CMS Announces New Timeline for Hospital Compare Star Ratings Launch
CMS is committed to quality improvement and transparency for people with Medicare. We believe the Hospital Compare website is an important source of data for consumers and their healthcare providers to use to help make decisions as to where to receive hospital services. The website provides data hospitals can use for their own performance improvement initiatives, provides consumers with a summary of the measure results, and aligns with other Compare site Star Ratings initiatives. Having overall star ratings on Hospital Compare will help patients and their families make more informed health care decisions and will encourage hospitals to strive for higher levels of quality.
This first iteration of the Star Ratings methodology was developed in coordination with multi-stakeholders over many months. During this time CMS received a significant amount of support, but also targeted concerns about specific calculations. In response to hospital and other stakeholder feedback, CMS has announced a new timeline for the first release of Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings.
Over the next 60 days, we will do the following activities:
- Continue to listen to stakeholders. We are committed to working with the hospitals and associations to provide further guidance about star ratings. If you have any questions regarding the Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings, please contact the CMS Hospital Compare Star Ratings inbox at [email protected].
- Educate and work with hospitals about their data to analyze questions raised. CMS will host a National Provider Call on May 12, 2016 to answer stakeholder questions. The call is intended to be informative, helping hospitals understand their Hospital Specific Reports and to explain the methodology in detail.
- Hear how we can evolve Hospital Compare in the future. After the star ratings go live in their first iteration, we will refine and improve the site as we work together and gain experience.
Due to this timeline modification, the update to the measure data, originally scheduled for April 21, 2016, will now occur on May 4, 2016. The public release will only include refreshes to the measure data and the release of new measures for the Inpatient Psychiatric Program and Ambulatory Surgical Centers. The preview period for the July 2016 Hospital Compare release has also been modified by two weeks, making them available May 6, 2016, rather than April 22, 2016. Hospitals will have 30 days to review their data prior to the public release of information in July 2016.
