remote care technology to change the way the world cares. We welcome the opportunity to share information with you about the Ōmcare Home Health HubTM and how it will enable caregivers of all types to provide support, care, and medication assistance from anywhere for older adults and people with chronic conditions.
In good health,
Lisa Lavin
Founder & CEO, Ōmcare
3 Strategies to help aging loved ones master their meds
Despite the widespread use of tools like lockable pill boxes and smartphone apps, it’s estimated that only half of patients take their medications as prescribed. In September of 2018, the American College of Physicians reported that medication non-adherence accounts for 30% to 50% of treatment failures and 1-in-4 hospital admissions.
Medication non-adherence directly impacts the senior population, wherein millions of seniors depend on a home care aide or family caregiver to administer medication. Managing the dosages and schedules of multiple drugs can be a complicated, confusing, and even stressful task for caregivers. As a result, part-time family caregivers often experience anxiety related to not knowing if their loved one has taken the right medication at the right time.
If you or someone you know is a caregiver, or if you’re concerned about medication management for a loved one or family friend, here are three strategies to help ensure they take the right medication at the right time.
1. Establish a routine and method of reminders.
A consistent care routine is the foundation of a successful, long-term care plan. Following a simple, memorable routine and reminder system can help aging loved ones remember to take their medications throughout the day, even if their caregiver can’t always be there to remind them.
Continue reading on The Caregiver's Voice.