News: CMS to overhaul quality star ratings

Come 2021, hospitals could receive new star ratings from CMS, according to a recent press release. The Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings which appear on the Hospital Compare website, have long been controversial. So, earlier this year the agency asked the public for its feedback. Last week, CMS posted a summary of more than 800 public comments related to ratings.

The most common concerns related to improving the usefulness for consumer decision-making and hospital improvement, followed by comments calling the star ratings “overly complex,” lacking specificity, and lacking clarity related to quality measurements. Comments also requested that CMS make the rankings “more precise,” allowing for “direct ‘apples-to-apples’ comparisons,” according to the release.

Since the five-star ratings’ inception in 2016, hospital stakeholders have repeatedly called on CMS to delay, revise, or eliminate them until policymakers could address hospitals' concerns about the accuracy and correct use of the data, according to HealthLeaders Media.

The specifics of the 2021 “overhaul” weren’t outlined in the release, but in the interim, the agency indicated it would “refresh” the star ratings for 2020 using the existing methodology.

Numerous studies have pointed to flawed assessments related to a variety public healthcare score cards. In early August, the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst, said hospital quality ratings frequently offer conflicting results, which may be misleading to stakeholders and patients.

Editor’s Note: To read the press release, click here. To read HealthLeadersMedia coverage of the announcement, click here. To read more information about CDI efforts related to quality scores, click here.