adminOn April 16, 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced ratings on its public information website, Hospital Compare, to make it easier for consumers to choose a hospital and understand the quality of care they deliver.
The star ratings on Hospital Compare relate to patients’ experiences at almost 3,500 Medicare-certified acute care hospitals on things like how well nurses and doctors communicated with patients, how responsive hospital staff were to patient needs, how clean and quiet were the hospital environments, and how well patients were prepared for post-hospital settings.
Consumers will now see 12 HCAHPS star ratings on Hospital Compare, one for each of the 11 publicly reported HCAHPS measures, as well as a star rating that combines all of the HCAHPS star ratings. These star ratings will be updated quarterly.