Medicare To Release Delayed New Hospital Star Ratings In July 2016

CMS had planned to release the new star ratings on Medicare Hospital Compare in April 2016, but a day before they were to go live, CMS informed the hospitals it would delay. During the delay, CMS has been working to answer hospital questions about the methodology and to get feedback on how to refine the program. The plans are to award hospitals from one star (lowest) to five stars (highest) based on specific inpatient and outpatient reporting measures. CMS believes that an overall hospital rating will be helpful to consumers by allowing them to more easily compare the quality provided . . .