FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement attributable to:
Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH
President and CEO
America’s Essential Hospitals
WASHINGTON—We thank the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for its prudent decision not to publish overall hospital star ratings based on the July preview reports on Hospital Compare.
The agency says postponing the July release will allow additional time to analyze the impact of changes to some measures. CMS also said it plans to work directly with hospitals and other stakeholders during this time to improve the star ratings program, including by gathering feedback from a multidisciplinary technical expert panel, a provider leadership work group, and public comments. We welcome that opportunity.
Reviews of July preview reports show large shifts in overall hospital star ratings from December 2017 to July 2018. These changes have created confusion and raised new questions about the reliability and validity of the methodology used to calculate these ratings.
America’s Essential Hospitals is committed to improving quality and making reliable and meaningful quality data available to consumers. But we remain deeply concerned the star ratings could do more harm than good in their current form. We look forward to working with CMS to ensure patients and their families can make care decisions based on accurate and meaningful data.
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About America’s Essential Hospitals
America’s Essential Hospitals is the leading champion for hospitals and health systems dedicated to high-quality care for all, including the most vulnerable. We support our more than 325 members with advocacy, policy development, research, and education. Communities depend on essential hospitals to provide specialized, lifesaving services; train the health care workforce; advance public health and health equity; and coordinate care. Essential hospitals innovate and adapt to lead the way to more effective and efficient care. Learn more at essentialhospitals.org.
Contact:
Carl Graziano
cgraziano@essentialhospitals.org
202.585.0102
