Hospitals are used to receiving star ratings from organizations like the Leapfrog Group or Consumer Reports. Now you can add the feds to the mix. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has just released its new five-star ratings system for hospitals.
Last week, CMS announced that its Hospital Compare website, designed for consumers to see how their hospitals rank when it comes to certain quality measures, will also include star ratings designed to evaluate the patient experience.
Other sites operated by CMS already have a similar rating system, including Physician Compare, Nursing Home Compare and the Medicare Plan Finder. The bulk of the star ratings come from former patients’ own experience via their answers on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (HCAHPS).
