06.18.2018

CMS Once Again Sees the Light, Delays Star Ratings

CMS will not update Hospital Compare’s quality star ratings in July as scheduled. Instead, the agency will further study the responses it received from parties that objected to the proposed change in methodology used to apply the ratings to hospitals.  Star ratings in July 2017 were also delayed due to concerns from stakeholders. The most current star ratings on the Hospital Compare site are from December 2017.

While providers generally endorse the usefulness and accuracy of the dozens of measures contained on Hospital Compare, they have consistently objected to the way CMS groups and weighs the diverse measures to come up with a simple – and oftentimes misleading – one-to-five star rating.

You can rate a restaurant or refrigerator with stars, the healthcare community has argued, but not complex hospitals.