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CMS Hospital Compare Star Ratings: How you compare and what it means for your organization

  • Publication: Studer Group
  • Release Date: July 17, 2015
On April 16, 2015, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced Hospital Compare Star Ratings to the Hospital Compare website. This initiative to add 5-star quality ratings to its site is intended to make it easier for consumers (patients) to use and understand the information currently included on the Compare website.
 
Currently, there are eleven publically reported Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) measures on the standard survey, which is intended to measure healthcare patients’ perspectives of the care they received. That data is then publically reported on the Hospital Compare site. With the addition of the new HCAHPS Summary Star Rating, there are now twelve HCAHPS Star Ratings on Hospital Compare.
 
Healthcare consumers are the primary audience for the Compare website. The star ratings allow CMS to report what is most important to patients in a manner that is easier to understand than numbers or statistics. Star Ratings, commonly used to rate other consumer items such as online purchases, hotel or restaurant experiences and so on, are not intended to replace what is on Hospital Compare website, rather they are intended to supplement the information that is already on site. Just as other industries work to offer the best consumer experiences, the healthcare industry works to provide the best patient driven care and the Star Ratings is another way to measure patient experiences.
 
What the Data Shows
 
Results published on Hospital Compare are based on more than three million completed surveys from patients at more than 3,500 hospitals. All hospitals that participate in the HCAHPS Survey are eligible to receive HCAHPS Star Ratings, which includes both Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAH). IPPS hospitals are required to report HCAHPS as part of the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program and CAHs voluntarily participate. Hospitals must have at least 100 completed surveys in the 12-month reporting period and be eligible for public reporting in order to receive HCAHPS Star Ratings.
 
The Star Ratings are based on the same data that is used to construct the HCAHPS measures reported on Hospital Compare. The data comes from the survey, which is a national standardized survey including 32 items, of discharged patients’ experience of care during a hospital stay.
 
There are now eleven measures of patient experience: Communication with Nurses, Communication with Doctors, Staff Responsiveness, Pain Management, Communication about Medicines, Discharge Information, Care Transitions, Cleanliness, Quiet at Night, Willingness to Recommend the Hospital, and an Overall Rating on a scale of 1-10. Each of these eleven measures will receive a Star Rating based on how the hospital compares with all the other hospitals in the nation.
 
The Summary Star Rating (the twelfth measure) will be the most comprehensive measure of patient experience reported on Hospital Compare, combining the survey responses from all of these measures into a single score. The average hospital is expected to receive a rating of three (3) stars. Two (2) stars indicates below average patient experience of care and one (1) star indicates poor patient experience. Four (4) stars indicates above average patient experience and five (5) stars indicates excellent patient experience.
 
CMS will update HCAHPS Star Ratings on a quarterly basis with the first public reporting of the ratings in April 2015. That data is based on patients discharged between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014. CMS released the second public reporting on July 17, 2015 and that data is based on patients discharged between October 1, 2013 and September 30, 2014. HCAHPS Star Ratings, including the star ratings level thresholds, will be recalculated for each public reporting.

How Do You Compare?
 
At Studer Group we have the privilege of partnering with some of the highest performing healthcare organizations in the world. With the release of CMS’ Hospital Compare Star Rating, data shows that organizations who partner with Studer Group are twice as likely to receive 5-star HCAHPS quality ratings as organizations who do not partner with Studer Group. The EBL framework provides tools and technology that allows hospitals to systematically implement and sustain practices that drive lasting quality. In fact, 47 of the 336 healthcare organizations who received a 5-star rating are Studer Group partner organizations. What’s more, 70 percent of Studer Group partners received a four or five-star rating, as compared to 46 percent of organizations not coached by Studer Group.
 
HCAHPS Summary Star Rating # of Hospitals % of Hospitals Nationwide % of Studer Group Partners
1 Star 121 3% 0%
2 Stars 475 13% 7%
3 Stars 1,320 37% 24%
4 Stars 1,296 37% 53%
5 Stars 336 9% 17%
Total 3,548 100% 100%
Data pulled from CMS Hospital Compare website representing patients discharged between 4Q13-3Q14. 

Data also proves that the longer an organization partners with Studer Group, the more likely they are to achieve higher ratings across more composites. Organizations within their first year of a Studer Group partnership have higher average ratings in five composites. Those in their second year have higher ratings in seven composites and in the summary rating, and those in their third year have higher average ratings in 10 composites and in the summary rating.
 
Take the Next Step
 
Studer Group has developed a calculator that will help predict a hospital's Star Rating based solely on top box results. This tool can be helpful in goal setting and creating a sense of urgency around the right areas of focus. To connect with an expert and see where your organization ranks contact partnerships@studergroup.com.
 
Learn from the Best
 
Achieving outstanding results such as a 5-star rating takes hard work and dedication, and no one understands that more than the organizations who work with Studer Group’s trusted advisors to implement tools, tactics and processes that make a difference. Individuals get to hear directly from healthcare organizations, including some that received a 5-star rating, at Studer Group’s annual What’s Right in Health Care® conference. Attendees gain the exact steps these organizations take to excel in the industry today. To join them at What’s Right in Health Care®, visit whatsrightinhealthcare.com.
 
Learn more about the Hospital Compare Star Ratings.
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