CMS Launches HCAHPS Five-Star Quality Ratings

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added five-star quality ratings to its Hospital Compare website. The ratings are based on the results of the patient satisfaction survey known as the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). Hospitals are assigned a star rating based on their score on 12 measures, ranging in topic from communication between clinicians and patients to patient preparedness to care for condition after discharge. CMS previously released similar rating systems for nursing homes, physicians, and Medicare Advantage plans with the goal of making it easier for patients to understand the data. The initial ratings reflect the level of satisfaction among patients discharged between July 2013 and June 2014 and will be updated with new results quarterly. CMS also released a fact sheet on the five-star quality rating system. Read more.

Source: Essential Hospitals
Access the Hospital Compare site.

David Wingate is an elder law attorney practicing in Frederick and Montgomery Counties, Maryland. The practice consists of wills, powers of attorneys, trusts, asset protection and Medicaid.