CMS is undergoing a revamp of its Compare websites, which allow patients and users to compare healthcare providers based on quality measures. The agency recently updated its Hospital Compare website with new measurement data and the Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings.
CMS also recently announced it was planning to overhaul all the Medicare comparison tools into one combined portal that is easy to use and simple to navigate.
The agency announced last year it was planning to update the quality measurements of Hospital Compare, which would be reflected in the star ratings that rate hospitals on quality, with five stars being the best. The updated star ratings issued this week “use the existing methodology to ensure patients have the information they need,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma wrote in a blog post Jan. 29.
The agency asked for feedback on how to update the star ratings methodology via national quality conferences, listening sessions and soliciting advice from experts. The information received will inform methodology proposals planned to be issued in spring 2020 for the fiscal year 2021 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule.
Verma also noted the agency is still seeking feedback on the upcoming proposals and start ratings methodology.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."