New Medicare whole-hospital quality ratings contain some surprises
Hospitals argue the ratings will make places that treat the toughest cases look bad, but Medicare has held firm, saying that consumers need a simple way to objectively gauge quality.
Hospitals argue the ratings will make places that treat the toughest cases look bad, but Medicare has held firm, saying that consumers need a simple way to objectively gauge quality.
The government says the ratings, which will award between one and five stars to each hospital, will be more useful to consumers than its current mishmash of more than 100 individual metrics, many of which deal with technical matters. The hospital industry, however, fears the ratings will be misleading and oversimplify the many types of care at the institutions.
HealthLeaders’ Cheryl Clark has done a commendable job in identifying 12 changes she’d like to see on Hospital Compare, the quality reporting website run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. You should read the article for the details. I don’t disagree with any of the recommendations, but there are four in particular that […]